We pair AI with the latest in human-centered coaching to drive powerful, lasting learning and behavior change. Unlock performance potential at scale with AI-powered curated growth journeys. Build resilience, well-being and agility to drive performance across your entire enterprise.

Discover how BetterUp measurably impacts key business outcomes for organizations like yours. A demo is the first step to transforming your business. Meet with us to develop a plan for attaining your goals. The online magazine that helps you understand tomorrow's workforce trends, today. Founded in to deepen the understanding of the intersection of well-being, purpose, and performance.

EN - US. For Business. Conditions related to concentration. Despite your best efforts, things are not progressing. You need to focus on the task in front of you. But you just can't concentrate. The inability to concentrate on the task at hand is one of the maladies of our time--everyone wants to know how to focus better, how to concentrate.

Yet, the benefits of improving concentration and focus make it an issue worth addressing. Concentration means control of attention. It is the ability to focus the mind on one subject, object, or thought, and at the same time exclude from the mind every other unrelated thought, ideas, feelings, and sensations.

That last part is the tricky part for most of us. To concentrate is to exclude, or not pay attention to, every other unrelated thought, idea, feeling, or sensation. Our daily routine is dominated by switching in and out of our mobile phones and computer.

We get a constant influx of messages from WhatsApp, email, Telegram, and the half-dozen other apps that are somehow critical to our job. We constantly search for information to help solve our daily problems or get our work done. Frequent distractions affect productivity.

It takes longer to finish a task. It affects memory. This is a common question for many. And often, the answer can be found in your daily activities and some areas you can control.

These can include:. These are just a few examples of reasons you may not be able to concentrate. And they largely fall under five primary categories or factors. We are bombarded by a constant flow of information, whether new or old, during the process of doing something.

Researchers have found that our brains are so primed for this distraction that just seeing our smartphone impairs our ability to concentrate.

We constantly assess whether the information is useful, sufficient, or meaningless. The sheer quantity coming in muddles our assessment of whether we actually need more information to make decisions.

Scientists have found that lack of sleep can lead to lower alertness , slower thought processes, and reduced concentration. You will have more difficulty focusing your attention and may become confused.

As a result, your ability to perform tasks especially relating to reasoning or logic can be seriously affected. Chronically poor sleep further affects your concentration and memory. Allison T. Siebern from the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Centre notes that if you cannot concentrate on what is at hand, it is unlikely to make it to either your short- or long-term memory.

Have you ever noticed how vigorous exercise leaves you feeling more relaxed and energetic throughout the day? You may feel tightness in your neck, shoulder, and chest and such persistent, low-level discomfort can affect your concentration.

What we eat contributes to how we feel , including our mental sharpness and clarity, throughout the day. Low-fat diets can ruin focus because the brain needs certain essential fatty acids. Other restrictive diets may negatively affect concentration by not providing the nutrients the brain needs or by creating hunger, cravings, or feeling of unwellness in the body that are themselves distracting.

Depending on what you are doing, the environment can affect your focus. Obviously, a noise level that is too loud is a problem, but many people also have difficulty concentrating when it is too quiet.

A favorite song quickly has you singing along, happily distracted, while less distinct instrumentals might keep you attuned to the task. Lighting that is too bright or too dim can affect your vision. A room that is too hot or too cold creates discomfort. Depending on the cause, you may have to temporarily accept that your concentration is low and learn a few tricks to reduce the impact or accept the dips as they come.

If you need help with concentration and think your difficulties go beyond the list above, consult with a professional. Now you know why you need help with concentration. What can help you to focus better?

Eliminate distractions. How do we focus better if we are always bombarded with information? Make a practice blocking time in your schedule to do a specific task or activity.

During this time, request that you be left alone or go to a place where others are unlikely to disturb you: a library, a coffee shop, a private room.

Close social media and other apps, silence notifications, and k eep your phone hidden from sight in a bag or backpack. As described in HBR, researchers found that cognitive capacity was significantly better when the phone was out of sight , not just turned off.

Keep Your primary focus is to complete what you need to do. Shutting off both internal and external disturbances can help you to concentrate. Reduce multitasking. Attempting to perform multiple activities at the same time makes us feel productive.

