5 Tips to Regaining Focus when Working

by Kathy Espinoza

Admit it, we all lose focus at times while working.  What triggers loss of focus?  You name it. How about the constant social media activity, the kids (furry ones too), not getting enough sleep, meeting  fatigue, the interruptions and so many other things.  The question is, how do you regain your focus once you’ve noticed it’s gone?

It’s important to have a few ‘go-to’ options to help regain focus and maintain productivity.  Print these five tips out and post them on your desk so they are readily visible when you feel you need them most.

1. Get Up and Get Outside

Research has shown one downside of too much sitting is loss of focus.  A quick way to get the blood flowing back into the brain is to get up out of that chair and walk around your house or the office a few times.  Go outside to get some sunshine, breathe in the fresh air, smell the citrus blossoms and feel that vitamin D getting into your body.  Physical movement is a way to rejuvenate the brain and this needs to be done hourly!  Set your email reminder system to say STRETCH to remind you to get up and walk around.

2. Stretch Often

Doing a few stretches can help improve focus throughout the day as it is a great way to jump-start your brain, get your circulation going, sharpen the mind and wake up!  I encourage you to do some of these standing rather than sitting – again, to get you out of the chair.  Remember, never stretch to the point of pain.  If you are unsure about any stretch, consult your healthcare provider. These stretches are offered for comfort, not treatment.  Here are a few great ones to try.  

Upward Stretch – Standing or Seated

1. Stand up from your chair and take a moment to regain your balance.
2. Interlace your fingers and raise your hands above your head, palms facing upward.
3. Elongate your spine and feel the stretch in your rib cage and arms.
4. Take a few deep breaths as you reach and stretch both sides of your torso.

Backwards Stretch – Standing or Seated

1. Stand with your hands on your hips, fingertips pointing towards each other.
2. With knees slightly bent and eyes facing forward…
3. Bend back slightly, keeping head and eyes facing forward
4. Hold 5 to 10 seconds.
5. Return to upright position.

Simple Seated Stretch

1. Start by sitting in a chair and cross one ankle over the knee of the other leg.
2. While keeping your spine straight (VERY important!), lean forward slightly, just until you feel the stretch.
3. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.
4. Repeat this stretch with your other leg.  Remember, don’t round your back… keep the back straight as you lean forward, just until you feel the stretch.

For more on stretching see: STRETCHING by Bob Anderson, 40th edition c2020, www.stretching.com

3. Breathe Consciously  

Have you ever noticed when you are worried or stressed, your breathing gets shallower?  If you find yourself lacking focus, having brain fog or losing track of where you were going with that thought, try taking a few deep breaths, intentionally.  Stop everything for a moment to do some really deep breathing, expand the lungs and wake your brain up!  See how many deep breaths you can take before you start thinking about what’s for dinner. Here’s a sample breathing exercise.

Straw Breathing

Regular intentional breathing with a straw helps your body regain its natural balance, reduce your reaction to stress and help reduce feelings of anxiety.  Breathing through a straw forces your body to use your diaphragm to give your lungs the power they need for deep breathing, which increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and promotes a state of calmness. 

1. Inhale normally and naturally.
2. Exhale fully through a plastic drinking straw – make           sure you have exhaled all of the air out of your lungs.
3. Inhale normally (not through the straw).
4. Exhale fully out of the straw.
5. Repeat this breathing exercise for five minutes.

4. Make Technology Work for You

Currently, there is early research into the use of technology to stimulate our neurotransmitters to help maintain focus.  Humans have billions of neurotransmitter molecules at work to constantly keep our brains functioning, managing everything from our breathing to our heartbeat to our learning and concentration levels. Can technology help our neurotransmitters work better? Here are a couple of apps that are testing this theory out:

• Calm App has mode for sleep, reducing anxiety and stress, meditation.
• Brain FM has a mode for concentration, focus and sleep.

5. Find A Task Manager

Using a ‘task manager’ is a great way to stay on track, even after getting distracted.  A task manager allows you to keep track of all your projects and ‘to-do’ items on something outside your own brain.  It gives you the ability to get right back on track after a distraction or interruption. Note there are two types of task managers – the old school way and the new school way.  

• Old-school task manager – pen and paper.
  • First thing each morning, take out your pen and write down three things you want to get done today.  If you get distracted, write down what you were just doing, then get up and go take that walk around the office.  Come back, look at your list and pick up where you left off.
• New-school task manager –digital.
  • Using an online task manager like Todoist or OmniFocus (to name just a few options) gives your tasks a storage facility and gives your brain the peace of mind it needs to focus on the task at hand.

We all lose our focus at times, but there are ways to get it back. Next time you find yourself staring off into space, glance over this list and give one (or all) of these a try.

Kathy Espinoza

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