How to Maintain Focus

Being able to focus can help you complete both professional and personal tasks, from studying for exams to finishing your work ahead of schedule. You can apply several practical steps to help yourself stay focused and stop checking Facebook or your phone every 15 minutes. To maintain focus on the task at hand, resist the temptations of distractions, make a to-do list (including break times), and avoid multitasking.

Organize your workspace. Whether you're working in an office or studying at home, a clean and tidy workspace can help you focus and complete your tasks more efficiently. Remove anything that isn’t relevant and might distract you. Clear your desk of unnecessary items and keep only what’s needed for your work, leaving just a few photos or personal mementos to help you relax.

• Spending just 10 minutes cleaning up at the end of each day will help you establish a new habit of keeping things organized.
• If you don’t need your phone for work, put it away for a few hours. Don’t leave it on your desk where it will clutter your space and cause distractions.

Create a to-do list. Starting each day or week with a to-do list can help you stay focused and motivated to keep working. When you have a list of tasks, no matter how long or short, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment as you check off completed items and move on to the next. This method also helps you maintain focus on one task at a time.

• Prioritize tasks by importance. Tackle the most critical ones first. It’s best to leave easier or less urgent tasks for the end of the day when you're more tired and less pressured to complete the toughest tasks. If you delay the more difficult ones until the last minute, you'll spend the whole day worrying about getting them done.
• For example, a to-do list might look like this: “Call mom. Order a birthday cake for the kids. Return the doctor's call. Go to the post office at 2 PM.”

Set deadlines for each task. Time management goes hand in hand with a to-do list. Next to each item on your list, write down a target completion time. Be realistic when estimating how long each task will take, and then try to stick to the deadline. This will prevent you from getting distracted or spending an hour texting friends instead of finishing a task.

• For longer tasks, break them down into smaller, more manageable parts. This will make the tasks seem less overwhelming and turn the smaller tasks into small rewards.
• For example, you might write: “Make coffee: 5 minutes. Answer emails: 15 minutes. Company meeting: 1 hour. Take meeting notes: 30 minutes. Edit report: 2 hours.”

Take regular breaks throughout the day. Although it may seem counterintuitive to include relaxation time in your daily schedule, doing so actually helps you focus more effectively. You should take a 5-10 minute break after every hour of work or a 3-5 minute break after every half hour. This will give you the energy to keep going, allow your eyes to rest, and give your brain time to shift gears for the next task.

• You could even set a timer for every half hour or hour of work to remind you to take a break. If you're really in the zone, you can skip a break once in a while, but try not to make this a habit.
• If you have a smartphone, you can use an app like Pomodoro to schedule your workday, including breaks.

Choose a distraction-free break area. A break won’t help you clear your mind if you’re still checking work emails. So, during your break, get up, look out the window, take a walk, or climb five flights of stairs to get your blood flowing. These brief breaks will recharge you, so you can return to work with renewed energy.

• For example, you might set a goal to read for 30 minutes during your 3-hour work session. When you step away from the screen and read a chapter, you'll return to your tasks with extra motivation to finish them.

Enhance Your Focus. Even if you believe you're easily distracted, anyone can improve their concentration with a bit of practice. All you need to do is pick one task and set a 30-minute timer to focus solely on that task without being distracted by anything else – not even standing up. Keep going and see how long you can maintain your focus.

• After a few weeks, when maintaining focus for 30 minutes becomes easy, try to extend that focus by 5 or even 10 more minutes.
• Although you should take a break at least every hour, learning to focus for longer periods will help you complete tasks more effectively and increase your short-term concentration.

Don’t Delay Tasks That Need to Be Done. Avoid procrastination by not pushing tasks off to tomorrow, next week, or next month. Instead, take action now and move on to the next project.

• For example, if you know you need to call a client this week, don’t wait until Friday afternoon. Make the call on Monday or Tuesday to avoid having that task hanging over you all week.
• Procrastination harms your ability to concentrate and significantly reduces your productivity.

Avoid Multitasking to Improve Focus. Many people mistakenly think that multitasking is effective because it allows them to tackle several tasks at once. In reality, this causes confusion in the brain, slows down your pace, and prevents you from fully concentrating on any single task. Every time you switch between tasks, your mind has to readjust, which slows down your productivity.