And lower productivity can lead to burnout. Examples of multitasking include listening to a podcast while responding to an email or talking to someone over the phone while writing your report.

Such multitasking not only hampers your ability to focus but compromises your work quality. Practice mindfulness and meditation. Meditating or practicing mindfulness activities can strengthen well-being and mental fitness and improve focus.

During the meditation process, our brain becomes calmer and our whole body becomes more relaxed. We focus on our breath during the process so that we will not be distracted by our minds. With practice, we can learn to use our breath to bring our attention back to a particular task so that it can be done well even if we get interrupted.

Get more sleep. Many factors affect your sleep. One of the most common is reading from an electronic device like a computer, phone, or tablet or watching your favorite movie or TV show on an LED TV just before bedtime.

Research has shown that such devices emit light towards the blue end of the spectrum. Such light will stimulate your eye retina and prevent the secretion of melatonin that promotes sleep anticipation in the brain.

Use a filter or "blue light" glasses to minimize such blue light or avoid all electronic devices before bed. Other ways to improve sleep include avoiding exercise late in the day, staying hydrated throughout the day, using journaling or breathing exercises to quiet the mind, and creating a predictable bedtime routine and schedule.

Choose to focus on the moment. It might feel counterintuitive when you feel unable to concentrate, but remember that you choose where you focus.

It's tough to concentrate when your mind is always in the past and worrying about the future. Acknowledge the impact, what you felt, and what you learned from it, then let it go. Similarly, acknowledge your concerns about the future, consider how you are experiencing that anxiety in your body, then choose to let it go.

We want to train our mental resources to focus on the details of what matters at the moment. Our minds go in the direction we choose to focus. Take a short break.

This also might seem counterintuitive, but when you focus on something for a long time, your focus may begin to die down. You may feel more and more difficulty devoting your attention to the task. Researchers have found that our brains tend to ignore sources of constant stimulation. Taking very small breaks by refocusing your attention elsewhere can dramatically improve mental concentration after that.

The next time you are working on a project, take a break when you begin to feel stuck. Move around, talk to someone, or even switch to a different type of task.

You will come back with a more focused mind to keep your performance high. Connect with nature. Research has found that even having plants in office spaces can help increase concentration and productivity, as well as workplace satisfaction and better air quality. Finding time to take a walk in the park or appreciating the plants or flowers in your garden can boost your concentration and help you feel refreshed.

Train your brain. Scientific research is starting to amass evidence on the ability of brain training activities to enhance cognitive abilities, including concentration, in adults.

Such brain training games for concentration can also help you develop your working and short-term memory, as well as your processing and problem-solving skills.

Examples of such games include jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, chess, and brain-stimulating video games. Start your day with simple exercise and get your body moving.

According to the May issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch, regular exercise releases chemicals key for memory, concentration, and mental sharpness. Other research found that exercise can boost the brain's dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels and all these will affect focus and attention.

We pair AI with the latest in human-centered coaching to drive powerful, lasting learning and behavior change. Unlock performance potential at scale with AI-powered curated growth journeys.

Build resilience, well-being and agility to drive performance across your entire enterprise. Discover how BetterUp measurably impacts key business outcomes for organizations like yours.

A demo is the first step to transforming your business. Meet with us to develop a plan for attaining your goals. The online magazine that helps you understand tomorrow's workforce trends, today. Founded in to deepen the understanding of the intersection of well-being, purpose, and performance.

EN - US. For Business. I got up from my desk a few days ago, walked all the way across the house, and stood there. I could not, for the life of me, think of what I had intended to do or what was so important that I'd broken into my work to do it.

It was disconcerting to truly have no idea. And, it didn't come to me. It was like I'd been hijacked by part of my brain that I didn't have access to. We all have moments when we lack mental clarity. But lack of clarity can also become a problem. Do you often struggle to put thoughts together?

Or have trouble remembering what you were doing? For example, there was some evidence that brain fog was more common during the lock-downs of the pandemic. My own lapse was probably the result of preparing for the upcoming holiday and vacation.

However, for some people, a lack of mental clarity can have negative impacts on their day-to-day life. Mental clarity is a state of mind in which you are more focused , and your perception is clear.

