11 easy ways to boost your concentration by Shana Lebowitz on Sep 29, 2015, 11:26 AM Advertisement
 If you're struggling to complete a project report without daydreaming about lunch or to make it through a 500-word news article without checking your email, you're hardly alone. According to one Microsoft report, the average human attention span was 12 seconds in the year 2000 — but it decreased to eight seconds by 2013. That's one second shorter than a goldfish's. To help you improve your ability to concentrate for extended periods of time, we consulted the Quora thread, "How can I increase my focus?" and highlighted the best advice. SEE ALSO: A psychologist explains how successful people do more in a day than others do in a week 1. Schedule downtime, when you don't have to be productive.  "Make sure your daily schedule involves breaks where you deliberately don't do anything productive," writes Quora user Yishan Wong. Science backs him up: Research suggests that taking breaks — instead of plodding through your work — can restore your focus and energy when they're depleted.
2. Organize your schedule around your energy levels. "Grab an Excel sheet and measure your energy levels for a week or so to find out when your body most focused," says Michal Ugor. Aim to work on tasks that require a lot of concentration during the times when you're typically highly focused. During those periods when you're recharging, Ugor suggests checking your email. This strategy works even if you don't have such a flexible schedule. If you can predict your energy level at any given point throughout the day, you can also plan ways to boost your energy level when it's necessary.
3. Practice listening carefully to music.  Most of us have tried listening to different types of background music to help us focus while we're working. But Achintya Prakash recommends listening to music without doing anything else: Listening to music helps in improving your concentration and focus, but only when you really listen. … A lot of people still don't have the ability to focus only on a single instrument and figure out what's happening. Try it, it adds a new dimension to the music you listen to and expands your tastes. (When you clear your mind out and let it be filled only with music, it's also another form of meditation, where you are essentially clearing the "clutter" of your thoughts and focusing on one thing.)
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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