How to Increase Concentration and Focus

If you’re wondering how to increase concentration and focus, you’re not alone. The first step involves understanding what is pulling your focus away in the first place. You have to look at the whole system: cognitive overload, the environment you work in, and even the mental strain of modern life.

September 10, 2025

Auriane

Why Is It So Hard to Focus?

Struggling to concentrate is a universal experience, not a personal flaw. Every notification, every time you switch between tasks, and every bit of workplace stress drains your capacity to focus a little more.

The part of your brain in charge of directing your attention is known as your executive functions. Right now, it’s being asked to do more than ever before. Every ping, every email, and every "quick question" from a coworker is a small interruption that chips away at your mental energy.

This constant task-switching is the enemy of deep work, the state of flow where you do your best, most creative thinking. Instead, you end up feeling busy but not truly productive, because your brain never gets the chance to sink its teeth into one thing.

The ripple effect of this is massive. Consider what happens when this plays out across entire companies and countries. A Gallup report on the State of the Global Workplace found that only 23% of employees are actually engaged at work. This collective distraction adds up, contributing to an estimated $8.9 trillion in lost productivity every year, according to the same report.

The Science Behind Our Distracted Brains

Our brains are hardwired to seek out what’s new and different. Thousands of years ago, this was a survival skill which helped our ancestors spot a predator in the bushes or find a new food source.

Today, that same wiring makes us incredibly vulnerable to digital pings. Every social media alert or news headline gives us a tiny hit of dopamine, the brain's reward chemical. According to research from Harvard University, this creates a powerful feedback loop that literally trains your brain to crave more distractions.

It's crucial to grasp this. Your focus is being actively hijacked by platforms designed to capture your attention. The first step to taking it back is knowing what you're up against and building intentional defenses.

It’s Not Just Your Phone

While our devices are a huge part of the problem, they aren't the only culprits. Your mental state plays a massive role in your ability to concentrate. Things like stress, anxiety, and full-blown burnout can wreck your cognitive functions, making even simple tasks feel impossible.

When your mind is already spinning with worries or overwhelmed by an endless to-do list, there’s simply no mental bandwidth left for focused work.

And don’t forget your physical space. A cluttered desk, bad lighting, or constant chatter in the background creates a persistent, low-level drain on your focus. Building concentration is about creating an environment that tells your brain, "Okay, it's time to work". Once you get these foundational pieces right, the practical strategies in this guide will work ten times better.

To help you get started, here's a quick summary of the core strategies we'll be diving into. Think of it as your cheat sheet for reclaiming your attention, starting today.

Your Quick Guide to Boosting Focus Today

This table summarizes the core strategies discussed in this guide, offering a quick-start framework for immediate application.

By breaking down the challenge into these manageable areas, you can start making small, meaningful changes right away. Each one builds on the last, creating a powerful system for deep, sustained focus.

Designing Your Day for Deep Concentration

Knowing why your focus is fading is one thing, but actually learning how to increase concentration and focus means having a practical blueprint for your day. This is about working smarter by designing a structure that aligns with your brain's natural rhythms, not about brute forcing longer hours.

The idea is to create a daily framework that makes deep work feel less like a struggle and more like the default setting. Forget rigid, one-size-fits-all productivity hacks. While popular methods like the Pomodoro Technique are a decent starting point, real, lasting focus comes from tailoring these ideas to your specific role, energy levels, and personality.

Find Your Peak Productivity Hours

We all have a unique internal clock, our chronotype, that dictates when we're most alert. Are you a "lark" who's sharpest first thing in the morning, or an "owl" who really hits their stride in the late afternoon? Trying to fight this biological rhythm is exhausting and inefficient.

To nail down your peak hours, spend a week just observing yourself. Once you've identified that golden two to four hours window, you need to guard it with your life. This is when you schedule your most demanding, high-concentration work.

For instance:

• A developer might blocks off 9 AM to 12 PM for pure coding, no exceptions. All his meetings are pushed to the afternoon.
• A writer might find their creative energy spikes from 4 PM to 6 PM and will build their entire day around protecting that time for drafting.

This simple adjustment ensures you're aiming your best mental firepower at your most important work, which means getting better results with far less strain.

Master Your Work-Break Cycles

Working nonstop is a fast track to burnout and sloppy work. Your brain genuinely needs downtime to recharge and make sense of information. The trick is to be just as intentional with your breaks as you are with your work.

In fact, research from the Draugiem Group using their DeskTime productivity app found that their top 10% most productive employees weren't the ones who worked the longest. They were the ones who worked for about 52 minutes and then took a 17 minutes break. This rhythm seems to hit a sweet spot in our cognitive limits, helping us sidestep mental fatigue before it even starts.

A proper 17 minutes break where you completely step away from your screen is infinitely more restorative than 30 minutes of aimlessly scrolling through social media at your desk.

If you're looking for more ways to structure your day for better performance, check out these strategies to keep focused at work and reclaim productivity.