With mental clarity, you are able to recognize, understand, and organize your thoughts. Mental clarity is a state in which your mind is fully active and engaged. We need mental clarity in order to work through problems and stay productive throughout the day.

Everyone goes through ups and downs that cause different states of cognitive performance throughout our lives. If we could choose to be mentally sharp every day of the week, we probably would.

Sometimes our mental fitness suffers, and we feel stuck in a slump. Mental clarity is not necessarily our default state. Most of the time, we allow our worries and different types of stress to affect our brain function and prevent our minds from performing at an optimal level.

Learning how to improve mental clarity without burning out or becoming overwhelmed is key to maintaining a productive and engaged lifestyle. Lack of mental clarity isn't a medical condition but rather a s ymptom of other medical conditions.

Despite our best efforts, everyone has experienced a lull in cognitive function at some point in their lives. The weight of stress and anxiety can cause fogginess and lethargy in the mind.

For many, this state of mental exhaustion is a daily battle. Here are some commonly experienced indicators that you could be lacking mental clarity. If you struggle to focus on a subject, you may be experiencing a lack of mental clarity.

When we are mentally fit , concentration comes naturally and without strain. Pay attention to how much effort it requires for you to focus. This can give you a clue as to how strong your state of mind currently is.

If you are feeling tired and lethargic after even the smallest of tasks, a lack of mental clarity could be the reason. Losing interest in subjects or tasks that used to bring fulfillment is another symptom of low mental clarity.

When our minds are strong, enthusiasm for learning comes naturally. Your lack of motivation could mean your mind is seeking renewal. Just as a strong ability to recall memories is a sign of high mental performance, poor memory recall is a clear sign of low mental performance.

When our minds are healthy and clear , things like memory retention should not be an issue. Checking the quality of your memory recollection is a good way to monitor mental clarity. Before we can learn how to improve mental clarity, we need to look at the potential causes or triggers that may be at play.

These three things deplete our mental resources and make mental performance much harder to upkeep. If any of them sound familiar, you may have found your culprit.

Having a healthy circadian rhythm is a fundamental part of human health. Without seven or more hours of sleep each night, the mind and body struggle to exhibit high-performance behavior. Some of us struggle to sleep due to stress , while others practice poor sleep hygiene.

Some people who work non-traditional hours could develop shift work sleep disorder. If you are not allowing your body the type of rest it requires, you may be putting your mental state at risk. We all know that stress is bad for the body although sometimes stress can be good.

But stress can also be an enemy to the mind. Chronic stress contributes to hig h cortisol level s , which means weakened circulation. Poor circulation results in the heart sending less oxygen to your brain.

This can cause a lack of mental clarity, which in turn may amplify your stress and anxiety levels. It can be a vicious cycle if left untreated. There are many foods that support mental clarity and concentration. Poor nutrition often stems from not eating a diverse enough diet or consuming a high quantity of processed foods.

Vitamin B, in particular, has many health benefits for the brain and immune system. This vitamin is found in fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Omega-3 fatty acids and other healthy fats also have a positive impact on the brain, especially regarding mild memory loss and depression. When you lack mental clarity, even performing the simplest of tasks can feel like a challenge.

There are several different ways that low mental performance can be expressed, both through the body and the mind. Work performance is usually one of the first things to take a hit when your head is unclear.

Because work requires mental sharpness, a lack of clarity is going to make work harder than it needs to be. Your emotional well-being also affects mental clarity.

Many people struggling with low mental clarity may develop a sense of loneliness or isolation. This happens as an intuitive method of self-preservation.

The fewer people around you, the less energy you expend on maintaining relationships. The combination of having minimal mental energy, low job performance, and isolation from friends and family can quickly result in poor mental health. That means self-doubt, low self-esteem, and even imposter syndrome are likely to develop as a result.

This can further lead to depression if not addressed. Poor sleeping habits and mental stress have a very close-knit relationship. If you are stressed, you are likely going to have trouble sleeping properly.

And if you are having trouble sleeping properly, you are likely to become stressed. Your mental clarity can drastically affect your sleep schedule.

Despite all the challenges of low mental clarity, there are many ways to promote mindful engagement. You can improve it for yourself. These eight tips for how to improve mental clarity are all easy to incorporate into your daily life. They can help you lay down the foundation of a sharp, active, and clear mind.

