Do you ever feel like all of your thoughts come all at once? While talking with my colleague Jorge, we realized that we go from one subject to another in a matter of seconds. From “Oh, you should really listen to that audiobook”, to “What is the status of that project you’re doing? ”, to “Do you know this festival I went to last weekend?”, to “Oops, I forgot to do my laundry”. We have a continuous stream of thoughts and ideas and easily get distracted by them. This makes us feel creative, spontaneous and sometimes chaotic, but also overwhelmed at times. There’s a gap between ideas and the actions we must take in order to accomplish them. We know these feelings are not unique to us and that there are many people who struggle in similar ways. Do you recognize yourself in this as well? In this blog we’ll share some tips from our own experience and research.

 

What can we do?

Why are we so easily distracted and overstimulated? How does it affect our daily life? Do we feel fulfilled at the end of the day? And, now that we are a bit more aware of the limits of our attention, how can we thrive in a hyperconnected world with an ever-growing number of distractions? We decided to make this our new personal goal: we have to train our attention and create the best possible environment in which we have a good sense of fulfilment and we feel more connected to others. We started doing some research on attention. 

 

Facts about attention and focus:

  • Attention and focus are two different things.
  • Attention is selective attention: we can’t perceive everything at the same time. With attention, you select what’s important. Think about notifications on your phone while working; your brain is wired to check your phone. You can fight against it, but you will most likely lose.
  • Focus is sustained attention: how long can you keep your attention on something? When you experience sustained attention, you will get into the flow and do deep work. This will make you better at what you do, help you achieve more in less time and it will make you feel true fulfilment. 

 

Tips to help you throughout the day

We researched and tried out some attention deficit tips and these were the ones that worked for us:

  1. Keep a steady routine in your daily life activities. This means doing things such as going to sleep, preparing your meals and exercising at fixed times, so that you get used to them and don’t spend too much time and energy on them. 
  2. When you experience attention problems it can be difficult to distinguish between essential and side tasks. Every time a great idea pops into your mind while you’re doing an important task, make sure you have a notebook or an app to write it down. This will allow you to continue what you are doing without being distracted. 
  3. Experiment and find out what your optimal work environment is. For example:
    1. Go to the office instead of working from home when you’re sensitive to distractions.
    2. Make sure your phone is not visible when you are doing important tasks. 
    3. Make sure you make your work environment clutter- and distraction-free.
  4. Break tasks into small chunks that are easily achievable: focus on one thing at a time. Even if you don’t feel like doing it. It is better to start small and tell yourself to work on something for at least 10 minutes than to say you will do it later. 
  5. Disable smartphone notifications. Most of the notifications you get on your phone aren’t urgent, so disable sound and vibrations. I even bought an old Nokia phone to detox and experiment with basic functionalities, such as calling and texting (back to the old days).
  6. If you are sensitive to news, social media and emails: try avoiding checking these media frequently. If you really want to, allow yourself to have a couple of fixed time slots during the day to do so. 
  7. Encourage yourself like you encourage a friend. If you find yourself in autopilot mode:
    1. Accept it and decide to consciously make a change, discipline yourself. 
    2. Don’t be too hard on yourself (judgemental) if things don’t go as planned.
    3. Learn to forgive yourself.
  8. Have an offline hobby/craft/sport: it is proven that these allow us to enter a flow state. In a flow state, you are totally absorbed by and deeply focused on something. You are beyond the point of distraction. Flow is also seen as a perfect hypnotic state between training skills and challenging yourself. It can also help you to break the cycle of rumination, for example worrying about a deadline, presentation, meeting or something else that causes stress. Exercising, crafting or enjoying a hobby helps you relax. Even if you feel tired, there is a difference between physical and mental tiredness. So stop thinking; just do! 
  9. Find support: don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help from family members or friends.

 

Get support

If you feel like you experience severe attention disorders, it’s essential to seek professional help. If you feel like your own attention deficits are really disturbing to you or others, it might be interesting to talk with experts in the area of AD(H)D.

