Can an undated planner be the key to improving focus? It’s becoming increasingly challenging to focus, and we largely have the internet and our multitude of gadgets to thank for that! According to studies, our attention span has shrunk to eight-seconds before we seek new stimulation.
This is fine for internet browsing or flicking through TV channels, but not much use for productivity at work. If you give us slightly more than eight seconds, we’ll show you little-known ways to improve concentration and focus.
Build your mind-muscle
Are you investing time in building good muscle tone in your mind?
Thinking you’re ‘built’ to be forgetful or ditzy is a fallacy. It’s possible to carry out regular mental exercises to achieve a state of 100% concentration when required.
Mind muscle building doesn’t have to be yoga, meditation or smartphone puzzles either. It can be things you do daily to improve your ability to focus, like observing things from the train window, or systematically following complex recipes.
Try these exercises now to build your mental strength now.
Freestyle your list-making
Are you a list maker?
An undated planner lets you create work and household to-do lists that you systematically attack. Getting everything down on paper – from your meal plan to your work commitments – also frees your brain of ‘clutter’.
Our Getting Stuff Done planner is perfect for this, with space for your daily plan, and sections for meals and self-care, you’ll want to carry this undated planner everywhere.
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Keep your hand busy
Your undated planner could include a section for random scribbles. This is not time wasted. Cognitive performance can be improved by keeping your hand busy with doodling. It’s great stress relief and kills boredom.
If you put down random words or sketches linked to a task, your recollection and productivity improve.
How hot are you?
The temperature in the room impacts on your ability to focus. You can start to noticeably wilt if you get warm.
Cold can help concentration, according to an ergonomics study done by Cornell University. Keeping the thermometer lower reduces mistakes and makes us more productive.
Ears turn your brain on
Sound has a crucial impact on your level of distraction too. This is not just about listening to gossiping colleagues, or wondering why your boss is yelling down the phone.
Your brain is busy processing sensory input all the time. Often, we don’t realize how much of our ‘bandwidth’ goes on sorting auditory input. Even the tapping on your own keyboard is being processed and categorized. If you’re struggling to concentrate you might need to drink more water, find out what other symptoms of dehydration you need to look out for here.
To improve concentration, manage your sound environment. This could include lobbying the boss for earphones to dampen sound or listen to music. Music stimulates emotions and positive hormones, which in turn help us to learn and remember more.
Soothing music provides a pattern to follow too, for both boredom relief and cognitively stimulating.
Still with us? Great, another exercise in concentration completed!
