10 Exercises And Tips To Improve Your Concentration At Work

The ability to concentrate, first and foremost, requires attention. “Paying attention” relies on physical, mental, and emotional faculties to focus on an idea, an image, or to concentrate on a subject or an action.

Since our youth, we have been accustomed to demanding our concentration. This is the very principle of school, where we learn lessons and can answer an assignment correctly.

Concentration is also a skill linked to memory, since it allows for better memorization. This is what is called “the ability to be fully present with oneself”: this is partly why the ability to concentrate is one of the most difficult skills to maintain in the long term. Indeed, with age, we observe a natural decline in memory (which can be accelerated by certain neurodegenerative pathologies), which de facto impacts the ability to concentrate.

But even though this skill is difficult to maintain in the long term, it is extremely valuable in the professional world in order to be efficient.

The major problem in the world of work is that many distractions divert our attention and thus do not create an atmosphere conducive to concentration, whether we are on site or working remotely. Many factors cause distraction and, therefore, inattention:

• Emails: When we’re working and receive an email, we’re interrupted from our task. Our attention then shifts, leading to distraction. The more distracted we are, the more likely we are to lose focus.
• Interruptions: Just like emails, interruptions can make it difficult to maintain concentration. Our brain tends to focus on what’s around it. The more interruptions there are (television, someone talking to us, radio, roadworks, etc.), the less easy it is to concentrate.
• Open-plan offices: In many companies, open-plan offices have replaced individual offices. The problem is that not everyone can work in these large spaces, where a large number of individuals interact and move around. Many people tend to have concentration problems there.
• Our intrusive thoughts: Sometimes, for example, when we encounter personal problems, intrusive thoughts can arise and divert our attention.

In our daily lives, many factors naturally distract us and our ability to concentrate.  

Fortunately, it is entirely possible to put in place exercises and habits to concentrate effectively.

Concentration can be trained, just like muscles or memory. It’s essential if you don’t want to lose your cognitive abilities and focus over time. The less you train them, the faster you risk losing them in the long run.

In addition, improving your mental focus allows you to be more productive, waste less time, and work more efficiently. In case of difficulties (such as sleep disorders, depression, overwhelming fatigue, etc.), you can seek the advice and guidance of a health professional by opting for teleconsultation.

Before looking at the exercises that can help develop mental focus, we will discover some tips to develop attention and facilitate concentration.

1. List your priorities

When you arrive at the office or plan to work from home, the first thing you should do to ensure your productivity during the day is to define a schedule of goals and objectives to achieve. This is a to-do list with varying priorities to keep it organized.

Making a list allows you to visualize your priorities, “clear” your brain, and focus on tasks one by one, instead of doing several things at once and getting distracted. No one is a multitasker. Plus, seeing that you have completed one or more tasks is satisfying, rewarding, and motivating.

2. Tidy up your work area

Your workspace often reflects your mental state. Before you start work, it’s essential to have a tidy and optimized desk for a productive day. Place the bare minimum on your desk to focus on a task.

Additionally, having a tidy workspace helps with focus and motivation. Why not take a few minutes each morning to organize your desk (and your mind)?

3. Free your mind

Sometimes, we can have intrusive thoughts that prevent us from concentrating (too many tasks to complete at once, reminders to remember, etc.). This is completely normal and natural, but it can be a real obstacle to concentration.

One trick to free yourself from these thoughts is to write them down on paper (the famous Post-it note technique), as if to get them out of your head. Once these tasks/reminders are written down, you won’t forget them (a feeling of relief), and you’ll be able to focus on your work with more peace of mind.

Freeing your mind also means forcing yourself to cut out distractions. This may seem difficult, but it is within everyone’s reach:

• Forget the phone (or at least put it in another room on silent),
• Disable/mute your social media notifications

• Avoid videos, endless scrolling, etc.

The ideal is to concentrate in silence, or with background music (certain playlists designed for what is sometimes called “deep focus” are available on Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube).

4. Take breaks

Since concentrating requires physical and mental resources, it’s not healthy to stay at your desk all day without a break. In addition to the physical problems this can cause (musculoskeletal disorders, vision problems, etc.), you risk never being fully focused.

It’s therefore necessary to take breaks to recharge and conserve cognitive resources. You need to break the rhythm to come back more productive. This is the principle of “taking a step back to jump forward.”

5. Sleep well every day

Finally, the last tip, which may seem trivial, is to sleep well. When we sleep poorly and have sleep disorders, the body is not rested, and the entire immune system is not regenerated. The body cannot, therefore, function optimally and normally.

Lack of sleep also leads to greater difficulty concentrating and using memory, as well as a well-known irritability. Going to bed early and maintaining a regular sleep schedule is, therefore, one of the first keys to improving your concentration effortlessly.

Developing good habits is a good way to be more attentive in your daily life, but it’s not enough to improve your cognitive abilities in the long term. For a deep and lasting improvement, it’s essential to practice some exercises aimed at improving your concentration.

2 exercises to stimulate your memory and senses

These exercises help promote calm and concentration through visualization, in order to be more focused.

Exercise 1: Focus your attention on an object

In this first exercise, you must focus your attention on the object of your choice. Take the time to observe it in every detail and close your eyes. Open your eyes and refocus on all the small details of this object, as if you had to describe it to someone.

Exercise 2: The 5 senses to stimulate your neurons

The second exercise is simple: it involves focusing on your five senses, one by one. Learn to analyze each sensation that seems interesting to you:

• Touch: your soft armchair or chair, your smooth desk, the cold keys of your computer, your lukewarm cup of coffee, your soft sweater… Take the time to appreciate these different textures
• Smell: Take a deep, calm breath and try to detect the few scents of the place you are in.
• Sight: We rarely take the time to carefully observe the environments we’re familiar with. Observe the details around you: the small paint defect on the wall, the plant, the view from your desk…
• Hearing: What exactly do you hear? At low frequencies, you might hear computer servers humming, the voices of your colleagues talking in the distance, the coffee machine brewing a drink, the wind blowing outside…

• Taste: What flavors are in your mouth at this precise moment? Your morning mint tea? Your macchiato?

3 exercises to promote attention and memorization

Here are some sophrology exercises that help you find peace, focus your attention, and foster brain connections. It may be helpful to practice them before stressful moments (for example, before an important meeting you’re attending).

Exercise 1: Breathing and concentration

Begin by raising your right arm horizontally in front of you. Your hand is closed, but your thumb should be in the air. Then, inhale through your nose. Hold your breath. While holding your breath, bring your thumb toward your forehead and fix it.

Close your eyes and, when your thumb finally reaches your forehead, you can exhale slowly through your mouth. At the same time, release your arm along your side.

Be gentle in all these movements.

Exercise 2: “The 8” to help with concentration

In this second exercise, you will need to fix your thumb in the air, with your hand closed (same start as the previous exercise). Make a lying figure eight with your thumb (like the infinity sign ∞). Follow this movement with your eyes and repeat it three times. It is important to stay focused on the thumb during the movements. Once finished, join your hands with your fingertips, close your eyes, and breathe intensely with deep inhalations/exhalations.

Exercise 3: The spiral to increase your average concentration time

First, draw a spiral on a sheet of paper (ideally A4 – the standard size of a sheet of paper – or A5 – the size of a flyer). Once drawn, gently trace the outline with your finger. Do this slowly, in one direction, then the other.

Close your eyes and, using your finger, draw an imaginary spiral in the air or on a wall. While doing this, be sure to breathe slowly and deeply.