Achieve more with better focus
Evolve helps you improve your focus…
jump to: how evolve helps | the science | blogs and articles
jump to: how evolve helps | the science | blogs and articles
Improve focus with
Improve your productivity
With better focus, comes better productivity. With our guided audios, you can sharpen your mind and achieve more everyday.
Prime your mind for success
With our app, you can condition your mind and body to be the best version of yourself before an important event, be it at work, an exam or a job interview.
Clear your distraction and blockages
Distractions are common. With Evolve, learn the skill of responding better to distraction, setting thoughts and processing one thought at a time for better concentration.
The science of focus and concentration
The need for focus and concentration
Modern studies prove that increasing concentration power can help you increase productivity and attention span. This leads to better performance & improved brain development. However, focus and concentration can be difficult to grasp and master. In the fast paced world with constant and countless distractions, finding proper focus is difficult.
But before you can improve focus and concentration, it’s important to understand the meaning of focus and concentration.
What is focus and concentration?
What is focus, really? Focus is the act of concentrating your attention or energy on something.
In simpler terms, focus is when you decide to do something specific and nothing else. It’s like picking one item from a menu over all the others. When you make a decision to focus on your studies or work, you are choosing to ignore everything else and putall your attention and energy into it.
Focus and concentration require you to stay in the present moment and be mindful of what’s going on. If you are paying attention to the words on your screen right now, you will be able to process and understand because you are focused.
When it comes to the human body, the brain is key for focus. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for knowledge, learning and decision making. This regulates your focus and concentration levels everyday! When you’re engaging in an activity, your brain is sent a signal to process that activity and recognise it as the one you need to pay attention to right now. There are certain hacks that help your brain sharpen focus and concentration, including meditation for focus, brain foods, certain games and getting plenty of sleep every night!
Why are you unable to focus?
Sometimes, your mind gets overwhelmed by thoughts or easily distracted in the surroundings. Focus and concentration on the task at hand drops, you get fidgety and restless. As a result, you start checking your phone, mindlessly switching from app to another.
Sometimes, the environment around you may be distracting as well. Maybe your co-worker is playing loud music or if you’re working from home, the doorbell rings and your focus breaks. In anticipation of an important event or meeting, you may feel flustered or overwhelmed, unable to stay balanced or put your best foot forward. As a result, your focus levels may drop drastically in the moment. This is why focus is a skill that needs polishing at all times, no matter what.
Evolve understands that you may have many internal distractions such as stress, tiredness or lack of sleep that affect your concentration. Moreover, external distractions such as your environment or cell phones also contribute to a lack of focus.
Even trying to do too many things at once can affect your focus and concentration.
Multitasking and focus
Another major reason you’re unable to focus is decision-making, not distractions. Yes, distractions, both internal and external ones make a difference to your focus levels, but decision-making is key as well.
When you have a few tasks in front of you that you need to finish, you may decide to multi-task rather than prioritise. That decision is instrumental in the drop of focus and concentration you may later experience. You convince yourself that multitasking will get more work done, but in truth it is ineffective.
Focusing and concentrating on two tasks at once is nearly impossible. You cannot be cooking and completing your report at the same time. You’re bound to either overcook the pasta or make a calculation error in your excel sheet. In fact, studies show that multitasking can drop your productivity by 40%. This is because it directly affects your focus and concentration.
This is why Evolve’s guided audios help you improve focus and concentration in minutes. They are bite-sized guided audios that help you overcome distractions, focus in the moment and prime your mind for success. Moreover, they are contextualised to your day, so if you need to prepare for a meeting or interview, need a break after a long stretch of work or just want to settle your mind when you have too many thoughts, you can find it on Evolve!
How to increase concentration and focus?
The simplest way to increase concentration and focus is to prepare a distraction free environment for yourself.
If you want to focus and increase concentration power, create proper boundaries and a distraction free environment. When you are starting a work session, lock your door and put your phone away. Studies suggest that it takes a person 23 minutes on an average to refocus after one responds or checks an email/text. Hence, a distraction free environment is key.
Moreover, proper sleep and concentration meditation help you increase concentration and focus, but more on the below.
How to increase focus and memory?
Your focus and memory skills are tied to brain activity. The more you treat your brain right, the better it is for your memory. However there are a couple of simple ways you can hack your focus and memory skills!
Sleep well every night
The simplest way is to get good quality sleep every night. Sleep is extremely important as it helps consolidate and recall memories during the various stages of sleep. Moreover, getting good sleep every night helps recharge your brain, so you wake refreshed rather than groggy. As a result, you have better concentration on the tasks during the day. Try incorporating a sleep routine or try meditation for sleep every night to get plenty of sleep, so you can increase your concentration and memory skills!