Busy busy busy; you might recognize the feeling. You are very busy and it feels like your tasks are not being completed. Distraction lurks around every corner and is your own worst enemy. You would like to be able to focus on different tasks without getting distracted. But what exactly is distracting you? How do you stay focused? In this blog I will explain how you can improve your concentration through a number of tips & tricks.

What is distracting you?

As a first step, it is important to find out what exactly is distracting you. Below are some examples:

  1. Daily chores that you want to have done, but that are not work related.

“Ill first clean up before I continue with this report” or “I ll just clean out the dishwasher”.

  1. Negative thoughts about yourself that make you lose concentration.

“I can’t do this in this amount of time anyway” from “You see, I’m all over the place again today”.

  1. Negative thoughts about your work environment.

“My colleague isn’t going to agree, so it makes no sense to do this now,”.

  1. External situations which grab your attention.

A sick relative, a friend asking for help or an argument with your partner.

  1. External factors that lead to choices that feel good in the short term, but won’t help in the long term.

For example, a friend who asks you to go for a walk or have lunch. Which sounded like a good idea at the time, but actually leaves you in a difficult situation. 

In which of the above examples do you identify with?

Making a change

Once you are aware of what exactly is distracting you, it is time to make a change! How can you make sure that you stay focused?

  1. Make your task or goal concrete

Write it down and visualize what it will take to reach this goal. By keeping an eye on the goal, you are less likely to be distracted. A friend who wants to call or go for a walk with you? As nice as it sounds, now is not the time, maybe later.

  1. Dedication

Take your goal seriously and make the right decisions regarding your goal. Correct yourself when you are being distracted and remind yourself of the task at hand. Dare to say no to your friends and colleagues; for example to a colleague who asks for extra help.

  1. Discipline

Discipline is needed to start tasks, but also to complete them! You can train discipline, a bit like a muscle, by rewarding yourself for completing tasks. For example, give yourself a walk as soon as you have completed a task. Discipline creates a feeling of accomplishment and a clear mind, which in turn, will increase your self-esteem. How are you going to reward yourself when you have accomplished something?

  1. Self-confidence

Are you being held back by doubt or indecision because you don’t have trust in your own abilities? Focus your attention on the task. It’s just a job; sometimes they are fun and sometimes not. Get started and when in doubt, ask for help.

  1. Be realistic

Poor concentration and too many tasks? These two reinforce each other. When you have taken on too many tasks, your mind is less clear and more ‘noisy’ making it difficult to concentrate and perform your tasks to a good standard. Is your head too ‘full’? It can be helpful to take on less. Be realistic and critical in what is feasible for you: this can always change.

  1. Start with the urgent or tedious tasks

As Brian Tracy, author of the book “Eat the Frog” says, do the difficult tasks you dread first (in the morning) and the easy things later. By doing this you avoid procrastination and ultimately the day ends up not being too bad.

Work on yourself

Finally, it is important that you consciously try to work on this. Schedule a day and keep the above tips in mind:

  • Limit external distractions
  • Make a clear overview of tasks for that day
  • Correct yourself when your attention deviates
  • Earphones in and binaural beats on (huh, binaural beats?)
  • Be realistic: what is feasible for today?

Schedule in the assignment via “plan activity” in NiceDay and tick it off at the end of the day. How did it go? Also check out the article “Train your attention with these tips”.

Concentration is the capacity to control your attention in such a way you can focus on 1 task, object or thought. Controlling your attention is important to prevent distraction. In the busy world of today we’re used to do all kinds of things at the same time and we process a lot of data during the day. This causes our brain to adapt and gets used to rapidly shifting your attention to different things. 

Maybe you recognize it that you want to study, but you also to respond to a message or you promised your grandma to call her. Because you’re spending time and attention to everything at the same time, you’re in fact way less efficient. 

If you have trouble concentrating, there’s a big chance you will quit doing your tasks faster. Because what’s the point if you just can’t concentrate? Luckily, concentration is a skill, which means you can improve it. 

Tips to learn to concentrate

Below you will find exercises that help you improve your concentration.