Time Blocking and the Power of One

Once you know your peak hours and a good work to break ratio, it's time to build your schedule with time blocking. This is where you assign a specific job to every part of your day, turning a vague to-do list into a concrete action plan right on your calendar.

Within each time block, you have one rule: single-tasking. The human brain is notoriously bad at multitasking on complex jobs. What feels like multitasking is really just your brain rapidly switching between tasks, which burns through mental energy and tanks the quality of your work.

If you find yourself constantly distracted at work, it's often a sign that you haven't drawn a clear boundary around one single objective. By dedicating a solid block of time to one thing and one thing only, you give your brain the runway it needs to enter a state of deep, productive flow.

Fine-Tuning Your Physical and Digital Workspaces

It’s easy to think that focus is purely a mental game, but your surroundings have a massive impact on your ability to concentrate. Your physical desk and your digital screen can be your greatest allies or your biggest enemies in the battle for deep work.

Think about it: a messy desk, bad lighting, or a constant barrage of pings and notifications creates a low-level static humming in the background. It drains your mental battery without you even realizing it. The goal is to build an environment where focus is the path of least resistance.

Crafting a Physical Environment for Deep Work

Your physical setup is the literal foundation for your focus. When you’re physically uncomfortable or distracted by chaos, your brain has to work overtime just to stay on task. Let's fix that.

Ergonomics are non negotiable. Aches and pains are potent focus killers. An ergonomic setup is definitely not a "nice to have". It's an absolute necessity for anyone who wants to concentrate for long stretches. This means getting your chair to support your spine, placing your monitor at eye level, and positioning your keyboard to keep your wrists neutral. For a fantastic walkthrough, check out this guide on setting up an ergonomic workstation.

Take control of your soundscape. Openspace offices can be a nightmare for concentration. Noise-canceling headphones are a game-changer here, creating a personal bubble of quiet. If silence feels strange, try a white noise or ambient sound app to mask distracting chatter with a consistent, unobtrusive auditory backdrop.

Let there be light (the right kind). Dim lighting causes eye strain and fatigue, which are guaranteed to sabotage your focus. Natural light is your best friend, so try to set up shop near a window. If that’s not an option, layer your lighting with a good desk lamp to illuminate your space without creating annoying glare on your screen.

Taming Your Digital Distractions

Your digital environment is just as crucial as your physical one. An endless stream of notifications and a desktop cluttered with icons will splinter your attention into a million pieces.

Taking a few minutes to declutter your digital workspace can free up a surprising amount of mental bandwidth. It’s all about creating a clean, streamlined screen that guides your attention exactly where it needs to go.

A study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research found something startling: just having your smartphone in your line of sight, even if it's turned off, can significantly reduce your available cognitive capacity. Your brain is still dedicating resources to not picking it up.

Tools for a Focused Digital Space

Hw do you actually achieve this digital declutter? You have to be ruthless and intentional with what you allow into your digital field of view during work sprints. Luckily, there are some great tools to help.

• Master Your Notifications: Dive into your computer and phone settings and turn off every single notification that isn't absolutely critical. Be honest with yourself, do you really need a pop-up for every email or social media like? Almost certainly not.

• Use Websites Blocker: Install an extension or a software, such as Hyud, that blocks your go to distracting websites for set periods. This creates a hard stop between you and your procrastination habits, forcing you back to the task at hand.

• Lean on Focus Apps: There are fantastic apps designed to block out digital noise and structure your work. For example, an app like Hyud for macOS doesn't just block websites but also makes you take breaks and fix your posture, tackling both the digital and physical sides of focus. Another popular option is Forest, which gamifies focus by growing a virtual tree while you avoid your phone.

By systematically cleaning up both your physical and digital environments, you remove the external friction that makes concentration so hard. This frees up your mental energy for the work that actually matters, making deep focus something that happens naturally, not something you have to fight for.

Build Lifestyle Habits for a Sharper Mind

Learning how to increase concentration and focus is not just about what you do at your desk. It's about how you live your life. Think of it this way: your daily choices around sleep, food, exercise, and mental rest are the foundation for a sharp, attentive mind.

Without that solid foundation, any productivity hack is just a band-aid. You can have the perfect schedule, but if you’re running on fumes from poor sleep or a bad diet, you’ll never achieve that state of deep, effortless concentration.

Prioritize High Quality Sleep

Sleep is your brain’s dedicated maintenance shift. While you’re resting, your brain is hard at work clearing out metabolic waste, strengthening neural pathways, and consolidating memories. This process is absolutely essential for learning and problem-solving.

According to the CDC, most adults need 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night to be at their best. When you cut that short, even by a little, your ability to stay on task and think clearly takes a direct hit. Good, consistent sleep is one of the most powerful legal and healthy tools you have for improving focus.

Fuel Your Brain with the Right Foods

What you eat has a direct and immediate impact on your brain's performance. Your brain is an incredibly energy hungry organ, and giving it the right fuel makes a world of difference in your ability to stay sharp all day.