• This is where a to-do list comes in handy: it can help motivate you to finish each task one by one.

Avoid Online Distractions. Distractions are the enemy of focus. To maintain deep concentration, you need to be able to block out various distractions. There are countless distractions online that you should try to avoid.

• To avoid online distractions, try to limit the number of open tabs on your browser. The more tabs you have open, the more tasks you'll try to juggle, leading to more distractions. After every 2 hours, give yourself 5 minutes to check your emails, Facebook, or any other social media platform that you feel compelled to check, and then close them until the next break.

Avoid External Distractions. Whether you're working in an office, a library, or at home, try not to let other people interrupt your focus. Don’t let your work be disrupted by others, whether they’re classmates, colleagues, or friends constantly asking for your help. Put aside personal matters until your work is done. This will help you finish tasks faster and give you more time for personal leisure.

• Don't let your environment distract you either. If you're in a noisy place, consider listening to soft music or using noise-canceling headphones. Even though it's tempting to look around and see what others are doing, try to limit yourself to glancing up every 10 minutes to maintain your focus.
• Working in environments where people are focused, like cafes or libraries, can also help boost your productivity, as seeing others working diligently encourages you to do the same.
• Listen to classical music or nature sounds to improve concentration. Avoid listening to songs with lyrics, as they can distract you with the words.

Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and enhance focus. If you're feeling tense, restless, or overly excited while working, sit down and close your eyes. Take 3-5 deep, full breaths. The increased oxygen levels will stimulate your brain, making it easier to focus on the task at hand.

• If you have time, consider taking several deep breaths over a longer period instead of just 3-5 breaths. For example, during your lunch break, sit or lie down and focus on deep breathing for 15 minutes.
• Accept the task you need to complete. Resisting a task only makes it harder.

Chew gum. Studies have shown that chewing gum can temporarily help improve focus. The chewing action increases the oxygen supply to the brain, which in turn boosts concentration.

• If you don't have gum, try eating a healthy snack like a handful of nuts or a few carrot sticks, which can offer similar benefits to chewing gum.

Avoid excessive caffeine consumption. While a cup of coffee or tea can give you an energy boost to start your day, drinking too much caffeine might make you overly excited, leading to difficulty concentrating, or even causing jitters and restlessness after a few hours. Resist the urge to pour a large cup of coffee whenever you need to focus.

• It's best to stay hydrated and limit yourself to just one cup of tea per day, rather than overloading on caffeine which will leave you restless and unproductive.

Look at something distant for 20 seconds. Many of us work on computers or at desks, usually looking at something from a distance of 30-60 cm. This can strain the eyes, cause discomfort, and reduce concentration. Give your eyes a break by focusing on something far away for a few seconds. This will help your eyes (and mind) refocus when you return to your computer screen.

• Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away (about 6 meters) for 20 seconds.

Remind yourself of the goals you're working towards. When you have a clear objective in mind, it provides extra motivation to complete the task, and you’re more likely to succeed if you stay focused. A key reason we lose focus is that we don’t recognize the importance of the task, which leads us to shift our attention to something else.

• For example, if you're studying, remind yourself why the task is important. Maybe getting an A in the exam doesn't matter much to you, but the exam score will affect your course outcome, and you need a good grade to graduate.
• Or, if you're working, remind yourself why this task is important to you. Reflect on what you can buy with the earnings or what fun activities you can enjoy after a productive workday.

Set a specific goal to strive towards. It's easy to get sidetracked by small distractions if you don’t have one main goal in mind. Having a target to work towards gives you something to look forward to after all the hard work, making your efforts feel worthwhile.

• So, what’s your goal once the task is completed? Is it simply finishing a day of work or study, saving enough money for a boat, or advancing in your career?
• For example, your goal could be to clean the entire house to host a party or run for 40 minutes without stopping to achieve a better physique.

Read or write down your ‘focus mantra.’ Once you have a clear sense of purpose and goals, create a mantra to bring your mind back when it starts to wander. If you feel shy reading it out loud, try writing it on a sticky note and placing it on your desk.

• Your mantra could be something like, “No Facebook, no texting until I finish my work. Once I complete this, I’ll ace my chemistry exam, and with an A in chemistry, I’ll be at the top of my class!”