  1. Try focusing on a simple task. For example making a puzzle or color a picture. Try to do it for 10 minutes straight. Do you notice any distraction? Try to force you to finish those 10 minutes first. If you are able to complete simple tasks fully concentrated, you will notice you will get better at doing more complex tasks too.
  2. Play some music and practice shifting your attention by listening to the different elements in a song. Listen for example 10 seconds to the vocals first, then move to the drums and then listen to the melodies. If you think 10 seconds are easy, try adding 5 seconds each time.
  3. Count back from 100 to 0 in your head. If this is very easy for you, try skipping 3 numbers each time. So 100, 97, 94 and so on.
  4. You can practice your concentration while walking outside on the streets too! Try paying attention to your surroundings and count all the red cars you’re seeing for a few minutes. Done? Then switch to counting all the blue cars. If you feel this is becoming easier, you can try to count both the red and blue cars at the same time. Challenge yourself!
  5. Take 5 minutes to relax and sit down and focus on everything you sense. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you taste? What do you smell? If you notice your thoughts are wandering off, try to focus on your breathing. Or focus on a central point, for example a wall.

Do you notice that you are getting better with these exercises? Challenge yourself and make the exercise more difficult! Maybe you’ll discover you are able to visually concentrate very well, but sounds are still very distracting. Then you can aim your exercises to practice with sound. 

The exercises are mostly meant to be examples. Try applying them on your own creative way! If you notice you’re having a hard time, you can try to do a relaxation exercise first. That will always help!

For someone who worries a lot, suffers from negative thoughts or has trouble falling asleep, meditation can help. But also when you are feeling perfectly fine meditation is beneficial, you will feel (more) energetic and your mental resilience will grow. You can find thousands of meditations on the internet: you can visualize, focus on your breathing or meditate while in motion. Finding a type that suits you well can be a bit of a search. Yet it can bring you a lot! We list a few meditation forms for you.

Vipassana Meditation

This form is about observing. Observing your body, your thoughts and your emotions without attaching a value to them. One of the first things you learn when you start using a Headspace module. You soon learn that you can see your thoughts as cars that pass slowly or quickly and all you have to do is look at these cars. Sounds easy, but we tend to run after thoughts or try to stop them. This form of meditation trains you in such a way that your thoughts won’t take a run with you and find peace faster. This type of meditation is good for when you worry a lot. 

Visualisation

We can all visualize, we do it without even noticing. During a meditation session with visualization, you consciously consider the images in your mind. You can recall images of something that has already happened, something that is yet to come or you can, for example, pretend you are on the beach. The sun and the sound of the sea will let you relax. You can also imagine how your day will go. For example, do you have to do presentation which you are nervous for? Try to play this moment in your head with a positive ending, for example enthusiastic reactions from the audience or an overwhelming applause. In the beginning it is difficult to take up this type of meditation alone. There are a lot of guided meditations, they help with stress, anxiety or make sure you fall asleep better. 

Yoga

Yoga is a moving form of meditation and Yoga also has many different forms. During Vinyasa Yoga you focus on your breathing and move from one position to the other based on the rhythm of your breathing. Focusing on your breathing improves your yoga flow and ensures peace of mind. You are constantly on the move, unlike Yin yoga. During Yin yoga you will find peace because you take the time for the different poses. You use the postures to feel what goes on in your body. It is good to do this form of yoga when you have already done something active (Vinyasa yoga or swimming, running). Our Yoga expert Esther shares something new about yoga every month. Don’t know where to start? Follow a video of Esther!

Breathing meditation

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth.” You can do breathing exercises (or meditations) anywhere. It is nice if you have a number that you can do in between, when, for example, you experience stress. Meditating does not have to take hours at all! Just taking 5 minutes for yourself can make a world of difference. For example, try this is: breathe in deeply through your nose as far as you can and then hold your breath for 5 seconds. Then release your breath through your mouth. Repeat this a few times and feel how you react to this. You immediately released some tension!

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is about being in the “now”. We are often lost in thought and think of everything we need to do later. Mindfulness is “living with attention”, focusing on what you are doing now. Imagine you are in your car, you are in a traffic jam and your thoughts begin: what groceries do I need, what is the quickest route to the supermarket, what is a quick recipe so that I am on time at the gym … Mindfulness means that you let go of these thoughts and look at the cars around you, the scenery, listen to the sound of the engine, feel the hills on your way. You perceive everything as it is, without judgement and you do not cling to it. Mindfulness improves focus and performance.

