Increase Your Attention Span

Increasing your attention span can benefit you greatly, especially in the work place. Improving your overall attention span takes some dedication, but some fairly simple tricks can help. Work on engaging in certain activities, such as meditation, that are shown to boost attention span. Take initiative to better manage your time. Make sure you're using your time wisely and take breaks as needed. You should also adjust your overall lifestyle. Cutting back on stress and improving your sleep can greatly improve attention span.

Steps

Engaging in Activities that Increase Attention Span

  1. Meditate to gradually stretch your attention span. Daily meditation has been shown to increase a person's overall attention span. Meditation requires brief intense periods of focus, which exercise your attention span the way you might exercise a muscle. Work on taking time to meditate each day to see a noticeable increase in your attention span.[1]
    • You can find guided meditation routines online. If you've meditated before, this is a good place to start.
    • Make sure to find a quiet space to meditate so you can focus solely on your thoughts. You should also wear comfortable clothing and sit in a position that's comfortable for you.
  2. Use technology to increase your attention span. Phone applications and certain websites have games you can play aimed at exercising and increasing your attention span. Try downloading a few apps and playing them during your free time. You may see your attention span greatly increase.[2]
    • Luminosity is a very popular phone app that allows you to play a variety of games that exercise your attention span. Consider downloading luminosity on your phone or computer.
    • Elevate is an app that gives you new challenges each day, aimed at increasing a variety of cognitive skills. If you enjoy continuous challenges, download Elevate on your phone.
    • If you have trouble gathering or expressing your thoughts, try downloading MindNode. This is an app designed to help you visualize your thoughts and therefore better express and articulate them.
  3. Listen to music to help with concentration. Classical music and music without lyrics may enhance your ability to focus. If you're struggling to complete a task, try turning on some instrumental music in the background. You may notice you will suddenly be completing tasks significantly faster.[3]
  4. Exercise daily to boost your attention span. Working out regularly has a positive effect on your attention span. Try to get a workout in each day if you want to increase your ability to focus. Try to pick an activity you enjoy doing so you'll stick to the schedule. For example, if you love swimming, join a local gym with a pool.[4]
    • Exercise can increase your attention span over time, but it can also instantaneously boost attention span. If you're having trouble focusing at work, try going for a brief 10 minute walk. You may find yourself more focused when you return to your desk.
  5. Drink more black tea to sharpen your focus. Black tea may have a positive effect on attention span. It contains the amino acid amino acid called L-theanine, which affects the part of the brain responsible for attention. Try replacing your coffee in the morning with a cup of black tea and see if you're more focused overall.[5]

Managing Your Time Effectively

  1. Start tracking your time. You may sometimes find yourself wondering where all your time went. While you had a list of tasks to complete in a given day, you may suddenly find yourself out of time when you've barely started your list. Therefore, it's a good idea to be more conscientious about how you spend your time. Figure out when and where you tend to dawdle, waste time, or lose focus.[3]
    • Write down everything you do throughout the day. Keep track of how much time all your usual activities take.
    • If you find a particular activity seems to take you a long time to complete, identify whether you're focusing as much as you could be. Try to figure out areas where you need to streamline your attention span.
  2. Identify when you're most energetic. It's normal for your attention span to vary throughout the day. If you have a natural dip in energy around, say, 2 o'clock, you can't expect to be extremely focused during this time as you'll be feeling tired. If you want to work when your potential to focus is at its peak, plan to be productive during those times.[1]
    • For a day, keep an activity log. Take note of when you feel most and least energetic. You may, for example, find you're a naturally inclined morning person, but your energy and focus tends to taper off as you get closer to the evening.
    • Working during your personal prime hours can maximize your productivity. This means you'll be working when your attention span has the greatest potential. Try to tweak your schedule so you're working when you're the most focused.
  3. Take breaks. Many people think pushing themselves hard will help improve their attention span. However, do not put too much pressure on yourself as this is likely to backfire. Periodic breaks will actually increase your overall attention span, as they give your brain a chance to recharge.[4]
    • Aim to take a brief break every 50 minutes. After 50 minutes of working on a project, take 5 minutes to do something like check Facebook, read text messages, or listen to music.
    • If you easily get caught up in work, set a timer on your phone to remind yourself to take breaks.
  4. Remove technology periodically. Technology can be incredibly helpful, but being on your phone or computer too much can diminish attention span. Work on taking a break from technology regularly. Powering down your phone and computer for a few hours each day can greatly increase your attention span.[3]
    • Find a time that works for you when it comes to turning off technology. You can, for example, have a rule that your phone gets turned off for two hours after dinner every night.
    • If possible, take one day a week to shut down things like your phone and computer. You could turn off technology for the whole day Saturday, for example, and give yourself time to do things like read.

Making Lifestyle Changes

  1. Improve your sleep. Poor sleep habits can greatly diminish your attention span. If you're not getting enough sleep, you'll find yourself becoming more forgetful and struggling to focus. Work on prioritizing quality sleep in order to increase your attention span.[6]
    • Stick to a sleep schedule, even on the weekends. Your body has a natural circadian rhythm that will adapt to a regular sleep/wake cycle. Strive to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.[7]
    • Have a bedtime ritual you follow each night. If you, say, take a warm shower each night before bed, your body will recognize this as a signal that it's time to wind down and sleep.
    • Make sure your sleeping arrangements are comfortable. Get rid of any beds, pillows, or other objects in your bedroom that you dislike.
  2. Learn to manage stress. If you're a high stress person by nature, this can have a negative impact on your attention span. Learning to better manage your reactions to stressors can help you increase your attention span overall.[1]
    • Identify the stressors in your life and look at where you could cut back. You may be pushing yourself too much. Identify a few obligations that you can drop to give yourself more free time to relax.[8]
    • Talk to others when you're feeling stressed instead of bottling up your feelings. Socializing can help relieve stress. However, avoid anyone who contributes to your overall stress.
  3. Eat throughout the day. If you're hungry, you're likely to lose focus. Work on eating during the day in order to cut back on stress. If you feel hungry, grab a healthy snack like an apple or some nuts. Snacking when you feel hungry will help you increase your overall focus, as hunger pangs won't distract you.[6]
    • Go for something like nuts, fruits, vegetables, or lean proteins. Less healthy foods, such as chips and processed carbs, can cause a dip in energy. This can decrease your overall focus.
  4. Get outdoors more often. Being exposed to nature can help you unwind and relaxed, allowing you to recharge. This can prevent you from losing focus longterm. Being outside tends to raise people's attention spans.[4]
    • Try going for a walk or a hike when you have free time.
    • Even small exposures to nature, such as looking at trees through your window, can increase your attention span.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://time.com/2921341/stay-focused-5-ways-to-increase-your-attention-span/
  2. ↑ https://hired.com/blog/candidates/5-apps-to-maximize-your-attention-span/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/stay-focused-8-ways-to-boost-your-attention-span/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.inc.com/amy-morin/7-scientifically-proven-ways-to-lengthen-your-attention-span.html
  5. ↑ https://www.fastcompany.com/3052830/8-quick-ways-to-improve-your-attention-span
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/11/14/rs.increase.your.attention.span/
  7. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379
  8. ↑ http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm
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