We are living in a fast-paced world where everyone seems to be multitasking. It is a race against time out there. No wonder clients often come to us with complaints of poor concentration. This article gives an overview of the science and art of concentrating better.

Do not –

Become a slave to the ubiquitous smartphone – The importance of digital detox cannot be over emphasized. If we are continuously scrolling through innumerable newsfeeds, the brain is overloaded with enough junk to last several lifetimes. When we peek at the phone notification between work assignments, a residuum of this useless information is retained in the brain. This drains the limited attention reserve. As a result, we are unable to focus adequately on the task at hand.
Multitask – Though it may seem prima facie that this gets a lot of work done in a short time span, the quality of work is often poor. It is because whenever we are shifting from one task to another, a residue of the previous task still holds our attention, leaving only a fraction of our attention reserve available for the next task. Following this logic, imagine what will happen if we juggle four-five tasks simultaneously. It is a recipe for disaster!

D0 –

Set definite goals – The key to getting any work done in time is to set a doable deadline. The stress is on doable. This is because we often come across people who set ambitious deadlines after elaborate planning at the beginning of their workday, only to accomplish nothing productive in the end. Know how much you can handle and deal with one deadline at a time. This is especially true for students and people who freelance at work. With no deadlines imposed from outside, structuring a workday is a challenge they must take up daily. The more structured your work schedule, the better you are able to concentrate on the task at hand.
Take short breaks in between – Many people complain that they have been sitting at the desk for the entire day with very little to show for the effort. Had they taken short breaks in between, they would have fared better. The brain works on the reward mechanism. If you know you can go for a round of badminton once you finish the current assignment, your brain makes all possible efforts to get the job done on time. Plan little rewards for yourself after each completed assignment and see how much you accomplish.
Just stick to these four fundamentals and watch your concentration skills improve in no time!
drdebasmitapsychiatrist