So today, I will be showing you secrets and hacks for getting 100 percent undivided attention while reading and studying.
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But first, there are a few things to know on attaining focus to position yourself well, because several methods work for different people.
Have you ever gone through a challenging task at work, studied for an important exam, or spent time on a finicky project, you might have wished you could increase your ability to concentrate.
What is Concentration?
Concentration refers to the mental effort you direct toward whatever you’re working on or learning at the moment. It’s sometimes confused with attention span, but attention span refers to the length of time you can concentrate on something.
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Factors that affect concentration
Both attention span and concentration can vary for several reasons.
Some people just have a harder time tuning out distractions.
Age and lack of sleep can affect concentration.
Most people forget things more readily as they age, and decreased concentration can accompany memory loss.
Head or brain injuries, such as concussions, as well as certain mental health conditions can also affect concentration.
It’s easy to become frustrated when you’re trying to concentrate but just can’t. This can lead to stress and irritation, which tends to make focusing on what you need to do even more of a distant dream.
If that sounds familiar, keep reading to learn more about research-backed methods to help improve your concentration.
We’ll also go over some conditions that can affect concentration and steps to take if trying to increase concentration on your own just doesn’t seem to help.
Why sometimes your brain can’t concentrate?
Dopamine from distractions
You might find yourself checking your phone, scrolling through social media apps, or checking your email notifications.
One possible reason for this lack of focus is the brain chemical dopamine.
This release of dopamine can make it difficult to focus on other activities, such as reading.
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Why can’t I concentrate?
This is a common question for many. If you find yourself trying to multitask too often or struggling to complete even the smallest tasks, you’ve likely asked yourself this question. And often, the answer can be found in your daily activities and some areas you can control. These can include:
- Your bedtime routine and sleep hygiene
- Not getting enough sleep
- Not eating nutritious meals or sufficient calories throughout the day
- Having your phone and other electronics within your view
- Dependents or coworkers needing your attention
- Your day is structured out of sync with your ultradian rhythm
- You are overly stressed or burnt out
- You do not get enough physical activity throughout the day
15 research-proven ways you can increase your attention span while reading and studying
#1. Avoid multitasking
Multitasking can lead to mental fatigue and a shorter attention span, thus harming your concentration and comprehension levels. When you are reading, focus solely on the task at hand.
Avoid checking your phone, responding to emails, or engaging in other activities that might break your concentration.
#2. Listen to music
Music has been shown to have therapeutic effects on our brains. Light music may help you to concentrate better, but some music may distract you.
Experts generally agree that classical music and nature sounds, such as water flowing, are good choices for concentration while music with lyrics and human voices may be distracting.
Multiple apps and services offer background music and soundscapes designed for different types of focus and work needs.
#3. Use a timer
Train your brain to hyper-focus on a task by using a timer or phone alarm. First, decide what task you want to complete. Set your timer for 20 minutes (generally not more than 30 minutes) and concentrate on the task.
When the alarm rings take a short break for 5 minutes. You can either take a walk and do some stretching exercises, then reset the timer and start again.
This technique is effective in improving your concentration.
#4. Set a daily priority
Write down what you want to accomplish each day, ideally the night before, and identify a single priority that you commit to accomplishing.
This will help focus your brain on what matters, tackling the big jobs first and leaving the small stuff till later. Break large tasks into smaller bytes so that you will not be overwhelmed.
Identifying true priorities can help relieve distracting anxiety, and achieving small daily goals can wire your brain to achieve success.
#5. Connect with nature
Research has found that even having plants in office spaces can help increase concentration and productivity, as well as workplace satisfaction and better air quality.
Finding time to take a walk in the park or appreciating the plants or flowers in your garden can boost your concentration and help you feel refreshed.
#6. Take a short break
This also might seem counterintuitive, but when you focus on something for a long time, your focus may begin to die down.
You may feel more and more difficulty devoting your attention to the task.
Researchers have found that our brains tend to ignore sources of constant stimulation. Taking very small breaks by refocusing your attention elsewhere can dramatically improve mental concentration after that.
The next time you are working on a project, take a break when you begin to feel stuck. Move around, talk to someone, or even switch to a different type of task.
You will come back with a more focused mind to keep your performance high.
#7. Exercise
Start your day with simple exercise and get your body moving.
According to the May 2013 issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch, regular exercise releases chemicals key to memory, concentration, and mental sharpness.