And, if you are leading or working with someone who seems to be lacking mental clarity, encourage them to practice self-care and point them toward resources that can support these tips.

How much sleep you get is directly proportional to how much energy you will have throughout the day.

They promote brain health, too, which is important for memory capacity and concentration, according to John Ratey, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In particular, scientists think regular exercise may help stimulate the release of a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor , which some research suggests helps rewire memory circuits to improve their functioning.

To-do lists not only help you prioritize what tasks you need to get done first, but they can also serve as a record of the loose ends.

Moreover, incomplete work could eat away at your concentration. This stems from something called the Zeigarnik Effect , which is the tendency to remember incomplete tasks instead of completed ones.

Researchers explored this Zeigarnik effect in a study which found that participants who could plan their work and complete tasks one by one were more likely to stay focused than those participants who were made to go from task to task without completing them. If you're feeling groggy, grab a cup of joe or other caffeinated substance.

Studies suggest that caffeine may, in moderate doses , help to boost focus — particularly in those of us who are fatigued. But don't get overzealous with the coffee , or you might get the caffeine jitters , which typically reduce your ability to concentrate.

You can also try a cup of tea , which won't give you the quick buzz like coffee but can provide you energy for a longer period thanks to the L-theanine chemicals in it that our bodies metabolize throughout the day.

You might have heard that watching cat videos on YouTube can improve productivity. Well, that's true sort of. Whether it's watching cat videos, taking a walk , or a brief nap , it is critical to take the occasional break from work. In one study , 84 subjects were asked to perform a simple computer task for one hour.

Those who were allowed two brief breaks during that hour performed consistently for the entire time whereas those who weren't offered a break performed worse over time. Another widely-noted study analyzed the decision making process of 1, judges and found that more "favorable rulings" were made by judges during the beginning of the day and after they took periodic food breaks.

Essentially, this study explored how "decision fatigue" i. how fast and accurately we make decisions was alleviated by semi-frequent breaks. The right background music is ultimately what works for you. Some experts argue that no music is best for productivity because it minimizes the opportunity for distractions.

Whereas other studies have found that listening to background music without words offers better performance compared to white noise or silence.

And still another study found that the time spent on a certain task was longest when listening to no music. All that is to say, the type of music you listen to and the type of work you're doing at the time matters.

So be conscious of your productivity and choose what music is right for you. Your brain is a mental muscle, and some studies have found that people who are easily distracted will benefit from "brain training" exercises, like those promoted by Lumosity or Cogmed.

But which exercises work — and for how well or long their effects last — is unclear. Therefore, the purported benefits of brain training need further examination, Susanne Jaeggi — who studies the brain and memory at the University of California — told New Scientist.

The pomodoro method is a time-blocking technique that can help compartmentalize your tasks into manageable minute intervals. To use the pomodoro method work for 25 minutes, taking five minute breaks in between 25 minute intervals. After four of these intervals, you can take a longer minute break.

This method of time blocking gives you the needed break in between work sessions to help you maintain focus longer and more sustainably. Ambient noise, like cars honking or kids screaming, can stimulate the release of the stress hormone cortisol, Mark A. Andrews, former director of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, told Scientific American.

Too much cortisol can impair function and hinder focus. And, unfortunately, the more we're exposed to ambient noise, the worse our bodies respond, according to Andrews. Many of us spend most of our waking hours staring at a digital screen, which can strain our eyes and actually make it more difficult to focus on, and therefore process, what we're looking at.

To refocus the eyes, just stare at a distant object for a few minutes. One doctor suggested the " rule" to a journalist at LifeHacker. It goes like this: Every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds to stare at an object at least 20 feet away.

The idea behind the rule is that the eye is a muscle and like all muscles it benefits from exercise. Just like how sitting in one spot for a long time can make your muscles feel achy and stiff, staring at one object does essentially the same to your eyes.

If you don't periodically refocus, your vision can become a little blurry or fuzzy after work. Blue light glasses, which filter out the blue light that screens emit , have become popular to help screen-exhaustion.

However, they won't help with eye strain, but could potentially help your quality of sleep. One of the main symptoms of chronic sleep loss is poor concentration.

