Ways to Improve Attention

This Page Includes:

  • There Are Many Ways to Strengthen Attention

  • Strategies to Improve Attention

There Are Many Ways to Strengthen Attention

All are worth practicing, but perhaps you may find one that works best for you and your lifestyle above others.

Short bursts of exercise. Anything to raise your heart rate for a period. This includes high-intensity exercise, strength, and flexibility training, which may occur in activities like walking or jogging, weightlifting, strenuous gardening, yoga, and balance exercises. Regular exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function. Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to boost focus.

Improving your sleep schedule. Settling down for bed earlier will help your body feel more rested. We have an entire section devoted to improving sleep. Prioritize quality sleep or deep sleep as it plays a crucial role in attention. Aim for 7-9 hours each night. Try reading something before bed instead of being on your phone or computer—your brain will thank you for it.

Practice attentive listening. When engaging in conversations or learning to listen give your full attention to the speaker or to the material being presented. Paraphrase or write notes about what you’ve just heard or read. Summarizing will help your brain get used to actively paying attention and help settle information in your mind. This works well while studying or revising notes after lectures and meetings.​

Spend a few minutes in nature every day. Even fifteen to twenty minutes can benefit your overall mood and mental strength. Add some greenery to your workplace; sit in the grass.​

Mindfulness. Perhaps the most powerful way to improve anything involving our minds is to spend time with ourselves. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that has been demonstrated to increase people’s ability to concentrate or focus. Breath awareness meditations train your mind to focus and be more aware of the present moment. Sit alone, close your eyes, and assess your situation and your state of well-being.​

Take frequent breaks. Not everyone works well by studying or working for two hours at a time. Some people work better in short bursts. Twenty minutes of studying, then five minutes of mindfulness or screen time on your phone/computer can be more productive. Rest and recharge, and you might find yourself easing into a workflow.​ Work periods of about ninety minutes are about the maximum amount of time that most people can manage even with great attention skills.

Limit Multitasking. While it may seem efficient, multitasking can actually divide your attention and reduce productivity. Just do one thing at a time for better attention.

Try to keep distractions at a minimum. Create a quiet clutter-free environment to help direct attention to the priorities you select.

Diet. It’s the source of our well-being, as much of our overall health comes from our gut. Providing the body with the correct amount of nutrients will also help improve brain health. Including foods rich in Omega-3s may also be helpful, considering that double-blind studies have shown that Omega-3s can be around ¼-⅓ as effective as most stimulant medications.

Organizing. Remolding your space in a way that works best for you and pleases you can give your brain peace and be a fresh start for paying attention. (Add in day planners and apps) Reduce Procrastination: Try to learn to pay bills, put your keys in their place, perform small functions when you first think about them. If you finish the task when you first think about it, you will not have to remember it later, reducing the load on memory and attention. Prioritize and set goals. Clearly defining your priorities will give you a sense of direction and help you focus on what is most important.

Some computer games or crossword puzzles can help hone your focus.​ Leave sticky notes on your doors or bathroom mirror reminding you to check in with yourself. Breaking down complex tasks into smaller more manageable parts can help you stay focused and prevent you from being overwhelmed. Visual cues such as to-do-list , calendars, or sticky notes, can serve as reminders and help stay on track.

Strategies To Improve Attention  

Dr. Jah has developed strategies for strengthening different types of attention. Meditation is a powerful way to train attention. It involves selecting an anchor or a focal strategy and maintaining attention on that subject. When you have thoughts or become distracted, simply redirect your attention back to the anchor or the object or subject of your meditation. She recommends training in specific types of practices.

These practices include meditative skills such as:

1.     Finding Your Flashlight. This strengthens concentration and focus.  You direct your attention to a specific target object, like your breath or a body scan; as your attention wanders, you notice and bring it back.

2.     Open Monitoring Practices.  This type of meditation is receptive and broad; there is no object, just noticing whatever comes up in awareness, letting thoughts, emotions, and sensations arise and pass away, this allows you to orient to your own priorities.

3.     Love and Kindness Well Wishes Toward Self and Others. Focus on connections and learning to look at ourselves as worthy of receiving well wishes for our happiness, health, safety, and ease. Allowing ourselves to receive these wishes and increasing the capacity to be connected and caring toward ourselves and others.

There is solid evidence that these procedures work, not just based on the work of Dr. Jha but on thousands of studies about mindfulness over the last twenty years. Brain imaging and various other measures have shown improvements in attention and an increase in EF (Executive Function) after training in meditation. Programs as brief as two weeks of daily practice have been shown to be impactful. 

It is best to start with extremely small goals, achieve them, celebrate each accomplishment, and repeat. Slowly increase the size of the goal. You might start with a three-minute practice and keep time demands to about 50% of what you feel is comfortable, then slowly increase.

The secret is learning to keep your attention focused on the intentions you want to play out in your life. This requires staying present in the moment, controlling all three types of attention, and following through with your positive intentions.

How well we pay attention is important, but attention is also highly influenced by what we choose to pay attention to. This is where huge differences exist between people.  Some are more excited or interested in challenging, interesting, novel, and curious things, and this is when their attention comes online. Others can maintain control even when the subject matter is not interesting. In ADHD, what people are paying attention to has a big influence on how well they pay attention. 

Attention is actually a system of different networks located in different parts of the brain that together make up the attentional system.  Mind-wandering is when attention is focused inward. It is referred to as the default mode network because attention is directed inward, and you are focused on yourself, your likes and dislikes, and your wants or desires. This is known as “selfing,” and some refer to this type of attention as “little Mind.” The big mind is when we focus outward, allowing us to find solutions by tapping into a larger world of resources that help us replenish cognitive resources.

Material Taken From

Dr. Amishi Jha, Peak Mind