Five Ways to Increase Concentration in the Workplace

Concentration allows you to stay on task and to accomplish goals, but sometimes it’s has hard to retain concentration at work. Tiredness, long hours and repetitious tasks can cause you to lose focus. You may try hard to concentrate on your work but find your mind wandering. This is not only frustrating but can affect your productivity.

This article contains five tips to help increase your concentration at work. Check out Axcelerate Australia for more workplace strategies.

Pay Attention to your Working Environment

Your work environment plays a huge role in whether or not you can concentrate on the tasks at hand. Your environment should be comfortable. Make sure it’s not too hot or too cold. Your work area should be well lit and your chair and desk should be at a comfortable height. Discomfort will cause distraction and make you restless. Making your environment as pleasant as possible also helps concentration. If your work space feels harmonious and attractive you will be less likely to get up and move around.

Reduce Distractions

Try to cut down on distractions. If you find the noise in your workplace is distracting you, try wearing earplugs or listen to music through headphones. Steady background noise can help drown out distracting sounds and aid focus. Put your mobile on silent so you are not distracted by messages. If you get distracted by incoming emails, it can be a good idea to close your email box and only open it at intervals. Try hanging a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door or the back of your chair if you are doing an important task that requires unbroken concentration.

Have Regular Breaks

Having short breaks is essential to maintaining concentration. Most people can only focus for short periods. If you fail to take breaks you can find your mind wandering off. If you are getting tired and finding it hard to concentrate, listen to your body and mind and take a short break. Get up off your chair and go for a walk, outdoors if possible. Try and have a five minute break every hour and you will find your mind remains fresh and your concentration improves. Some people make the mistake of thinking that taking a break wastes time. The opposite is true.

Prioritize

It is important to prioritize your tasks. Try and do the most difficult and tedious tasks when your concentration is highest. Leave less taxing jobs for when you are feeling less focused. Make a list of what needs to be done in order of priority and, if possible, complete one job before moving on the next.

Deal with Random Thoughts

If you have ever tried to meditate you will know how many random thoughts pop into the average head! You may be working at a task when suddenly you remember you need to pick up the laundry.  The best way to deal with this is by taking a second to make a note of the intruding thought and then move on.

(photo credit to the owner)