Getting a solid seven to eight hours ahead of a busy work day could be the difference between being frazzled and being laser-focused. If you can disconnect from the internet, there are fewer things to distract you from the work at hand. Experts think that every time you flip between tasks — whether it be responding to a friend on Facebook or checking your inbox — a little bit of your attention remains with the task you just left.

Sophie Leroy, a professor at the University of Washington at Bothell, coined the term " attention residue " as the reason for why it's so hard to change tasks. Eliminating those online distractions can keep you from finding tasks to flip between and help you focus.

Disconnecting from the internet may mean unplugging from social media too. If possible, try limiting or all together getting rid of social media use during your work day. Designating time to look through social media, rather than checking it constantly throughout the day, can help you stay on task.

Focusing requires a lot of willpower, and so does making decisions. According to a concept called ego depletion , we have a finite amount of mental energy, and both decision-making and willpower can drain it.

To save that energy for concentration, proponents of the theory suggest getting rid of excess variables that require you to make decisions, like choosing where to work.

Try working from the same location whenever you need to focus, for example. That way, when it's time to get the work done, you won't have to waste time deciding where to go. Taking care of your mental and physical well-being are the best things you can do to help stay focused.

This means getting plenty of sleep, moving your body, and protecting your eyes from screen burnout. Adequate sleep will set you on a path for success, but a well-rounded diet will see you through to the finish line.

Regular servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy can supply you with the energy needed to focus all day long. If you want to further hone in on strengthening your ability to concentrate, foods such as fish, berries, and leafy greens are especially synonymous with healthy brain function.

Related: 3 Simple Ways to Sharpen Your Mental Focus. Writing out a to-do list can make all the difference when you're feeling scatterbrained. Even when you have a decent idea of what needs to be done, jotting things down can help you stay on track and organize your day more efficiently.

If your schedule allows, try to tackle the most mentally demanding activities first thing in the morning or early in the afternoon.

You'll be more alert than during the latter half of the day, so your mind will be less likely to wander. Once it's time to get down to business, it's also time to throw out any distractions that threaten to offset your concentration.

Some impediments have become heavily intertwined in our lives, but they may be interfering with your thought process nonetheless. A television playing in the background or a constant stream of notifications on your phone might seem like business as usual, but minimizing these excess stimuli can drastically improve your mental acuity.

It's possible to improve your potential for staying focused throughout the day by training your mind to work for you rather than against you. One method of achieving this is to discover small actions you can take that will put you in the right mindset.

Having a cup of coffee before you start your day, or dressing in the appropriate attire might be just the sort of cue your brain needs to get the memo that it's time to get to work. Since people tend to check out when they feel overwhelmed, you'll fare better if you focus on taking baby steps.

For example, most authors when tasked with producing a lengthy manuscript find it easier to stay engaged while writing if they tackle the project one chapter at a time.

Taking on too much at once usually leads to thoughts trailing off or even avoiding the situation altogether. Related: 18 Proven Ways to Stay Focused That Increase Productivity. When we make a habit out of putting things off, they have a way of bogging down our capacity to concentrate on anything else.

With calls to be made and week-old emails that need responding to, it can feel like your mind is being pulled in several directions.

Staying on top of your responsibilities frees you of these hindrances and enables you to take on what's in front of you. Even under perfect conditions, your attention span is sure to wane after a certain period.

Knowing when to step back and give yourself a break will save you from a great deal of frustration. Although breaks are a good thing, moments you take to recoup should be relatively brief and never seriously detract from any progress being made. In moderation, taking a breather now and then will keep you sharp and laser-focused on the job at hand.

The number of things competing for our attention these days seems endless. Drowning out this noise takes practice, but it's a skill that truly anyone can master.

If you take care of yourself both physically and mentally, you'll be ready to focus at the drop of a hat whenever the need should arise. Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor?

Apply now to join. Along with enjoying its highest ever viewership ratings, the NFL has evolved into a pioneering force for social change and corporate impact. Roughly employees will be terminated across the media conglomerate's networks.

Here's how entrepreneurs can use personality type to address needed areas of improvement. Do you and your significant other have what it takes to become an entrepreneur power couple?

Here are four lessons I learned after 10 years of working together with my husband. Maybe you've heard them before.