10 Focus Exercises for Improving Concentration Skills

Imagine that you are living inside a video game, where everything is coming at you at once. Every sight, sound, and sensation is a distraction. For a child with ADHD, getting through a typical day is something like that. And it explains a great deal about how they experience the world.

If you’re a parent of a child with ADD or ADHD, this most likely sounds all too familiar. Over the years, you’ve probably struggled through homework sessions with your child and tried (and failed) to get them to complete certain tasks like cleaning their room or finishing yard work. And on more than one occasion, you’ve probably felt completely drained by their high energy and seeming inability to focus.

For years it was thought that each of us was born with a generous supply of brain cells but that we were unable to produce additional cells or make changes in how they function. Fairly recently, neuroscientists discovered the presence of something called neuroplasticity, which enables the brain to actually grow additional cells or modify the function of existing cells.

Think of it this way: when you want to build up your muscles, what do you do? You do strength and endurance training. Brain exercises basically work on the same principle. They’re a way of helping your child build up focus and endurance in order to strengthen their ability to concentrate, process, and manage their emotions.

Here are a few simple exercises to get you started. While doing these exercises together, be sure to provide reinforcement in the form of praise and encouragement. Keep a record of progress (usually, this will include how fast your child can complete a task or how long they can continue a task).

• Make notes or a to-do list. …
• Meditate for five minutes. …
• Read a long book. …
• Exercise your body. …
• Practice active listening. …
• Try a counting game. …
• Memorize patterns. …
• Complete a crossword puzzle.

#1 Exercise To Increase Your Focus Naturally

Why are focus exercises important?

Job supervisors and classroom instructors often assign tasks with multiple steps, which can require a lot of focus. For instance, you may need to prepare a research bibliography and outline before you can start a drafting process for an essay. If you can fully concentrate on each step, you can plan the structure of your essay more effectively and may gain a deeper understanding of the material youre researching.

Focus exercises can give you multiple adjacent skills that may help you successfully complete a task. These include prioritizing between multiple tasks, problem-solving and decision-making. Focus exercises can also help you prevent distractions, including thoughts about future tasks and outside situations.

What are focus exercises?

Focus exercises are activities you can do to improve your ability to concentrate. Some focus exercises concentrate on learning to optimize your time spent completing a task, while others can help you recall useful and important information. Like building muscle strength, learning how to focus takes energy, so practicing focus exercises can help your brain develop more stamina and think with more clarity.

Benefits of focus exercises

Consider these benefits to learning a focus exercise:

10 focus exercises

Here are 10 focus exercises you can do to improve your concentration abilities in the workplace and at home:

1. Make notes or a to-do list

Recording any activities you think about while performing a task can help you put them aside until you can complete them. For instance, you may receive an email notification about a situation that involves a task other than the one youre already doing. Writing a reminder about the email lets you store the memory in an external location, which may give you more energy and stamina to concentrate on the current task.

2. Meditate for five minutes

Meditation is a bodily practice that can help you learn how to focus your attention and remain calm. Meditation techniques often involve regulating your breath and observing your thoughts. To meditate, try sitting down in a quiet location. Set a timer for five minutes and observe your breathing. This practice can help you regulate your emotional responses and better understand how you think, which can help you learn how to concentrate on a task.

3. Read a long book

Books with a high word count require a lot of sustained focus for long periods of time. Consider recalling the plot and character attributes after finishing each chapter. Using your knowledge of the story, decide the best way it could continue. Write those plot points down and assess your decisions. Engaging with a story can be an exciting way to increase your concentration, learn how to process complex information and decide whether that information is helpful or relevant.

4. Exercise your body

Strength training and other forms of exercise can help you develop discipline and feel more energized. These attributes can help you sustain focus, particularly during a high-concentration event or job interview. Try dedicating 15 or 30 minutes a day to a physical activity you enjoy doing. This can be a walk around a certain location or perhaps dancing to a favorite song.

5. Practice active listening

Active listening is a skill where you focus on the contents of the conversation to offer meaningful responses. To practice active listening, try pausing after your conversation partner speaks to comprehend their words and think about your response. You can try nodding your head or saying affirming words while theyre talking to encourage yourself to stay present in the conversation.

7. Try a counting game

If you enjoy numbers or mathematics, you may also like a focus exercise based on counting. You can try this exercise anywhere, so it can be a helpful option if you have a busy schedule. Try counting backward in your mind from 100 to 1. Then, try it again but skip every three numbers. Once you can accomplish this more smoothly than before, try skipping every five numbers. Another option you can try is counting the number of words in a book or article and trying to recall that number later on.

8. Memorize patterns

This game uses direct memory recall to train your focusing abilities. Try putting objects into a row on a flat surface. Then cover them with a blanket or sheet of paper so you cant see the objects anymore. Try to recall what objects were in the row and in what order they appeared. You can then write the objects down in a list or draw them. Keep track of how much time you spend remembering the objects and record your accuracy. To increase the difficulty, add more objects to the original row.

9. Complete a crossword puzzle

Crossword puzzles are word-based puzzle games that involve a grid of blank squares in vertical and horizontal formations. Your goal is to match a set of clues to specific words that fit each letter perfectly into the squares. If you enjoy riddles and learning unfamiliar words, you may enjoy a crossword puzzle. You can often find crossword puzzles in newspapers or on the internet, or you can buy a book of crossword puzzles at a bookstore. Try completing a puzzle once a week and track whether the time you spend decreases.

10. Visualize an object

This is the practice of examining an object and recalling it in your mind later on. If you enjoy painting or another artistic craft, you may enjoy this technique. Pick up a piece of fruit and examine all its available details. Move it around in your hands to examine its shape and observe how it smells. After you memorize the image, take a bite to memorize the taste. A few days later, try to visualize all the aspects of the fruit you mentally recorded.

FAQ

What is a focus exercise?

How can I train my mind to focus?

1. Train your brain. Playing certain types of games can help you get better at concentrating. …
2. Get your game on. Brain games may not be the only type of game that can help improve concentration. …
3. Improve sleep. …
4. Make time for exercise. …
5. Spend time in nature. …
6. Give meditation a try. …
7. Take a break. …
8. Listen to music.

How can I sharpen my focus?

1. Play memory games. …
2. Exercise! …
3. Find natural energy boosters. …
4. Take time to unwind. …
5. Turn on uplifting music. …
6. Take breaks. …
7. Use essential oils. …
8. Practice focusing for long periods.