How to Stay Sharp & Focused

Focus and sharpness of mind play a significant role in our life, no one can deny this fact. The focus is not only associated with getting good grades or excelling well in your career, But It can play an excellent role in all aspects of daily life. Focusing on most important thing can result in more excellent results. Simple Math!

Importance of focus:

We often listen to influential people, talking about the focus of mind, Why focus is so desirable?

When you have focused the mind, you start prioritizing things on the basis of its importance and you pay attention to single and most imperative things, eliminate unimportant things from your studies, job or life and start focusing on them and get more excellent results. That's why the focus is essential and desirable. It is related to personal growth and development.

How to stay focused

If you put all of your attention on a single task with the whole mind, and keep doing it untill it is finished, outcome will be more effective than working mindlessly or concentrating on several tasks at a time. So you have to break down your work into minor tasks and start concentrating on it, in that way your mind will use its whole power.

It will take some time to achieve focus and practice is the key to it. After some time, you will pick the flow and you will beam your focus without any effort. In this period, you will almost forget about your surroundings and will work efficiently. Here are some strategies to stay focused.

Plan less

Planning your work is like weight lifting for your brain and it drains your mental energy. Instead of burning your mental energy, burn your never-ending to-do-lists. Try to plan less and early in the morning when your brain is fresh. Don’t plan your whole week or day in a go. Divide it in chunks, for example, plan your 1-hour tasks and focus on them only until you complete them. You will find it comfortable and that feeling of achievement will give satisfaction and confidence.

Divide your day

The human brain can not focus for hours on a single thing, so break down your day into chunks. For example, divide your day into 90 minutes slots and stay focused on the work you want to do with full mind. Take a short break of few minutes to refresh your mind.

Focus on one thing

Multi-tasking just only sounds fascinating, but it is just a myth. Reality is, when you are multitasking, you are actually doing nothing because you are just shifting tasks and thus shifting focus, which affects your accuracy and efficiency. Try to concentrate on a single task at a time to be more effective and accurate.

Cut distractions

During your working slot, avoid browsing the internet, checking your phone, or turning on the TV. Keep these things for the break, during break you are allowed to check email, facebook or snapchat feed. This will be a treat for you after a focused work.

Tell your colleagues that you are working on something important and you are on a deadline. Request them to do not disturb you. Cutting noise around you can also help you to achieve focus.

Factors affecting your focus

There are plethora factors which can affect your concentration. Few of them are as:

No motivation

If you have no motivation towards you work, you will not be able to focus properly. If your goals are not clear, you will have no motivation to achieve and thus no focus. So set your goals first then start working towards them

Environment

Your environment can also affect your focus. Your phone notifications, people around you, noise etc. they all can make it harder for you to focus. Find out those distractions and cut them off immediately. Turn off your phone, stop people to distract you and choose a calm place for your work.

Lack of passion

If you are not ardent about your work on which you want to concentrate, you will not be able to do it efficiently. So try to love what you do and do what you love to be focused and more efficient.

Pick carefully!

In a broader perspective, the focus can play a significant role in your overall development. You can find plethora things around you, which can attract you or you want to give attention to these things. Instead of falling for every attractive thing or idea, mark them on the basis of importance. Pick carefully because you will be investing time and energy on those things, if they are just attractive, not necessary, avoid them for the sake of your efficiency. Don’t choose items just to give yourself a mental orgasm.

Food for focus

You can find a lot of foods to keep you focused and sharp. These natural items will not only improve your mental health but physical health as well. These foods are:

Blueberries

Blueberries are the huge source of antioxidants that help protect your brain from Alzheimer and dementia. Popping few of blueberries in your snack or breakfast can improve your overall mental health and memory.

Nuts

Nuts such as almonds, walnut, hazelnuts, etc. are a rich source of vitamin E and omega 3. Munching few of them daily can increase your memory and cognitive function. Nuts are also recommended for students having difficulty with their studies. Try to grab nuts in their natural form, instead of going for those chocolate coated nuts because they are high in sugar.

Dark chocolate

Everybody loves chocolates and it's very healthy as long as it is dark. It is a rich source of endorphins which help in attention and concentration building. It also contains caffeine to keep you focused. Antioxidants in dark chocolate improve overall cognitive function.

Fish and Flaxseed

Including flaxseed and fish like salmon and sardines can improve your brain health and can enhance your attention because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Add these items in your diet to keep yourself healthy, sharp and focused. Fish and flaxseed reduce chances of Alzheimer as well.

Antioxidant-Rich Foods

To counter the effects of aging such as attention and memory etc. include some antioxidant food in your diet as well such as vitamin E and vitamin C. Along with their effect on your focus, this food will positively affect your overall health.

Green Tea

If you are willing to add something to your diet which can enhance your memory and learning, count Green Tea on top. Green tea is also a source of antioxidants and nutrients to improve you mental health along with protecting you from cancer and other diseases.

Rosemary

To increase your memory and sharpen your brain, use Rosemary herb daily. You will be amazed by the result of it. Rosemary leaves are rich in Carnosic acids which decrease the aging effects on mind. Daily use can decrease risk of Alzheimer, improves blood flow and memory.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds is known is one of the famous superfoods. This a full dose of energy and can keep you active and endured. There is a renowned history fact about Chia Seeds that Aztec warriors has used it as instant energy dose.

When are feeling tired while trying to focus on your work, Take a snack of Chia seeds for instant energy boost. It is a natural energy booster with no side effects

Habits to improve focus

Some of your behaviors can help you stay focused and sharp include:

Getting Sufficient Sleep

Getting sufficient sleep daily can help you increase your focus and memory. If you are not getting proper sleep, it can damage your brain health. Sleeping is the time when cell are refreshed, waste from your brain is cleared and improves learning and memory.

Exercising

Exercising daily have plethora advantages for our overall health. It also enhance your mental health. It is one of the most effective ways to enhance your memory and focus. Studies have proved that exercise can keep you from physical as well as mental diseases such as Alzheimer.

People who regularly do exercise have a lower risk of dementia. Aerobic exercises are more useful for building focus.

Dealing with your stress

Like taking proper sleep, engaging yourself in activities which can relieve your everyday stress, can also boost your cognitive function. Engage yourself in some sports or a short walk in garden. It can be anything which makes you happy or relaxed.

Practice Math

Don’t pull out the calculator for little calculation. Start doing it in your head. You don’t have to calculate big and complex numbers, but with small calculations you can easily practice. It will brace your problem-solving skills and memory. Start with your grocery bills. Just like weight lifting and pushups improves your body muscles, math do the same to your mind.

Meditation

Meditation is a tremendous way to learn how to stay focus. You can achieve mental clarity through meditation which will result in sharp memory. Start meditation for at least 30 minutes daily.

Exercises for focus

Nobody can refuse the benefits of exercise. Daily exercise is not only beneficial for physical health but for mental health as well. Below are few exercise to help you gain focus and concentration.

Sitting Still Exercise

Take a comfortable chair and sit still on it. Observe yourself how calm and tranquil you can sit. This exercise might sound easy to you, but It is not. You will have to focus on keeping yourself from moving. You will to stop involuntary movements of your muscle as well. Start with five minutes round and increase it as you move forward. Do not stress your body to stop movement. Keeping yourself relaxed is the key here.

Outstretched Glass Exercise

Take a glass, fill it half with water and hold it in front of you in a way that your arm is fully stretched. Now keep looking at the glass and do not move your hand. Try to make your arm so calm that water in the glass stay motionless. Try your both arms one by one. Start this exercise with 5 minutes and then gradually increase it.

Blood flow exercise

Lie down on your bed calmly and relax your self. Focus on your heartbeat and forget everything else. Try to imagine functioning of your heart and the blood flowing to every part of your body. This is a hard exercise, but a little practice can give you success. It will help you to focus on one single thing in your daily life.

Clock Exercise

Take a clock with second hand and place it front of you. Focus on the second hand, follow its motion with your eyes. Eliminate everything else from your mind except second hand. Do this for 5 minutes daily, and you will be able to beam your focus on anything. This is a hard but an interesting exercise. Like anything else, practice is the key here as well.

You might get tired of those exercises at first and don’t give up. Keep trying again and again until you train your focus. Through these exercises, you will also be able to control your muscular movements. Someone might think that these exercises are very simple or of no use, but if you keep doing it, you will see a change in few days. You will notice that you have improved your focus and can beam it on anything you want.

When sun rays are focused through a piece of glass, they produce more heat than scattered rays. Same is the case with the mind. If it is focused it will do wonders. Wandering minds are not efficient enough. Try to follow the above guidelines and become focused and sharp.