How To Increase Your Attention Span

(A threadhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread">)

Focus is a lost art. Some of you have already lost focus reading this thread, most won’t even complete it.

In 2013, the average focused attention span of a human was 8 seconds - compared to 9 seconds for a goldfish https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐠" title="Tropischer Fisch" aria-label="Emoji: Tropischer Fisch">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤯" title="Explodierender Kopf" aria-label="Emoji: Explodierender Kopf">

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Your attention span is the amount of time you can concentrate on a task without getting distracted.

According to David Coleman, distractions come in two main kinds:

1. sensory distractions (things happening around you).

2. emotional distractions (your inner dialogue).

Attention, like willpower, are mental muscles that can be exercised and strengthened - so here’s your workout routine;

- Exercise https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤸‍♂️" title="Man cartwheeling" aria-label="Emoji: Man cartwheeling">
- Medidate https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧘‍♀️" title="Frau im Lotossitz" aria-label="Emoji: Frau im Lotossitz">
- Stay hydratedhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💧" title="Tröpfchen" aria-label="Emoji: Tröpfchen">
- Quit multi tasking https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👨‍💻" title="Man technologist" aria-label="Emoji: Man technologist">
- Get enough sleep https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😴" title="Schlafendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Schlafendes Gesicht">
- Reduce interference https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤳" title="Selfie" aria-label="Emoji: Selfie">
- Listen to classical music https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎼" title="Partitur" aria-label="Emoji: Partitur">

Exercise https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤸‍♂️" title="Man cartwheeling" aria-label="Emoji: Man cartwheeling">:

Physical activity can help improve your attention and focus, as it releases chemicals in the brain that affect learning and memory.

Exercise provides a short-term boost to your cognitive performance.

strengthen your body https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💪🏿" title="Angespannter Bizeps (dunkler Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Angespannter Bizeps (dunkler Hautton)"> and you strengthen your brain https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧠" title="Gehirn" aria-label="Emoji: Gehirn">.

Medidatehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧘‍♂️" title="Mann im Lotossitz" aria-label="Emoji: Mann im Lotossitz">

It’s scientifically proven that meditation techniques improve cognitive control, attentiveness, speed of processing, and working memory capacity.

Just focus on your breath, and when your mind wanders, simply return your attention to your breath - anywhere, anytime.

Stay Hydratedhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💧" title="Tröpfchen" aria-label="Emoji: Tröpfchen">

Being dehydrated is bad for your attention span. In fact, a 2% drop in dehydration isn’t enough to trigger thirst, but can negatively impact your ability to concentrate.

If you need to focus for a while, have enough water on standby.

Quit Multitasking https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✋" title="Erhobene Hand" aria-label="Emoji: Erhobene Hand">

Multitasking is the enemy of focus.

Research shows that we are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously.

Take a singular objective, and let that be your sole focus until completion.

Get Enough Sleep https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🛏" title="Bett" aria-label="Emoji: Bett">

Sleeping only a few hours a night over a long period of time impairs memory, alertness and executive functions.

Sleep feeds creativity, innovative thinking and problem solving abilities.

Aim to get a minimum of 7 hours sound sleep daily, works wonders.

Reduce Interference https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎧" title="Kopfhörer" aria-label="Emoji: Kopfhörer">

The best way to change your habit is to make your environment as boring as possible when trying to focus.

Keep distractions far away. Turn off notifications.

Free yourself from F.O.M.O (fear of missing out).

Listen To Classical Music https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎶" title="Mehrere Musiknoten" aria-label="Emoji: Mehrere Musiknoten">

Listening to short symphonies engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions, and updating the event in memory.

Roll out some Beethoven when you need to activate that “flow state”.

The ability to focus attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one’s goals.

FOCUS IS THE NEW IQ.

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