Some foods are total brain boosters:

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These are essential building blocks for your brain cells. You'll find them in fatty fish (like salmon), walnuts, and flaxseeds.
• Flavonoids: Found in things like blueberries, dark chocolate, and green tea, their antioxidant effects protect brain health.
• Complex Carbohydrates: Foods like oatmeal and whole grains provide a slow, steady release of energy. This prevents the sugar crash and brain fog you get from processed snacks.

On the flip side, a diet loaded with processed foods and sugar will leave you battling energy slumps and make concentration feel like an impossible task.

Move Your Body to Sharpen Your Mind

Want a sharper mind? Get your body moving. Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to boost cognitive function because it pumps more blood to your brain.

You don't have to train for a marathon. A study in NeuroImage showed that even a brisk walk or a quick yoga session can increase levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a protein that helps grow new neurons. The key here is consistency.

According to the World Economic Forum, poor well-being can cost companies between $1,100 and $3,500 per employee annually. You can dive deeper into the 2025 Thriving at Work report for more insights.

Train Your Attention with Mindfulness

You can train your brain for focus just like you train your muscles in the gym. This is where practices like mindfulness and meditation come in. At its core, mindfulness is simply the practice of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose.

This directly strengthens your brain's attention networks. Research published in Psychiatry Research has shown that a few minutes of practice each day can dramatically improve your ability to tune out distractions and hold your focus. You’re essentially training yourself to notice when your mind wanders and gently bring it back, the single most important skill for deep concentration.

Tools and Supplements to Support Your Concentration

Once you’ve built a solid foundation with good habits and a focused environment, you can start exploring other aids to sharpen your concentration. Think of these tools and supplements not as a magic fix, but as amplifiers for the healthy lifestyle changes you're already making.

Learning how to increase attention span and boost focus is a marathon, not a sprint. These resources can give you that extra bit of structure or biological support to help you cross the finish line on your big projects.

Tech That Trains Your Attention

It’s ironic, but in a world filled with digital distractions, the right technology can actually help you reclaim your focus. Well-designed apps help you create a structured environment that actively encourages single tasking and trains your brain to stay on track.

Here are three standout legal and proven apps:

• Hyud: This macOS app understands that focus is about more than just avoiding Twitter. It connects your productivity directly to your physical well-being with reminders to take breaks, fix your posture, and stretch. This holistic approach gets to the root of the problem, recognizing that mental fatigue is often linked to physical fatigue.

• Forest: This app cleverly gamifies the process of putting your phone down. When you need to concentrate, you plant a virtual tree. If you cave and leave the app, the tree dies. Tapping into the desire to build something positive is a surprisingly powerful motivator to stay off your device.

• Freedom: It lets you block distracting websites, apps, or even the entire internet across all your devices at once. When you absolutely need to create a bubble free of distraction for deep work, this is a good tool.

Brain-Boosting Supplements and Nootropics

The world of nootropics, compounds that may enhance cognitive function, is huge and can be confusing. It's crucial to navigate it carefully. While solid research backs some options, they should always be seen as a complement to a healthy lifestyle, not a replacement for it.

Before you start any new supplement, it is wise to consult with your doctor.

Here are a couple of the most well researched and accessible choices:

• Caffeine + L-Theanine: This is a classic nootropic stack for a reason, it works. Caffeine provides the kick of alertness, while L-theanine (an amino acid from green tea) smooths out the edges, promoting a state of calm focus without sleepiness. It's a great way to get the benefits of caffeine without the jitters.

• Creatine: Most people think of creatine as a gym supplement, but it’s a powerhouse for your brain, too. It plays a key role in brain energy metabolism, and studies in journals like Psychopharmacology show it can support short-term memory and reasoning skills. If you're looking into cognitive enhancers, it's worth exploring creatine's benefits for brain power, especially if you follow a plant-based diet.

To help you see how these different options fit together, here's a quick comparison of some tools that can help sharpen your mind.

Focus-Enhancing Tools and Supplements Comparison

This table compares a few accessible options that may aid concentration, highlighting how they work and what to keep in mind.

Ultimately, the best tool is the one that fits seamlessly into your routine and addresses your specific challenges.

Remember, supplements are not a silver bullet. They work best when paired with the non-negotiables: consistent sleep, a good diet, and regular exercise. Think of them as enhancers, not substitutes.

A Quick Word on Prescription Medications

You’ve probably heard of prescription drugs that can dramatically boost concentration. Medications like Modafinil (prescribed for narcolepsy) or stimulants like methylphenidate and amphetamines (prescribed for ADHD) are powerful because they directly influence neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to a state of heightened alertness.

However, these are serious medications with real side effects and risks. Health authorities do not recommend their use for cognitive enhancement in individuals without a diagnosed medical condition. Using them without a doctor's supervision can be dangerous. They should only ever be taken under the strict guidance of a physician to treat a specific health issue.

Ready to take control of your productivity, focus and posture? Hyud is a macOS application that provides deep work sessions, gentle reminders for posture correction, guides you through essential work breaks, and blocks distracting websites and applications. Start building healthier habits today by trying it for free.

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Auriane

I like to write about health, sport, nutrition, well-being and productivity.