4 of the Best Ways You Can Stay Focused On Task!

1. Make Sleep a Priority

If you want to have full command of your mental faculties to memorize, concentrate, and make good decisions, adequate sleep is essential.

A lack of quality sleep decreases blood flow to the brain, which can compromise your concentration and memory while reducing your energy and motivation. Less sleep also can lead to slower response times in tasks.

How much sleep do you need? Experts recommend 7 to 9 hours of restful sleep each night. Improve your sleep with these helpful tips:

• Power down electronic devices and LED TVs at least an hour before bedtime. These devices emit blue light, which can delay the secretion of melatonin.

• Limit caffeine consumption to mornings only, and avoid alcohol and late-night meals. All can make getting restful sleep difficult.

• Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.

2. Get Organized

Organization is a learned skill. You can learn how to be organized at work and with your academic life with these useful strategies.

Use Your Calendar

Free up mental space by entering your class times, office hours, meetings, and appointments into your calendar on your phone or computer – and synchronize them! Block out time for schoolwork. Be sure to enter important deadlines and exams, and don’t forget to schedule some time for fun!

Keep a “To Do” List

When you think of tasks that need to be done, write them down and keep an ongoing master list. Each day, plan to tackle a few of the most important items on your list.

Have a Place for Everything

Make a home for everything that you use daily and put everything in its place – especially the critical items that make your life work (wallet, keys, laptop, backpack, phone, etc.).

Maintain a Clean Workspace

Research shows that clutter on your desk diffuses your focus and attention. Take a few minutes every day to tidy things up.

Discard What You Don’t Need

More stuff means more clutter, which can steal your attention. Dispose, recycle, or donate what you don’t need on a regular basis. Keep only what’s essential.

3. Eliminate Distractions and Stay Focused

In our digital age with information, social media, and myriad other distractions at our fingertips 24/7, it’s critical to be disciplined when it comes to a work project or assignment. That means turning off the phone and moving it out of sight, closing distracting windows on your computer, turning off the television, and closing your door.

To remain on task, set a timer, so you can stay focused on your work for a period. It might be as little as 15 minutes or as many as 50, and then get up and stretch, exercise, or just be away from your work for 10 minutes.

Some data shows that the most productive people work for 52 minutes and take a 17-minute break. However, other research indicates that taking regular momentary breaks actually can help you maintain focus on a singular subject.

When you work, don’t multitask. It’s been proven that you can only concentrate on one thing at a time. If you toggle between several tasks, it takes time to transition and focus when you move from one task to another – making it inefficient. Do one thing at a time and give it your full attention.

4. Embrace Exercise, Brain Healthy Foods, and Targeted Supplements

You can support your cognition by exercising regularly, and consuming foods and nutrients that nourish your brain.

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain. This is especially important to help support optimal function of your prefrontal cortex, which influences cognitive control, thereby affecting attention, impulse control, prospective memory (needed for planning), and cognitive flexibility.

Low impact exercise, sports (especially tennis, ping-pong, and pickleball), water play, or yoga are all excellent for your brain as well as your mood, which helps with motivation!

 Source  https://brainmd.com/blog/stay-focused-and-on-task/