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Sai Bikkineni

How to Increase Focus and Attention Span

Introduction

Learning begins with a block of time in which we are alert without becoming distracted. It is no secret that our average attention span is only declining in today’s digital age and has significant implications for how we, students, learn and retain information in the classroom. In 1970, a Nobel Laureate, Herbert Simon, noted that a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and that information consumes the attention of its recipients. Although it varies from person to person and task at hand, a myriad of factors including, mental, physical, and environmental factors, and conditions such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can contribute to a wandering mind and attention deficits. The good news is that attention span can be trained as there are several solutions and resources available that help us build attention span, like a muscle, and get back on track. All it requires is self-awareness to understand WHY you are being distracted and HOW you lose focus. Below is the outline of a few options that can be incorporated to increase our ability to sustain attention. 

Good Sleep

One of the main things that people can do to increase focus and attention is to prioritize sleep, as sleep deprivation can reduce attention span. Having a minimum of six hours of sleep every night can reduce mental and physical fatigue. Avoiding clutter in the room and making it comfortable for a good night's sleep is important. It’s not just how much sleep you get, it is also about the quality of your sleep. One can’t focus without having restful sleep. Getting enough time to sleep for high schoolers might sound oxymoronic given the workload; however, one can always start  assignments before the due date. This way, you can break up your assignments into smaller parts and do them day by day. 

Physical Exercise 

Including physical exercise can boost your brain health and make it easier to focus and pay attention. In fact, active play of about 15-30 minutes before a challenging task can also help kids stay more engaged. These exercises don’t have to be vigorous as long as the exercise is comfortable for you, it’s okay.

Eating Healthy

Healthy foods are healthy for your body as well as your mind. Eating foods like berries, fruits, avocados, and nuts is healthy for your mind and body. This can help you focus and do well at anything. It might be tempting to eat junk food, but you must keep in mind that eating unhealthy food can decrease your focus and attention span levels, while healthy food can increase it.

Meditation and Mindful Activities

In addition to various techniques, meditation and practicing mindfulness in daily life can increase overall cognitive abilities. Some people might need different mindful activities, as one mindful activity might not work for everyone. Your brain needs some relaxation, and being mindful can reduce mental fatigue. These exercises can help calm your brain down, reduce stress, and help you stay present and focused. 

Listening to Music

Some people also play music in the background while they are working to enhance focus. Music is a good tool for those who can benefit from it, but it could distract others, and sometimes, only certain kinds of music help people. It is all about figuring out what works for you. Just because someone you know benefits from listening to music does not mean you will.

Taking Breaks

When working for long hours, your brain will not be able to focus anymore as it gets tired and overwhelmed. While many different techniques are out there, the Pomodoro technique allows to break work into intervals, 25 minutes of focussed work followed by a 5-minute break. It is quite a norm these days to quickly scroll through social media/YouTube in the name of “taking a break.” These breaks can be as short as five minutes, but they have to be “real” breaks, away from the phone and/or the internet. The breaks could be as simple as lying on the sofa, a short walk in the backyard, etc. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can’t think about assignments during breaks. This will prevent burnout and enable us to come back to work with a fresher, more rested brain.

Minimizing Multitasking

Contrary to the popular belief that multitasking saves time and is convenient, it does worse. When you multitask, your brain will not focus or pay attention to even one task. It’s better to work on one thing with focus than to do two things without focusing on any of them. This can also reduce the quality of your work.

Limiting Social Media

The biggest reason people, especially kids, of this generation have a hard time focusing is social media. Social media distracts people from focusing on the task at hand. Even though that’s the case, we know that social media is unavoidable in the digital age. That’s why it’s better to have a designated time for social media. Making sure to keep that designated time short is key to keeping the mind refreshed. 

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