Slideshow: Brain Foods That Help You Concentrate

Get Ready for a Big Day

Want to power up your ability to concentrate? Start with a meal of 100% fruit juice, a whole-grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee. In addition to eating a well-balanced meal, experts also offer this advice:

Show Sources

(1) Liv Friis-Larsen / iStockphoto
(2) Christopher Robbins / Digital Vision / Getty Images
(3) Tom Grill / Photographer’s Choice / Getty Images
(4) Lew Robertson / Photographer’s Choice
(5) Rauzier-Riviere / StockFood Creative / Getty Images
(6) Creativ Studio Heinemann / Getty Images
(7) Alex Cao / Digital Vision / Getty Images
(8) Monika Adamczyk / iStockphoto
(9) Nicki Dowey / StockFood Creative / Getty Images
(10) Dimitri Vervitsiotis / Digital Vision / Getty Images
(11) Stephen Wilkes / Iconica / Getty Images

How To Increase Focus With These
3 Quick Environmental Hacks

Between my inner wriggler, uncomfortable back, tendency to fall asleep immediately when still and relaxed and a number of other effective strategies I use for my ‘mental powers’ – I’ve never been able to experience enough benefits of meditation to keep doing it.

Optimized-29471896

1. Create A Comfortable Workspace

First, to focus on work better, improve the ergonomics of where you want to boost your concentration. Make sure your desk and chair are at a comfortable height so you don’t strain your back. Often a simple thing such as a small cushion or a rolled-up towel to support your lower back is enough to fend off that back soreness interrupting your workflow.

Adjust the position of your computer and any other work tools you use. The optimal set-up for your desk space includes your monitor being at arm’s lengths away from your eyes and your wrists and hands on the keyboard straight at or below elbow level.

kindle device

Yours Free: A Private Course With Cheat Sheets For Becoming A Memory Master, Starting From Scratch.

2. Eliminate Noise

You don’t need complete silence, but at least try to minimize/eliminate conversations and anything that resembles conversations around you. These are real focus killers, because our brain is wired to tune in to conversations (in case there are some survival benefits to it).

Selective focus allows you to push unnecessary stimuli into the background, like in this restaurant

Whether these tidbits of gossip and other verbal diarrhea float in through the window, an open door or thin walls, they will keep your brain busy trying to make sense of the fragments. As a result, your focus and memory powers will be affected.

If you have found music that helps you memorize better, good for you. If you’re still looking for the right music, be mindful that evoking emotionally powerful memories can hurt your learning process, too. And if you like to listen to music with lyrics – just mind that conversation effect: don’t add any more work to what your brain is already doing by trying to tune into the lyrics and understand what they mean.

A person sits on a patterned bedspread with a book and highlighter in their lap, as well as other books and pens next to them.

If you don’t have your own office/study room, don’t despair. There are a number of simple devices that can help. The easiest thing is to get a pair of noise cancelling headphones or earmuffs.

White noise may also provide a solution, albeit not a permanent one, as white noise can be tiring in the long run, too. I’m writing this post in our dining room (I don’t have an office at home) while my husband is watching Hunger Games in the living room next door. I’m generally sensitive to noise and get distracted and tried by it, but the fact that the dehumidifier is on and it’s loud really saves the day for me.

3. Manage Technology So That It Doesn’t Manage You

I’m not telling you to go ‘off the grid’ completely, but you can boost your concentration and ability to memorize by simply turning off all the notifications. Or, as Anthony suggests in Mandarin Chinese Mnemonics And Morning Memory Secrets, don’t even turn any computers on until you’ve got your most important memory goals completed.

Focusing on your goals

Where focus goes, energy flows is not just a concept that helps in appreciating life – it’s a powerful tool in achieving your goals . When you have a clear vision of your goal and devote your energy and focus to it, ordinary time-sucks like social media, saying yes to things you really want to say no to and losing track of time effortlessly fall away. All of us have downtime – the time between work, errands, family time, etc. – that we can take advantage of. Tony calls this No Extra Time (N.E.T. time) and uses these moments to catch up on podcasts or books that educate or inspire him and help him further his goals.

The difference between those who are obsessive about a goal and devote focus and energy to it and everyone else is that most people are stuck in reaction mode . Instead of developing a clear plan, the majority of people simply deal with situations and issues as they arise and never really get ahead. Their focus is so dispersed that energy can never flow directly toward achieving their big goal. While they may still reach small goals or accomplish tasks, they’ll never get what they really want.

Having a clear result or outcome and learning how to focus your energy on it immediately changes your behavior, giving you the momentum you need to take small actions daily that will lead to geometric results. When you embrace an “energy flows where attention goes” lifestyle, you become more mindful of each thought and subsequent behavior because you see the bigger picture.

Need some help developing a sel-improvement plan ? Here’s an energy and focus exercise to set and achieve your goals. Answer these four questions to the best of your ability to start the process of focusing on what you want:

  1. What is something that you want to accomplish in the next 36 months?
  2. Why MUST you achieve it no matter what?
  3. What is one small action you can take right now to get started?
  4. What are some 6 and 9-month goals that you can set to hold yourself accountable?

Keep this somewhere visible over the next 36 months. Focus on the results you are committed to daily, and you’ll find yourself consistently moving toward the result you’re after – and very often accomplishing them faster than you expected.

Activities to help you focus your energy

Where focus goes, energy flows. Learning how to effectively focus your energy is a necessary part of this equation. Here are some activities that can help get you in the right mental state to create a breakthrough.

    Meditation: Think you don’t have time for meditation? Tony is a strong advocate for making the time to meditate. There’s no excuse, especially when guided meditation can fit into even the busiest schedules. Meditation is essential to energy and focus as it allows you to quiet your mind and take control of your thoughts.

Understanding that energy flows where attention goes is the first step toward the mindful achievement of goals. With this powerful concept in mind, you can train yourself to focus on the positive and enhance your mindfulness with the daily tools listed above. Once you start attracting more of what you want in life, you’ll understand the power of focusing your mind and becoming obsessive about the goals that matter to you most.

Source:

https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/ss/slideshow-brain-foods-that-help-you-concentrate
https://www.magneticmemorymethod.com/how-to-improve-focus/
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/career-business/where-focus-goes-energy-flows/

Leave a Comment