“Don’t hate, meditate”

Experiment and learn

There are a lot of Apps, videos on YouTube and meditations on Spotify to get you started:

Apps to meditate:

  • InsightTimer: various meditation teachers, meditation music and sounds all in 1 app. Easy to use in English and Dutch. For example, search for stress, anxiety or sleep for specific meditations.
  • Headspace: probably heard of it;)! The modules of Headspace let you get acquainted with meditation in a nice way, good for beginners.

Nice playlists on Spotify:

  • NiceDay Binaural Beats: This playlist is full of music that allows you to fully relax.
  • Yoga feels: not just instrumental but nice tunes to relax with or to get your own yoga flow

Yoga from your own home

 

Which form will you try? Or do you already have a favorite? 

 

A lot of different and interesting things happen around us all the time. There are many interesting noises, extraordinary images or fascinating people; our brain likes to wander off and loves to seek intriguing things. Do you recognize this feeling? You are writing an important email and at the same time you receive an interesting text for example. Meanwhile, your co-workers are talking about something that draws your attention and at the same time your favorite song is playing on the radio. And it’s gone… you can’t focus on writing the important email.

Our thoughts are usually all over the place. We think we can multitask but in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Our intelligence is even at risk when we try to multitask. Maintaining focussed and staying concentrated… how do you do it? And how can music enhance your concentration?

I am trying to stay concentrated while writing this article and that is the reason why I am listening to binaural beats at the same time.

What are binaural beats?

Binaural beats are songs with a specific low frequency (pitch). According to some researchers our brain really likes to follow the binaural music. Binaural beats seem to be good for relaxation, reducing pain and enhancing focus. The story behind binaural beats is very technical. Simply put, one sound is being sent to your left ear and another sound is being sent to your right ear. Because there is a mathematical difference between the sounds in left and right, these soundwaves start to vibrate. And the difference between left and right makes a perfect frequency for our brain and causes us to relax and focus.

Do you want to try it out?

  1. Make sure you have good headphones. Headphones are able to reproduce low frequencies of better quality. It is also important that external noises cannot disturb you. Click on this link for our binaural sounds Spotify playlist.
  2. Start doing the task that requires your attention. Try to eliminate distracting factors. For example: put your phone away or try to work in a quiet room.
  3. Focus on your task, try not to focus on the music.

According to researchers, the following will happen: you will be more alert, you are more focused on your tasks and your IQ will even increase a little bit. (For the nerds: frequencies in the Beta range have the biggest impact when it comes to attention span. The Beta range is from 14 to 30 Hz.)

NiceDay

In NiceDay you can plan activities. Try to plan an music activity and discover if music enhances your concentration span. Click on this link to listen to the binaural beats our NiceDay coaches picked out for you!

A wandering mind has a bad reputation. That bad reputation is partly justified. Because if we want to focus, and our mind wanders from a task, it can disrupt our productivity. However this state of mind can be remarkably powerful if entered into deliberately. Mind wandering is very effective if we want to solve problems, think more creatively, brainstorm about new ideas or if we want to refuel our energy and plan for the future.

Chris Bailey is a Canadian writer and productivity consultant who recently published a book called “Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction.” His book is a manual with practical tips for managing your attention – the most powerful resource you need to become more creative, get things done and live a meaningful life. Because in a world with so many incentives, it is sometimes difficult to let go of our focus.

Our brain and focus

Compare your focus with the use of a flashlight: the only thing you see is what is in the ray of the light. You don’t see the things around it, no matter how important and/ or interesting they are. This means that if you only focus on one subject, it is possible that you miss other important messages.

Bailey identifies how our brains have two modes that control our attention: focused mode and unfocused mode. Focused mode is a familiar state, and one that is most powerful when we focus on a single important thing. He calls this state of total focus ‘hyperfocus’. We slip into unfocused mode (‘scatterfocus’) when our mind wanders from a task, or when we let it wander, like when we go for a walk or take a shower. Scatterfocus focus help you focus on what is really important, without being too sensitive to external distractions. With hyperfocus you put your attention outward, while scatterfocus is about turning inwards. According to Bailey, hyperfocus is the most productive mode of the brain, while scatterfocus is the most creative.

