To focus the attention on one single thing you are doing is very difficult and does not always work! The greater the stress or pressure are, and the more things have to be done at the same time or still want to be crossed off on the To Do list, the less you manage to direct your attention to the essentials! It is so important to concentrate and focus in everyday life, but especially in the job, to be able to work efficiently and quickly.

Luckily, research has found out what techniques and methods one can use to extend the attention span as far as possible and use this focus efficiently. Using these 3 tips, you should be able to focus when you absolutely need to!

#### 1\. Structure in everyday life

Studies have shown that it works better to concentrate on the essentials at a given moment if you divide your everyday life into small sections. These should have a predictable duration of, for example, 90 minutes, which is then followed by a small break of about 15 minutes. This way you create clarity and structure in your everyday life and in your mind! By being aware of which part of the day you are in, when the next break will be and what will follow, your mind can relax, and you don't have to think about what is still to come and forget anything. If 90 minutes of concentration is too much for you, you can start with 30-60 minutes.

#### 2\. Mindfulness and Meditation

Research has found that just 10-20 minutes of meditation a day helps to sharpen focus and widen the attention span. Those who meditate regularly and allow themselves mindfulness breaks manage to continue with work fresher and more focused afterwards.

#### 3\. Movement

Movement not only does the body good! The mind also benefits enormously from daily movement and thus manages to be more centered, attentive and awake. A small sport unit or a walk as a small time-out of a focused activity helps to reduce the unnecessary ballast in the mind as well as stress. If you go back to work afterwards, it will be easier to concentrate, to focus and you will also not perceive disturbances from the external environment as much.

**Citation**
- Mackay: Science Says These 7 Attention Exercises Will Instantly Make You More FocusedIn just a few minutes a day, you can rebuild your declining attention span. _In: Inc._ (Abgerufen am 26.04.22). [https://www.inc.com/jory-mackay/sciences-says-these-7-attention-exercises-will-make-you-more-focused-right-now.html](https://www.inc.com/jory-mackay/sciences-says-these-7-attention-exercises-will-make-you-more-focused-right-now.html).

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Stay focused! - Auf diese Weise kann man seinen Focus sofort verbessern!

Stay focused! - This is how you can immediately improve your focus!

Sitting in front of your work, reading a book or doing a puzzle, you suddenly forget everything around you, time, environment, sounds and movements. This ultimate state of concentration and creativity is also called flow and is highly desired and yet so difficult to achieve. How exactly do you manage to put yourself in a flow state to maximize your productivity?

In a flow state, it seems as if everything you are doing at the moment comes easily. A tunnel vision, maximum concentration, a state that is hard to grasp, which comes about all by itself. This state takes its name from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a scientist who devotes himself to positive psychology. Although he is not the eponym of the flow, he has investigated the coveted state in a large study and found out which important key factors are significantly responsible for the achievement of the state. These are eight key requirements:

## 1\. Clearly stated goals: 

Those who set clear goals can focus precisely on them while working, without spending minutes still looking for the actual task.

## 2\. Focus and concentration on one task:

One thing at a time! This motto promotes the flow state.

## 3\. Clearly recognize and balance abilities and requirements:

Those who know what they can do and what the task requires in terms of demands approach the task with a clearer awareness from the outset.

## 4\. Sense of control over one's own abilities and task:

Those who know their value as well as their abilities can approach the task in a controlled manner.

## 5\. Switch off reflective ego-consciousness:

This sounds difficult at first and in fact it is not that easy. You constantly reflect on yourself, which prevents you from focusing completely on what you are doing. If you switch this off for the duration of the work phase, it is easier to get into the flow.

## 6\. Changed perception of time:

Watching the clock and keeping track of time hinders creativity and the flow state. Instead, let yourself drift.

## 7\. Deepen action and awareness:

Living fully in the here and now is not only healthy for the mind, but also promotes maximum concentration. Simply feeling into yourself and being aware of what you are doing helps to achieve the flow state.

## 8\. Autotelic Experience:

This means that it is not the result that counts in the end, but already doing and experiencing the current stage is very satisfying and rewarding. The flow state in itself has a positive effect.

**Citation**
- Martins (6. Mai 2021). Was ist der Flow State bei der Arbeit? 6 Tipps für den richtigen Flow. (Abgerufen am 02.04.22). [https://asana.com/de/resources/flow-state-work](https://asana.com/de/resources/flow-state-work).
- Arleth (20.01.2022). Es läuft! Wie kommt man in den Flow? (Abgerufen am 02.04.22). [https://www.zeitjung.de/flow-konzentration-uni-arbeit-produktivitaet-tipps/](https://www.zeitjung.de/flow-konzentration-uni-arbeit-produktivitaet-tipps/).

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