Concentration is defined as the ability to focus on a task for a particular span of time. Adequate attention and concentration are required for effective working and memory. Anxiety and disturbed mood often adversely affect the memory function.
Fortunately, there are ways by which one can improve the concentration levels significantly:
1 . Keep Stress Away
Stress and tension disturb the ability to respond to the surroundings and affect your concentration. The best way is to engage yourself in breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. You may also choose to pursue a creative hobby or sports. It shall keep you busy in something which you enjoy the most.
2. Get Adequate Sleep
Sufficient literature supports that sleep plays a critical role in an individual’s overall efficiency. Adequate sleep (atleast 6-8 hours) is necessary for brain’s adequate neurochemical functioning. Inadequate sleep affects concentration, memory and emotional control among other things.
3. Eat Healthy
Every cell in the body requires nourishment. An adequate amount of nutrients and minerals such as iron, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, omega 3 fatty acids are critical for good neuronal function. Include blueberries, avocados, green tea, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, flax seeds, chia seeds and nuts such as pistachios and walnuts in your daily diet. Avoid high fat and sugar containing foods.
4. Keep Moving
Make sure you move around even during your work hours. It helps to reduce stress, promotes secretion of endorphins, improves physical stamina and together these shall help to improve your performance. Sports also improves motor coordination.
5. Indulge in Mind Games
Your mind is like a muscle and it needs to be exercised for development. Crosswords, puzzles, sudoku, brain games promote logical and analytical thinking aid in neural synapse development. There are concentration exercises, such as focusing on all aspects of a simple object of the table, that helps in learning to focus better.
6 . Practice Writing Down
Penning down the tasks and thoughts in a step by step manner helps to form a mental road map that one is able to follow without confusion and distraction. Writing down the points that need to be focused on improves concentration and also increases efficiency. Make sure you take a note of all the important tasks that you need to get done with during the day.
7 . Remove Sources of Distractions
Zero in on the most potent sources of distraction for you and take steps to reduce their interference. You can put your phone on silent mode before starting work or close your email, face-book and twitter pages.