Human brain has 86 billion cells and these cells play a colossal role in running our mind including hundreds of body functions. Human mind is an intricate design which can get easily trapped by external and internal factors as well as easily drawn towards a single focal point. All you need is right stimuli, right number of triggers and goals. Focusing on a task can be difficult, but becomes equally challenging when you get surrounded by constant distractions. In today’s digital world which can connect people, distractions and diversions are just a click away. Even during a very quiet moments, distraction is literally at your fingertips when you find yourself checking your Instagram notifications. And, I am saying this because I did spend a whole 15 minutes in just watching the Instagram reels of famous Instagram influencer Khaby Lame, before starting this article.
Whether you are trying to finish writing an article or a report at work or competing in a marathon, or sitting in an interview, your ability to focus gets to decide your success or failure. Lesser-known fact: focus is a lot like a mental muscle. The more you make it to workout, the stronger it gets. Improving or boosting your mental focus is quite achievable, but we never said it will always be quick and easy. It does take some real effort from your end and you may need to make some changes in your daily habits. And there’s no certain answer to the ways you can boost your focus naturally, but there are tips you can make use to develop unmovable focus. Here are the tips:
1. Give enough sleep to yourself
It isn’t a rocket science. Your brain is like a machine. As you give break to machines to avoid excessive heat generation in them, giving peaceful night sleep break to your brain helps you recharge and calm down from excessive wear and tear due to workload, too much thinking, and functioning. A good night’s sleep allows our body and most importantly your brain to reset itself, it reduces your stress and alleviates muscle wear. Your ability to focus increases and you make less mistakes when you get enough sleep.
2. Practice regular workout
Regular workout has similar effect to that of falling in love, on your body. Very less people know that, initially practicing workout can be boring and full of resistance, but once you feel the positiveness caused by it, it becomes your habit and you feel extremely happy and great when you exercise. And the days you miss it, you feel bored and tired. The reason is exercising boosts your happy hormones and makes you feel euphoric. You feel relaxed, calm yet energetic, and more focused all day.
3. Spend some time amidst nature
Nature and human brain have a special connection, and the reason is we are born out of nature. Nature brings tranquility to our mental and physical health. It improves blood circulation in our body and relaxes your brain muscles which helps you to calm down and enhance your focusing ability. When you spend some time in nature, especially walking amidst nature, you forget all chaos for that moment and feel being composed. That’s the game of your hormones.
4. Practice music therapy
Music therapy is a great relaxing therapy that improves brain health and mental state. It helps you to boost brain capacity and especially achieve relaxation and calmness. Music soothes your brain cells and calms down the complex activity of your brain due to over-exhaustion that makes focusing hard, which is an effective natural way to boost your focus.
5. Try brain training games
According to studies, solving jigsaw puzzles can improve your cognition and visual-spatial reasoning. Experts have to say when you practice brain training games or activities such as chess, sudoku, crosswords, or jigsaw puzzles, your focusing ability and concentration get enhanced and also improves short-term memory and problem-solving skills.
6. Try Tai Chi meditation
It’s unlike martial art, and traditional meditative practice. Tai Chi is an ancient meditative practice and is a unique form of focusing the mind which includes body movement that is also called as “medication in motion.” It involves low-impact and slow-motion exercising movements that challenges you to focus firmly on your breathing and circular movements of your muscles so that your muscles don’t experience tension.
7. Get papers and pen to work on
Technology had made a promise that it would help people to save time. We don’t know if it’s serving its purpose, but on a larger note, technology is actually ruining people and their habits in many areas. People are being lazy and being less active. They are letting technology to do their brain’s usual job. If you’re working at office or at home, please get some real papers and pen and do your job the old conventional way that we people used to do 30 years back. Because when you take the help of your devices to do the task, we’re not sure about your tasks, but consistent distractions will come your way.
8. Increase green tea intake
Increasing green tea intake can help you boost your focus naturally. It contains a potent combination of both compounds called caffeine and l-theanine, which are known for aiding in boosting your brainpower and induce a state of calm and focus. In addition to that, drinking green tea more often in a day increases antioxidant capacity of your blood which improves brain functioning especially, the focusing ability.
9. Unplug yourself from everything else but you
If you’re a workaholic you need it badly but even if you’re not but still find it hard focusing, then the reason is you don’t take right amount of break for your brain to recharge and re-energize. For straight 30 minutes, just stop doing everything, keep your phones in other room, switch off all the technological devices and sit silently with yourself. Choose a right spot but no food, no water. Make sure, you’re done with food and thirst. Just sit and spend some good time with yourself. Close your eyes and try not to think anything. Just fall in between two cliffs and feel that void. Yes, we are talking about practicing mindfulness.
10. Avoid multitasking
People think that multitasking is actually efficient and leads to higher productivity. But the fact is exactly opposite to what people believe. Multitasking enables your brain to function in way too complex networks with complex multifunction which kills your focus, efficiency and finally the productivity. You actually focus on multiple tasks but before you reach to the core of the task of one subject your focus shifts to another and thus, focusing ability stays unstable.