How to Boost Your Attention Span in our Distracting 24/7 Digital World
Written by Lisa Johnson
Do you often find yourself struggling to focus on what you are doing? Do you get easily distracted by your phone, social media, or other things around you? If so, you are not alone. According to some studies, the average human attention span has been decreasing since 2000 and might be as short as 8 seconds. Since the pandemic, we have heard from teachers that students’ short attention spans are making teaching challenging.
Why are attention spans shrinking? There are lots of reasons for decreasing attention spans including the crazy amount of information and stimuli that we are exposed to everyday, the constant switching between different tasks and devices, and the lack of sleep, exercise, and time outdoors that affects our brain health. A short attention span can have many negative consequences for our well-being, productivity, learning, memory, and creativity.
Fortunately, there are ways to improve our attention span and overcome distractions. Here are some tips to try:
Meditation
Meditation is a practice that involves focusing your attention on your breath, a word, a sound, or an object, and letting go of other thoughts and feelings. Studies have shown that meditation can help train your brain to be more attentive and improve your ability to focus on specific tasks. To start meditating, find a quiet and comfortable place, sit in a relaxed posture, and follow a guided meditation video or app for 5 to 10 minutes every day. We love the Headspace App. It costs $70/year on the app store. You can also find free guided mediations on YouTube.
Listen to Classical Music
Listening to classical music can help you calm your mind and enhance your concentration. Research has suggested that classical music can improve cognitive performance, memory, and creativity. Try playing some classical music in the background when working or studying but keep the volume low so that it does not distract you.
There are also some great apps that play music designed to help you focus. One that we like is Brain.FM – we found it to be a helpful tool to improve focus. It costs $70 through the app stores. You can also search for music to help focus on YouTube or on music apps.
Listen to Classical Music
Listening to classical music can help you calm your mind and enhance your concentration. Research has suggested that classical music can improve cognitive performance, memory, and creativity. Try playing some classical music in the background when working or studying but keep the volume low so that it does not distract you.
There are also some great apps that play music designed to help you focus. One that we like is Brain.FM – we found it to be a helpful tool to improve focus. It costs $70 through the app stores. You can also search for music to help focus on YouTube or on music apps.
Get Rid of Distractions
One of the main reasons why we lose our attention span is because we are constantly bombarded by distractions that compete for our attention. These distractions can be external, such as your phone, computer, TV, or noise; or internal, such as your thoughts, emotions, or impulses. To increase your attention span, you need to eliminate or minimize these distractions as much as possible. Here are some ways to do that:
- Put your phone in focus mode or airplane mode and keep it out of sight or out of reach when you are working or studying.
- Use a website blocker or an app blocker to prevent yourself from accessing certain sites or apps that are not related to your task.
- Find a quiet and comfortable place to work or study, where you will not be interrupted by other people or things.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on one task without stopping. Then take a 5-minute break and repeat. This is called the Pomodoro technique and can help you stay focused and motivated.
- Make a to-do list and prioritize your tasks according to their importance and urgency. Then work on one task at a time until you finish it. This can help you avoid multitasking, which can reduce your attention span and efficiency.
Exercise regularly
Exercise is not only good for your physical health, but also good for improving attention span and productivity. Studies have shown that exercise improves your cognitive control, which is the ability to direct your attention, inhibit distractions, switch between tasks and plan. Try doing some moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
Final Thoughts on Focus
The way we interact with our devices plays a huge part in our ability to focus. So be mindful of how much time you spend on your devices and practice the tips above to train your brain to be more focused and attentive. You will notice improvements in your productivity, learning, memory, creativity, and well-being. Remember, attention is a skill that you can develop and improve with practice and patience (and with less time on your devices!).