Meditation
Meditation is another important practice you need to follow to improve your focus and concentration. Concentration meditation is a simple and effective way to improve concentration and memory while boosting overall focus levels. In fact, Evolve’s guided meditation audios are less than 5 minutes long but allow you to refocus, set aside distractions and achieve more with better concentration for hours!
How does Evolve’s concentration meditation help focus and concentration
It’s normal to get distracted while working or completing a particular task. In fact, if you don’t get distracted easily, you are the exception! Focus and concentration levels drop for everyone from time to time during the day. With work from home, social media and so many distractions around you, it’s only natural! At such a time, it’s important to have high concentration levels to boost productivity. This is where concentration meditation can help you improve focus and concentration!
Concentration meditation can be practiced anytime, anywhere. So how does Evolve’s joyful audios help your focus and concentration?
- Improved attention span
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Improve memory
Improve attention span
When you meditate, you train your mind to focus on a particular objective for a decided period of time. It could be your breath or an object like a balloon. By focusing and paying attention to it while you meditate, your attention stays in one place. The more you meditate, the more your attention span improves. An improved attention span is critical for focus, concentration and to work well under pressure. Concentration meditation will help.
Reduce stress and anxiety
Often, you’re unable to focus on work because you feel stressed or anxious. Fear, tension and anxious thoughts are key obstacles for focus and concentration. Your thoughts and experiences take up space in your mind and are an unnecessary burden. With Evolve’s guided meditations, you are able to reduce anxiety and stress, becoming mentally calmer. As a result, you have a stable state of mind. This allows you to focus on your work and improve concentration levels.
Evolve’s audio ‘declutter your mind’ is perfect for when you want to clear your mind and refocus on your work!
Improve memory
One of the key benefits of concentration meditation is excellent memory and recall. When you practice concentration memory, the cerebral cortex of your brain blooms. It deals with mental functions such as knowledge, memory and concentration. With regular meditation, you sleep well and get enough deep sleep, which helps consolidate memories as well! Moreover, you become more mindful when meditating, allowing for better recall and memory.
Concentration meditation also improves your efficiency and productivity when you’re working or studying, more on that later!
Evolve’s guided audios help you refocus your mind, improve concentration levels and achieve more with better focus. Moreover, they are bite-sized audios, so you consume them anytime you feel overwhelmed with thoughts or get distracted. They will allow you to focus for the next few hours with ease and its joyful nature will leave you happy and motivated for the task ahead, be it your work or studies!
Concentration and studies?
When studying or preparing for exams, it’s critical to focus and concentrate so that you can extract more from your study time. However, the surge of mobiles have increased distractions and reduced concentration levels significantly. In the current times of Covid, studying at home and attending online classes brings extra stress and unnecessary distractions.
How to focus and concentrate while studying?
- Break it down
- Focus timers
- Regular breaks
- Meditation
Break it down
Breakdown what you’re studying into smaller chunks and manageable sections. One long chapter can be broken down into sub topics or a particular number of pages. When it’s something smaller and less daunting, you can focus on it better and achieve your studying goal. This will help you be more productive, approach studying with a lighter mind and focus better.
Focus timers
You heard it right! Set a timer or alarm on your phone for a duration of your choice. From 25 minutes to 45 minutes, whatever you’re comfortable with. Once the timer begins, focus on studying without distractions for that time period. After that, take a small break and go again. This will help you set aside all distractions and focus on studying with ease. There is a similar productivity technique called Pomodoro Method which ensures better focus and productivity.
Regular breaks
Every so often, take a break and take a walk. The movement will ensure you don’t feel lazy or lethargic and it will help blood flow to the brain, which ensures better focus. Once you’re done with a sizable portion of studying, take a break to relax your mind and recharge. Don’t stimulate your brain by checking social media or talking to a friend, but take a short walk and do nothing.
Evolve’s guided focus audios such as settle your thoughts, pause and recharge and mindful walking are ideal for when you want to take a break, restore mental alertness and renew concentration while studying!
Meditation
While all these are great for everyday focus and concentration, meditation is what can truly help boost your productivity and bring an overall rise in your concentration levels in the long term.
Keeping all the above factors in mind, how can you focus and concentrate on studies and how can concentration meditation help?
Concentration meditation and studying
Concentration meditation can help improve focus as it helps you respond to distractions, clear your mind and settle your thoughts. It can help you relax and give you that little bit extra to keep going and studying better! In case you’re stressed when studying, meditation can help manage stress and improve concentration on studies.
