Does it feel like you're always working on a million things, but never really crossing anything off your list? It's time to think about enhancing your focus and how it can transform your life...and your productivity!
At any given moment, how many things are demanding your attention? The pile of laundry you've been putting off? Your job? Your kids? The neighbor's barking dog? The 17 unopened emails waiting in your inbox?
The problem is, when we try to divide our attention between so many different things, we actually end up getting less done.
And how could we not be distracted by all of these things?
We live in a world of information-overload. We have the whole world seemingly at our fingertips with smartphones and computers. As much as these can be used for our benefit, they are also one of the biggest sources of distraction we face.
Listen to this:
According to The Attention Economy, a single edition of the New York Times contains more factual information than the entire library of written material 15th-century readers had access to.
That doesn’t even include all of the information we can access online!
It's no wonder we wonder we struggle with how to focus, let alone what to focus on. But the great news is there are ways to improve your ability to focus, and a lot of them are easier and more accessible than you might think.
Five tips for enhancing your focus
Today we're going to share some of our favorite, science-backed tipped for enhancing your focus. With these five tips on your side, you can get back to completing one important task at a time, and faster than you thought possible!
Vagus nerve stimulation with Xen by Neuvana Headphones
You won't be surprised to hear that at Neuvana, one of our favorite methods for enhancing your focus is vagus nerve stimulation.
(And this is just one of its major benefits. Visit this link to learn about the other benefits of VNS)
We're starting off our five tips for enhancing your focus with Xen by Neuvana for a good reason: it can help you achieve this goal in a number of ways.
First, vagus stimulation on its own can help enhance your focus, brighten your mood, help you get better quality sleep, and improve your overall well being.
Vagus nerve stimulation has also been shown to improve learning and memory, two qualities that play an important role in focus.
Xen makes it easier than ever to experience these benefits for yourself.
Rather than opting for more invasive or even surgical options, Xen headphones are worn just like regular headphones. The difference is, once they're in, they can stimulate your vagus nerve, all while you listen to your favorite music, sounds, or silently.
And that leads us to our next tip for enhancing your focus!
Listen to music
We've known for decades that music can boost concentration, but not all music is created equally when it comes to enhancing your concentration.
Not surprisingly, classical music is ranked high when it comes to focus-enhancing qualities. It relates to what's known as "The Mozart effect." While it was once thought to actually make you more intelligent, some of those theories have been debunked.
What newer studies DO show, however, is how classical music can help you focus.
One study published in Learning and Individual Differences, found when students listened to a one-hour lecture with classical music playing in the background, they scored significantly higher on a quiz about the lecture compared to students who listened to the lecture with no music.
If classical music isn't your thing, Xen headphones can still be for you!
(Are you interested in learning more about the power of music? We talk more about its benefits and how it can affect the vagus nerve in this post.)
Tune out the background noise
Xen can be worn without any music playing, or you could even opt for sounds that help you focus. And just wearing these headphones can help tune out some background noise.
Even if you don't realize it, the TV playing in the background while you try to work can be slowing you down and preventing you from focusing. The same goes for beeps, rings, and other frustrating noises.
That's not to say all background noise is problematic when it comes to focus.
While high-level noises can disrupt concentration, other low-level noises are often helpful for enhancing your focus. In fact, this study found that certain ambient noises played a helpful role in creativity and cognition.
So, next time you're struggling to focus, consider playing some low-level ambient noises, perhaps rain fall or nature sounds, and see how it helps.
Even better, listen to these sounds through your Xen by Neuvana headphones while stimulating your vagus nerve at the same time!
Meditation
There's a reason everybody and their cousin seems to recommend meditation. More people discover the benefits of this practice each day. And one of those benefits just so happens to be enhancing your focus.
Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center believe meditation can actually change the structure of your brain. In doing so, a number of changes can be seen, including:
- Enhancing your focus
- Reducing stress, depression, and anxiety
- Improving your attention span and memory
- Boosting your immune system
- Building resilience
- Better sleep
If you're new to meditation, the internet is a great resource for getting started! You'll find all kinds of free meditations online, as well as a number of meditation apps and podcasts.
Work in short blocks
Have you ever heard of Parkinson's Law? It goes like this: "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
If you know you have to get that essay edited "today," you will likely spend all day fumbling around with it, and not focusing in on it and checking it off your list.
But what if you tried blocking off 2:00 to 3:30 this afternoon specifically for completing that task?
You've given yourself one and a half hours to complete that task, rather than 24. With these tighter time constraints, most people find they're able to get a LOT more done in less time. Their focus is better, they work fast, and their work quality improves too.
Enhancing your focus can start today
If you're lost in your day dreams and struggling to feel productive, enhancing your focus could be a game changer for you. This list of five tips for enhancing your focus is a great place to start! Experiment with some of the methods we've discussed, and discover what works best for you.
In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about Xen by Neuvana headphones and the science behind vagus nerve stimulation, we have plenty of resources we encourage you to look at:
