Just checking messages, making one phone call and answering the mail… and again nothing done? Focusing helps you direct your concentration to what’s important. This is efficient, saves time and is fun. Our tips and exercises will help you to get more focus.
What does focus mean? Definition Focus
The word focus has different meanings and synonyms depending on the context. Focusing your thoughts means fully with one thing and don’t let yourself be distracted by what’s going on around you. All your attention, energy and efforts are focused on a particular problem or object.
The ability to focus lets you more productive and efficient work. But focusing also makes you a good listener and pleasant company. After all, you’d rather spend your time with someone who is fully with you instead of with their smartphone, right??
Too much smartphone feels familiar? Then check out our 12 Tips for Digital Detox by.
The meaning of the term focus originally comes from physics. Focus refers to what you might remember from school as "focal point" – one of its synonyms. Focus is the point where rays of light converge. Thanks to this concentration at one point, the energy of the rays is strongest there.
The same thing happens when you focus your attention specifically on one area. Just as the rays of light are warmest where they meet, you can see a problem better and find solutions more easily, if you focus your energy on just that one specific area or activity.
Synonyms for the verb "to focus of your energy are for example "narrowing down" or "putting the attention on XY. "Center", "center" or "core" are also well-known synonyms for the word focus."
Focus for more quality
If you can work with focus, you will achieve results faster and get more done in less time. If you can Focus on your problem and its solution To keep your focus and work efficiently, you have a lot of time to devote to the aspects of everyday life that you like the most.
Focus and concentrate – what’s the difference??
Focus Is always singular: You are, by definition, with your attention on one thing. Ideally, you’re also focused while doing so. In contrast to focus you can theoretically focus on several things at the same time. In practice, however, this rarely works well.
How to focus? – 5 tips
Focusing is not so easy to do. One of your goals in focusing is to optimize the amount of time you spend focusing exclusively on specific content. The easiest way to create the best conditions for focusing is to have adapts framework conditions. The following tips will help you focus on what’s important.
#1 Ask yourself what is important
Find your focus topic. What is really important? Today, tomorrow and next year? At work and at home? Find the topics that seem fundamental to your life now and in the future and keep them in focus. Clear goals in front of you, help you to focus on the essential and to approach the task at hand with full concentration.
# 2 Avoid distractions
Get your smartphone out of the room, turn off push notifications or install one Focus app, that locks your smartphone for certain periods of time. Social media, news and co. are the most common problems when focusing.
Focus in the office Signal a – for example a red flag on the monitor, which signals to your colleagues that you do not want to be disturbed.
#3 Set a focus frame for yourself
Resolve not to be distracted for a certain time frame. A well known timing is for example Pomodoro Technique. Here’s how: Set a timer for 25 minutes.
In these 25 minutes you distract your full attention on one specific thing. Take a 5 minute break before the next 25 minutes of focus are due. After 4 x 25 minutes of concentration and 3 x 5 minutes of break, take a longer break of 15 to 20 minutes.
#4 Get enough sleep
Only those who are refreshed can focus. Find out how much sleep you really need and try to get that too. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to get distracted, less goal-oriented and less able to focus 1 .
Did you know that nutrition plays a significant role in determining how you sleep?? These 10 foods support restful sleep.
#5 Eat a balanced diet
While we’re on the subject of nutrition: The healthier and more balanced your diet, the better you’ll be able to focus. The brain covers the majority of its energy needs by Carbohydrates from. If you’re hungry, you’re more likely to make mistakes and lose focus. Also Omega-3 fatty acids support the normal functioning of the brain.
Try to eat as balanced a diet as possible: A mix of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and high-quality proteins will support your focus. Snack on nuts and berries, Paleo bars or coconut chips, for example, instead of chocolate, potato chips and co.
Learn to focus – 5 exercises for more focus
Learning to focus is a Process, which sometimes requires some effort. But it’s worth it. Professional success, more free time in your everyday life and therefore a higher Quality of life Are the thanks you get for being focused.
Just as you Improve stamina you can also teach your mind to persevere with one thing at a time. This 5 exercises for more focus help you.
#1 Learning to focus through meditation
Meditation is a way of focusing. The special thing about mediation: to Focusing is your only task. You don’t have to solve problems or perform, just concentrate – for example on your breathing or a mantra. Sounds simple, but can be quite challenging.
#2 Learning to focus through creativity
The basic idea of focusing is to keep your attention constant. You can practice this easily with analogous activities that have a meditative character and require your full presence: Sudoku puzzles, reading, but also activities that combine movement and attention, such as drawing, conscious cooking, or gentle yoga, train your focus.
Tip: Try a new one Fitness recipe. When preparing food, always focus on exactly what you are doing: cutting vegetables, draining water, cleaning. If you find your mind wandering, bring it back to your to-do.
#3 Learning to focus with breathing
Conscious breathing has the power to fill you with energy Instant impact always bring you back to the moment. And that’s what learning to focus is all about after all. You notice that your thoughts are drifting a bit? Then take one deep breath in and out and come back to the point you were trying to focus on.
#4 Learn to say no
There is a plural "focuses," but just as rays of light must fall on one point to focus all their energy, you must also focus your energy on one task focus to really do justice to the word "focus".
Maintaining several focuses at the same time is not possible. Doing something here, something there and then again quickly doing a favor for your colleague rarely succeeds. While you can work on different focus issues, but not at the same time, only one after the other.
Make sure you only have as many tasks on your plate as you can handle, and don’t let others ask you to take on too much. No is a legitimate answer if your focus will suffer otherwise.
#5 Set yourself deadlines
If you have trouble focusing, try to build up pressure: Set yourself deadlines to stick to. If your clients or employers don’t give you deadlines, make your own. This is how you force yourself to tackle problems instead of pushing them in front of you. But be careful: too much pressure can create stress and turn the effect into the opposite.
Conclusion
- The word focus or focus has different meanings depending on the context.
- The ability to focus makes you more efficient.
- Focus can be learned – just as you can improve your endurance, you can also train your focus.
1 Alhola, Paula, and Paivi Polo-Kantola. "Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance." Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment vol. 3,5 (2007): 553-67.