Other research found that exercise can boost the brain's dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels and all these will affect focus and attention. Individuals who do some form of exercise or sports perform better on cognitive tasks when compared with those who have poor physical health.
Physical movement helps relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are so closely linked, when your body feels better so, too, will your mind.
#8. Get more sleep
Many factors affect your sleep.
One of the most common is reading from an electronic device like a computer, phone, or tablet or watching your favorite movie or TV show on an LED TV just before bedtime.
Research has shown that such devices emit light towards the blue end of the spectrum. Such light will stimulate your eye retina and prevent the secretion of melatonin which promotes sleep anticipation in the brain.
Use a filter or "blue light" glasses to minimize such blue light or avoid all electronic devices before bed.
Other ways to improve sleep include avoiding exercise late in the day, staying hydrated throughout the day, using journaling or breathing exercises to quiet the mind, and creating a predictable bedtime routine and schedule.
#9. Choose to focus on the moment
It might feel counterintuitive when you feel unable to concentrate, but remember that you choose where you focus. It's tough to concentrate when your mind is always in the past and worrying about the future.
While it isn’t easy, make an effort to let go of past events. Acknowledge the impact, what you felt, and what you learned from it, then let it go.
Similarly, acknowledge your concerns about the future, consider how you are experiencing that anxiety in your body, and then choose to let it go.
We want to train our mental resources to focus on the details of what matters at the moment.
Our minds go in the direction we choose to focus.
#10. Train your brain
Scientific research is starting to amass evidence on the ability of brain training activities to enhance cognitive abilities, including concentration, in adults.
Such brain training games for concentration can also help you develop your working and short-term memory, as well as your processing method and problem-solving skills.
Examples of such games include jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, chess, and brain-stimulating video games.
#11. Eat well
Choose foods that moderate blood sugar, maintain energy, and fuel the brain. Fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber foods can keep your blood sugar levels even. Reduce sugary foods and drinks that cause spikes and dips in your sugar levels and make you feel dizzy or drowsy.
Your brain needs lots of good fat to function properly. Nuts, berries, avocados, and coconut oil are all great ways to get healthy fats into your diet and help your brain run more smoothly.
Research has found that foods like blueberries can boost concentration and memory for up to 5 hours after consumption due to an enzyme that stimulates the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain, helping with memory as well as our ability to focus and learn new information.
Leafy green vegetables such as spinach contain potassium which accelerates the connections between neurons and can make our brain more responsive.
#12. Eliminate distractions
How do we focus better if we are always bombarded with information? Make a practice blocking time in your schedule to do a specific task or activity.
During this time, request that you be left alone or go to a place where others are unlikely to disturb you: a library, a coffee shop, or a private room.
Close social media and other apps, silence notifications, and keep your phone hidden from sight in a bag or backpack.
As described in HBR, researchers found that cognitive capacity was significantly better when the phone was out of sight, not just turned off.
Keep Your primary focus is to complete what you need to do. Shutting off both internal and external disturbances can help you to concentrate.
#13. Choose a relaxing reading spot
If you are reading in a noisy environment, consider using nature sounds or noise-canceling headphones to block out external noises and improve your concentration.
Also, choose a calm, tranquil reading spot, such as a quaint coffee shop. You will also need to discover what type of learner categories you fall into by reading the 12 Must-Known Learning Strategies for Tactile Learners.
#14. Use a point for your eyes to follow
Using a pointer, such as a pen or your finger, can help you stay focused on the text.
As you read, move the pointer along the lines of the text to keep your eyes from wandering and track your progress through the text.
#15. Reduce multitasking
Attempting to perform multiple activities at the same time makes us feel productive. It’s also a recipe for lower focus, poor concentration, and lower productivity.
And lower productivity can lead to burnout.
Examples of multitasking include listening to a podcast while responding to an email or talking to someone over the phone while writing your report.
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Common factors of poor reading and attention span
These are five common habits and factors that can impact your ability to concentrate and have an increased attention span
1. Distraction
We are bombarded by a constant flow of information, whether new or old, during the process of doing something.
Researchers have found that our brains are so primed for this distraction that just seeing our smartphone impairs our ability to concentrate.
We constantly assess whether the information is useful, sufficient, or meaningless. The sheer quantity coming in muddles our assessment of whether we actually need more information to make decisions.