- Regular meditation
- Declutter your mind
- Respond better to distractions
Regular meditation
Regular meditation helps strengthen your brain, improves memory and develops the cerebral cortex. This regulates mental functions such as knowledge, memory and concentration. When you meditate regularly, you give your brain clarity and allow for better blood flow, leading to better memory capacity and focus levels.
Declutter your mind:
Usually, our minds are cluttered with several thoughts and there’s often a lot to process. Concentration meditation helps slow down your thought process so that you can focus on one thought at a time. You take a break from inner distractions and feel calm within the chaos. This allows you to find mental clarity, calm your mind and declutter your mind. This helps you concentrate on studies with ease as you become clear about the chapter you need to do next!
Respond better to distractions
Many times, you stop studying to help a friend with a doubt or because you need to do something at home. Next thing you know, you’re unable to concentrate on studies once you’re on your desk. However, with concentration meditation, you can respond positively to distractions and not let it affect your focus and productivity. Your attention span increases and you stay focused on one thing at a time. Meditation for focus allows you to put them aside and bring your attention to the present.
Meditation allows you to be efficient in your work and your studies. Thanks to Evolve’s guided meditations, you can improve concentration and focus and boost your productivity when studying and working. In case you are stressed or nervous, Evolve helps you balance within minutes. This is how meditation helps you improve focus and achieve more and be efficient while working!
The importance of work efficiency
The need to be efficient and productive at work has always been paramount. Get lots done and get it done quickly is the aim. However, that is easier said than done. Everyday comes with its own set of challenges and distractions that can reduce work efficiency. Those distractions can be internal and external, from your own state of mind to the work environment around you.
There are many ways to increase productivity and work efficiency and that requires a lot of focus. Simple tips and hacks can go a long way in helping you out. However, in today’s times, there is another major challenge that has risen. Work from home. Thanks to COVID-19, work from home is the new norm and that comes with its own set of challenges and distractions. So how do you counter that?
Work from home tips for better focus and productivity
As outlined above, work from home is challenging and knowing how to concentrate at work when home is important. Here are simple work from home tips for better focus and work efficiency!
- Establish a designated workspace
- Desk mindfulness
- Communicate with certainty
Establish a designated workspace
When you work in an office, you have your desk, your area and it’s a space where you’re comfortable and productive. At home, you may struggle to find the spot that’s yours in the initial stage. Once you do find it, stick to it and use it. Tell your family it’s your space and they shouldn’t intrude. Maybe add a few personal touches to it like you would in office. Also, keep in mind that work desks in the office are ergonomically set up. It’s ideal in supporting your back and neck; you should ensure your home office space allows you to maintain a proper posture and is ergonomically efficient! This will keep your creative juices flowing and help you focus and concentrate at work.
Desk mindfulness
This is a simple way to clear your mind and improve focus and concentration when working from home. The best part? You can do it sitting at your desk! It’s a few minutes of mindfulness that can help you pause and recharge.
- Look around your room and notice 5 things you can see,
- 4 objects you can touch,
- 3 sounds you can hear,
- 2 things you can taste and
- 1 thing you can smell
This will help you stay in the present, calm your thoughts and reduce any stress or anxiety. This is a simple way to take a pause during your hectic day, declutter your mind and give yourself a quick boost of energy. This and other methods of concentration meditation can help you improve work focus and concentration levels. Evolve’s guided audio ‘pause and recharge’ can help you take a power break to improve focus when working from home.
Communicate with certainty
A simple work from home tips for when virtual calls and meetings create confusion. Virtual communication has it’s barriers and limitations. There’s less non-verbal cues, there’s often technology disruptions or interruptions during important calls. But here’s how you can overcome these barriers:
- Clarify anything and everything with your coworkers and manager, in order to be on the same page
- Set clear agendas for any calls and virtual meetings
- Show your appreciation and gratitude towards your colleagues more often
In case you are reading this and not working from home, wondering how to concentrate at work, don’t worry. These work from home tips will help you as well. No matter where you are working, you can try and include these tips into your day for better focus and work efficiency!
Productivity techniques and focus at work
You could even try some productivity techniques to work smarter and better everyday. There are a couple of productivity techniques that are easy to implement and incorporate into your workflow, which can help increase focus and concentration tremendously.
1. Pomodoro technique
A simple technique to help you power through work in a short period of time and do more work as well.
- Decide a task you wish to complete
- Set an alarm for 25 minutes. This is referred to as one Pomodoro
- Work on the task for 25 minutes without taking a break or succumbing to distractions
- Take a 5 minute break once you complete one Pomodoro
- Continue to follow the same practice for four Pomodoros
- At the end of four Pomodoros, take a slightly longer break based on your comfort
This way you can achieve more in 25 minutes than you would in 1 hour. In the 5 minute break, do something quick to help you relax and recharge yourself. A glass of water, light stretching or breathing exercises can help you prepare for the next 25 minute cycle.