Why is scatterfocus important?

Scatterfocus gives you the opportunity to formulate intentions and plans. It is impossible to formulate intentions if you are completely absorbed in the now. When you rest, your mind will automatically make plans for the future; you just have to give your brain some downtime for that.

It also nourishes creativity. This mode helps you connect old ideas and create new ones.
If your job requires you to be creative, the more important it is for you to use scatterfocus. Pauses between activities are also just as important as the activity itself because research has shown that this is the best way to learn, remember and make connections.

Scatterfocus also gives you new energy while hyperfocusing and the other hand costs a lot of energy.

Defocus

Are you often switching between activities? Can’t stay focused on one task for long? Do you need more time for work? And do you often choose less important tasks that requires less energy? These signals are letting you know that your energy supply is running out.

The secret to a balanced and healthy brain is variety. To keep your brain fit and balanced, you must switch between periods of focusing and defocusing. When you do this, you will become more productive. You will also have more energy and you will experience less stress. So don’t forget to take a break from your focus moment and take a defocus moment! A refreshing break meets the following conditions: it is and feels familiar to you, requires little effort, it is something you really want to do and is not an obligation.

Want to know more about productivity? Check out Chris Bailey’s TEDx Talk about his approach to productivity.

Good luck with defocusing!

Concentration is: ‘taking your mind off many things and putting it on one thing at a time”. However, these days it’s getting more difficult to focus on one thing at a time. Facebook, daydreaming but especially your mobile cause continuous distraction. This is especially frustrating when you have a certain goal, but you can’t seem to reach this goal because of distractions. The steps in this article can help you deal with this problem.

Start with yourself

You can only focus if your basis, both physically as mentally, is healthy. That means: Eating healthy and have plenty of sleep. But also take a closer look at yourself and how you can reach your optimal focus. Ask yourself questions like: When am I the most productive? What helps me to stay focused? What distractors am I vulnerable for?

Concentration hygiene

There is a lot you can do even before you start with the task. A good concentration hygiene is crucial. Choose the spot where you want work carefully. First, it should be clean, well lit and ventilated. Turn your mobile phone off and store it out of reach, this is the main distractor for most people. Some people can concentrate while music is playing, but keep in mind that it can also be a distractor.

Make a plan

After you and your workplace are taken care off, you can start making a plan. Most people can focus anywhere between 20 and 45 minutes. Divide the task you want to complete into manageable pieces. Also, it’s just as important to take breaks in between. This way you work structurally towards your goal while maintaining focus.

Concentration tools

Apps can support your concentration by eliminating distractions or by offering structure in the form of reminders and such. The Freedom app might be something for you if you have difficulties with distractors. This app blocks internet for a certain amount of time. Difficulties with keeping structure? Then take a look at the app Focus Booster, this app breaks tasks into manageable pieces for you. It also reminds you to take breaks in between. Take a look in the Appstore yourself for the app that can help you boost your concentration.

NiceDay: Try to execute the steps from this article and describe in your diary what it does for your concentration.

When you just start practicing mindfulness, this is a great exercise to teach you to focus. The breath is quit easy to follow because it gives you physical sensations.

You may feel where the air enters your nose when you inhale, the air may be colder or warmer. And you may feel how your breath is raising your chest and tummy. You don’t have to breathe in a special way, only to follow your breath. Sit down somewhere quiet, with a straight back and a relaxed but awake posture.

The basics are the same as with most mindfulness exercises:

  1. You focus on something (e.g. sound, thought, breath, emotion) and try to keep your attention at that subject.
  2. If your mind wanders, just notice without judging. Subsequently, softly guide your attention back to your focus.
  3. As soon as you notice your mind is wandering again, just slowly go back and try again. It’s totally normal your mind wanders, that’s what minds do.

Goals: See if you are able to schedule this exercise at a fixed moment in your daily routine, because mindfulness has the most effect when performed on a regular basis. When you are connected with a Coach or a therapist, you can set this exercise in the app at Free Goal.

For an example of a breathing exercise you can click on this link .