2. Insufficient sleep
Scientists have found that lack of sleep can lead to lower alertness, slower thought processes, and reduced concentration.
You will have more difficulty focusing your attention and may become confused. As a result, your ability to perform tasks, especially relating to reasoning or logic can be seriously affected.
Chronically poor sleep further affects your concentration and memory. Dr. Allison T. Siebern from the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Centre notes that if you cannot concentrate on what is at hand, it is unlikely to make it to either your short- or long-term memory.
3. Insufficient physical activity
Have you ever noticed how vigorous exercise leaves you feeling more relaxed and energetic throughout the day?
When you don’t do physical activity, your muscles can become tense.
You may feel tightness in your neck, shoulder, and chest and such persistent, low-level discomfort can affect your concentration.
4. Poor eating habits
What we eat contributes to how we feel, including our mental sharpness and clarity, throughout the day. If we don’t fuel our brains with the proper nutrients, we start to experience symptoms like memory loss, fatigue, and lack of concentration. Low-fat diets can ruin focus because the brain needs certain essential fatty acids.
Other restrictive diets may negatively affect concentration by not providing the nutrients the brain needs or by creating hunger, cravings, or feelings of unwellness in the body that are themselves distracting.
5. Environmental factors
Depending on what you are doing, the environment can affect your focus.
Obviously, a noise level that is too loud is a problem, but many people also have difficulty concentrating when it is too quiet. It isn’t just the overall noise level but the type of noise that matters: the high-energy, anonymous hum of a coffee shop might bring focus while the overheard conversation of two co-workers derails it.
A favorite song quickly has you singing along, happily distracted, while less distinct instrumentals might keep you attuned to the task. Lighting that is too bright or too dim can affect your vision. A room that is too hot or too cold creates discomfort.
All of these elements can affect your concentration. Happily, they are also all addressable.
Conditions related to concentration
If you frequently can’t focus your thoughts and are experiencing ongoing concentration difficulties, it may indicate a cognitive, medical, psychological, lifestyle, or environmental cause.
Depending on the cause, you may have to temporarily accept that your concentration is low and learn a few tricks to reduce the impact or accept the dips as they come.
If you need help with concentration and think your difficulties go beyond the list above, consult with a professional.
Possible broader conditions include:
Cognitive
Your concentration may decrease if you find yourself forgetting things easily.
Your memory sometimes fails you, you misplace articles and have difficulty remembering things that occurred a short time ago.
Another way your concentration may be cognitively impaired is if you find that your mind is overactive, constantly thinking of multiple things due to concerns or important events.
When thoughts and issues intrude into your mind, demanding attention, it prevents effective concentration.
Psychological
When you are depressed and feeling down, it is difficult to focus.
Similarly, when you are recovering from the loss of a loved one during bereavement or are experiencing anxiety, you may have difficulty focusing on a single task.
Medical
Medical conditions like diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and low red blood cell count can affect our concentration.
Some medication also makes you drowsy or bleary and severely impair concentration.
Environmental
Poor working conditions, shared spaces, and intense or negative work dynamics may also contribute to a lack of concentration. When we are experiencing burnout or stress from work or personal life, we will find it difficult to concentrate due to emotional exhaustion.
Similarly, the environment can create discomfort to our body with effects that we’re aware of (heat, light, noise) and others that don’t fully register (tension, negativity, monitoring).
Lifestyle
Fatigue, hunger, and dehydration can derail concentration. Lifestyles that involve too many missed meals, rich foods, or excessive alcohol consumption can challenge our memory and ability to concentrate and focus.
Having explained all the necessary details on how to increase your attention span, I believe you can now have a superb span of attention in respective of whatever you do.
Frequently asked questions on Reading Plus: How to increase your attention span while reading and studying
Ways to Increase Your Child's Attention Span?
- Have a quick physical activity break. Kids who tend to struggle with attention often do better if they have a physical activity break.
- Break Down Tasks Into Smaller Chunks.
- Remove Distractions.
- Keep Instructions Simple.
- Establish Routines.
- Play Focus Games.
- Positive Encouragement.
Is attention related to IQ?
The relationship between attention and intelligence is usually considered as the relationship between a basic ability and a complex ability in the sense that attention is a source, determinant, or constituent of intelligence.19 Feb 2010
Games to increase attention span?
- Puzzle
- Chess
- Memory games
- Crossword