2. Eisenhower Decision Matrix
The Eisenhower decision matrix is a simple decision making tool. Ithelp you focus your energy on what’s important at that moment. This way, you can concentrate and work on things that require your attention. This can improve work efficiency and ensure that if you’re distracted at work, you come back to work with a clear plan in mind.
Here’s how you do it:
Split and divide your work into the 4 following buckets:
- Urgent and important
- Important but not urgent
- Urgent but not important
- Neither urgent nor important
Once you’ve listed all your tasks down and split them into these 4 categories, you can take the next steps.
- Urgent and important – do them yourself and do it now
- Important but not urgent – schedule it for later on your calendar
- Urgent but not important – delegate to someone else or focus on it later
- Neither urgent nor important – delete it from your schedule entirely
These productivity techniques will help you concentrate on work and improve your work efficiency.
Evolve’s personal growth journey ‘boost your productivity’ helps you find simple ways to boost your productivity and improve focus and concentration as well!
Evolve’s guided audios are based on proven techniques to help you refocus and be more productive everyday! From breathing techniques to visualisation to mindfulness, all of these are used by therapists and are designed to help you achieve more with better focus1
The relationship between food, focus and concentration
Does eating food help you focus? Are there foods that improve memory and concentration? The answer to both questions is YES. The food you eat and your eating habits have a direct impact on your focus and concentration skills. Certain foods contain vitamins and minerals that help improve focus and boost your memory. These foods can strengthen your brain, make you alert and over time, increase attention span and focus levels.
Which brain foods help improve focus and concentration?
- Berries
- Coffee
- Dark chocolate
- Green leafy vegetables
- Everyday nuts
- Eggs
- Grilled chicken and fish
Berries
An excellent concentration food group which includes blueberries, cherries and blackberries. They come with a wealth of benefits, which is why you should definitely include them into your diet! Berries contain antioxidants which stimulate blood flow to the brain and keep the mind fresh. Moreover, blueberries blueberries have been found to be big brain boosters, too. Studies have shown that they improve brain function and memory ability in senior citizens suffering from dementia! Add blueberries and blackberries to your snack list for better focus and concentration.
Coffee
Coffee contains caffeine which is a psychostimulant. This helps you stay mentally alert and improves focus in the short term. The added boost of energy also improves brain function and capacity to process information! As a result, you can stay focused for longer and attack a task with purpose! Caffeine also includes a lot of antioxidants that help blood flow to the brain, making it an all-round star for your concentration.
Try Evolve’s mindful coffee audio and let the caffeine help you channel your energy into something productive today!
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate in small portions can be good for you. It’s low in sugar, high in magnesium and blessed with a variety of antioxidants. This makes it a great concentration food that helps improve focus and memory! In fact, the specific group of antioxidants in dark chocolate are flavonoids. What do they do? They gather in the areas of the brain that control learning and memory. Moreover, magnesium helps you destress and relax as well. This makes dark chocolate a great source of nutrition for focus. Just ensure it’s 60% dark chocolate and you’ll be alright.
Green leafy vegetables
Listen to your mother, eat your greens! Green leafy vegetables such as parsley, mint, spinach and kale have a high presence of antioxidants and carotenoids, which boost your brain power. They are rich in Vitamin B and folic acid and improve memory and concentration levels too. Moreover, these vegetables are so healthy, over time they bring mental clarity as well, putting you in a balanced state of mind.
Everyday nuts
Want a snacking option that will have you raring to go after your break? Eat these nuts. Cashew nuts, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts or whatever you fancy are the ideal snack for you. They are foods rich in antioxidants, unsaturated fats and vitamin E, which help sharpen memory, brain power. Thus, they give you that extra boost of focus and concentration!
Eggs
A classic breakfast option, it’s exactly what you need to set the tone for the day! Super rich in nutrients such as vitamin B6 & B12, it helps your brain health and memory power. Moreover, it also includes folates and choline, which reduce stress and improve mental alertness. In fact, choline is a very important micronutrient which helps synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter which helps regulate mood and boost memory!
Grilled chicken & fish
These grilled meats are a big source of serotonin, which boost your mood and help you feel good. They also contain a lot of protein which helps promote blood flow to the brain. Moreover, fatty fish such as salmon and rawas are great sources of omega-3 fats which are essential to brain development and power. The brain uses this omega-3 to build brain cells and nerve cells, thereby improving your concentration, focus and memory!
Evolve’s bite-sized guided audios on focus help you concentrate better and come back to balance with simple meditation around eating, drinking tea and coffee and even with the power of your thoughts!
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