Do you want to become more productive at work, but can't manage all the phone calls and meetings? Is your attention span decreasing to the point where you can't focus on a single task? You may not be going insane - you just need to improve your concentration at work and daily life.
Today, we're going to take a look at practical ways to sharpen your mental focus and avoid the constant distractions that prevent you from achieving maximum productivity at work.
What does the concentration mean?
When trying to understand what concentration means, it can be difficult to define any one thing. For example, is concentration a matter of focus, or the awareness of a situation? Does it require an element of self-orientation or control, or an ability to effectively divide time, effort and attention to different things?
In many cases, it can be all of these aspects and even more, which is why it can sometimes be so hard to pin down. This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible though. In fact, some individuals may find that it’s not too challenging at all when they know what to look out for and how to hone their concentration skills.
With focus and prioritisation comes the potential to excel in both the working environment and the wider world – and the good news is that it’s a skill that you can learn and master for a better work/life balance.
Interested in learning more? Here's everything to need to know about how to improve focus and concentration at work
Factors that affect concentration at work
Depending on your unique situation and capabilities, there can be a wide array of different things that impact your attentiveness. Here are 10 examples of things that may influence your concentration, as well as how you could boost focus in the workplace:
1. Stress
One of the biggest factors that contribute to a lack of focus at work is stress. While feeling frazzled will impact your drive, the effects of stress on the body and mind can actually have a deeper significance; decreased cognitive function. This means that minimising stress in the workplace can be especially important, so be sure to talk to your bosses for assistance.
2. The working environment
Where you work and the general distractions you face can impede your ability to complete necessary tasks. If it’s too loud or quiet, if the colour scheme is off-putting, if there are lots of people walking around and even if you feel uncomfortable at your desk, you could be working at a reduced capacity. Even simple things could make a difference, so it really can be worth evaluating the area to consider what things may be impacting your ability to focus.
3. Any kind of distractions
Whether you’re sorting through emails or find that noises in the workplace draw your attention, a wide array of distractions would generally make a big difference in your ability to concentrate on the task at hand. This may not just be based on your environment, as things like having notifications turned on on your phone turned could be enough to take your mind off work.
4. Quality of information
Your ability to work is directly related to the information you receive, both from your co-workers and your employees. If you have wrong or limited info, you may find yourself struggling to concentrate, or you may have to come away from your work to get clarity.
5. Bad diet and nutrition
If you don’t eat properly, your body will send out signals to your brain that can affect your concentration levels. You need to have a healthy attitude to eating, so be sure to implement essential fatty acids, protein and vitamins (including B and D) as well as iron for better mental function.
6. Hunger and dehydration
Hunger and a lack of hydration can also have a huge influence on how well you work. Eating regularly helps to balance blood sugar levels and dehydration is a definitive side effect of loss of focus, so be sure to eat and drink throughout the day.
7. Lower willpower
In most cases, simply having a lower level of confidence and energy will have a negative impact on an individual’s ability to focus on their work. Whether this is an issue within the workplace or outside of it, not having the willpower to get through certain tasks isn’t great for concentration.
8. Poor timekeeping
Knowing how to properly utilise time can be an essential factor in keeping your focus. For many of those who struggle with tracking time, simply being able to allocate set amounts of time to different tasks can be a great way to maintain higher levels of attention.
9. Memory
Many people will find that memorisation can often be linked to concentration too. Due to the many different attributes that memory can play a role in, your ability to retain information and memorise things will usually be important to your focus and it’s something worth considering if you want to improve it.
10. Burnout
There are so many people who don’t know how to identify when they’re burning out. When you run out of energy, it’s often going to be far harder to put out the same level of work or give the
How to improve focus and concentration at work?
When considering how to stay concentrated at work or even how to increase concentration at work it’s no secret that defining your needs will be your best asset. Take a closer look at the things that distract you and aim to correct them in the simplest ways.
So, what helps with concentration? While there are generally many things that can boost attentiveness, being proactive about improving your current setup and maximising your own potential are two excellent examples.
Seven benefits of being concentrated at work
Now that we’ve gone through a variety of tips and other pieces of advice that could give you a helping hand, you may have a better idea of why it’s so important. Even so, it’s worth noting some of the different advantages that it has to offer.
Here are a few benefits when you want to increase concentration – you’ll be able to:
- Complete tasks quicker
- Become better at managing your time
- Find solutions to work-related problems without fuss
- Increase your output and up productivity
- Produce more creative work that’s of a higher quality
- Create clear goals and complete work assignments on schedule
- Increase your potential to get better work opportunities and earn more
How to improve concentration at work: practical tips to regain focus
Ready to up your productivity game? Here is a list with practical bits of advice you can use to improve your attention span and mental focus.
1. Organize your workspace - you can gain mental focus by having your desk and work area well-organized. Clean things up and declutter so you have a clean space to work and move around.
2. Move around and exercise when you can - take a walk and do regular exercise when you can - stretch around, do some jumping jacks, move up and down flights of stairs. This physical activity will help get your blood flowing and make you think more clearly.
3. Track and manage your time - you can do more in a period of time by carefully logging the time you spend on your tasks. Productivity tools such as Unrubble will help you determine the periods of time when you do your best work, so you can identify and remove roadblocks.
4. Get enough sleep - the human brain does not have enough brain function if it faces a constant lack of sleep. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, and you'll see your primary focus get sharper.
5. Don't multitask - it's better to do critical tasks one by one instead of trying to do 20 things at once. Focusing on a single task at hand will have a positive impact on how much you can do in a single day so you can have maximum focus at once.
6. Take breaks - 5-minute breaks can do wonders for your brain health and productivity. Constant stimulations from all sides can only hinder your ability to stay productive. You can use tools such as Unrubble to track blocks of time and find out when to take mental breaks and get back your focus time. Of course, take plenty of time for your lunch break too.
7. Stay hydrated and get some food - one of the common factors that contribute to your concentration and energy levels is not getting enough food or drink. You can't expect deep concentration if your stomach is growling.
8. Set clear goals - improve mental concentration by setting big goals (your anchor task or priority task) and splitting up into smaller daily tasks. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and as you tick these tasks off, they will be your food for concentration.
Wrapping up
Improvements in concentration don't happen over night and require significant effort. However, the hard work pays off and you'll be able to get rid of poor focus, remove brain fog and environmental distractions from your professional life.
Get ahold of your daily routine by gaining control of your time. With Unrubble, you can track how you spend time at work so you can remove roadblocks preventing you from crushing your daily and weekly goals.
