How can you really concentrate on your work for a long time? If you're looking for a clear answer to this question, you've come to the right place. A high level of concentration is crucial for maximum productivity and performance. I work a lot at my desk and notice that I lose focus from time to time. Do you know this too?
In order to keep my concentration high at the office or when working from home, I have researched intensively and worked out effective measures and tips. They now help me to work productively, purposefully and persistently.
In this article, I would therefore like to give you my most valuable tips for real work focus. Use them to stay alert and focused even on long days at the office. Let's go!
1. start the working day rested and fit
A working day with full concentration begins with the correct preparation! But I have a relatively Clear morning routinewhich is repeated daily and which I only adjust slightly if necessary.
Which in my opinion most important factors for the focus are the following:
- Sleep rhythm: Make sure that you have a healthy restful sleep have. Tiredness is the absolute concentration killer.
- Showers: The best way to start the morning after getting up is with a cold shower. Then the first challenge has been mastered and your circulation stimulated.
- Breakfast: Treat yourself to a healthy breakfast (e.g. muesli with fresh fruit) to give your body the energy it needs for the day. You can then eat this at least until your lunch break.
- Motion: Whether on foot, by bike or with a short walk after the train or bus journey - use the Way to work for exercise! This gets your circulation going and ensures that you are awake and ready for the tasks of the day.
2. get an ergonomic office chair
If, like me, you spend several hours a day in front of your PC Ergonomics in the office the key to more focus. Your workplace should Adapted to your body and support your posture to prevent potential neck and back pain and improve your posture. increase general concentration.
So be sure to invest in a high-quality and durable office chair - and buy it in a professional Office chair storeso that it fits your individual requirements perfectly. For me, a height adjustable desk important so that I'm not sitting all day.
Tip: You can find even more information in the separate article about Occupational health.
3. do not get distracted by irrelevant things
Over the course of time, an unmistakable The danger of social media (e.g. TikTok, Instagram and Facebook) is that our Attention span massively impaired becomes. Unfortunately, this inevitably has an impact on work concentration. One Study from Great Britain has shown that employees today, on average not even productive for 3 hours work.
So it's really important that you have a Distraction-free working atmosphere as a basis for full focus.
Here are a few valuable tips to this:
- Keep order (e.g. use drawers, cupboards, file folders and storage compartments)
- Listen to maximum instrumental background music (e.g. Ludovico Einaudi or BrainFM)
- Use a timer on the PC (for clear focus times)
- Switch your smartphone to silent and put it away
- Block websites you like to visit in your private life (for self-control)
- Avoid multitasking (e.g. work in only one window)
- Ensure a quiet working environment (with earplugs or headphones if necessary)
Tip: People who work from home find it even more difficult to separate their private and professional lives. How a Good home office organization for productive and concentrated work, I show you in detail in the linked article.
4. set priorities
The day brings with it many tasks. Sometimes so many that concentration suffers due to the lack of overview. Clear priorities give each day a reassuring structure (e.g. in the form of a To-do list to tick off) and you can complete one task at a time.
So consciously manage your time. Start directly with the most difficult thingsas your concentration is highest in the morning and you have already mastered the biggest challenges of the day.
5. take regular breaks from work
You can enjoy your job as much as you like - but to maintain concentration at all timeswe humans need breaks. Breaks in which our buzzing heads, tense necks and stressed eyes can recover.
In this respect, the Work in intervals according to the so-called Pomodoro method very well. You work for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break and then continue with the next 25 minutes. This effectively reduces your mental fatigue and gives you new energy for the next efficient task.
A set timer will help you to actually keep to these times and turn the project into a lasting habit to make.
6. drink enough water during work
Your hydration has a big Influence on your mental performance - and therefore also on your ability to stay focused for as long as possible.
In order to Balance the fluid balance, you should Drink between 2 and 3 liters of water every day. To make sure I don't forget this because of all the work, I always put a large, filled carafe or drinking bottle on my desk, which I refill during my lunch break for the afternoon. My rule: at the end of the day, "the bottle must be empty." 😉
7. pay attention to healthy eating at the workplace
Your food determines how long you can concentrate at work. You should avoid hearty, fatty meals both in the morning and during your lunch break. They make you tired and unfocused as your body burns energy to process them.
Instead, prefer light meals and rich foods that promote concentration. Wholemeal products, apples and bananas, broccoli, peppers or mushrooms for example. In addition to fruit and vegetables, nuts (e.g. trail mix) are particularly suitable as a concentration-boosting brain food and snack between meals.
Here are a few Recipe ideas for disheswhich are not so heavy on the stomach and are also easy to carry in a lunchbox:
Tip: I also like to make myself a vegan meal prepso that I can really relax during my lunch break and don't have to cook. You can find some inspiration in the linked post.
8. ensure regular exercise and fresh air
Physical activity and Sport in general promotes concentration! Both before work and during your breaks, you can already start with short walks or easy gymnastic exercises improve your circulation, reduce your stress and ultimately increase your concentration at work.
Oxygen is a powerful substance! So it's best to get moving straight away outside in the fresh air. Because environmentally harmful air conditioning systems and occasionally shock-ventilated offices are no substitute for fresh air!
As I have relatively little movement in my home office, swim For example, I usually go for a swim in the nearby lake in the morning and go for a walk during my lunch break. take our dog for a walk. In the end, I managed to get plenty of exercise before the end of the working day and despite the office routine.
9. use stress management techniques
Whether it is created directly at work or whether you take it from home to work: Stress means the end of all concentration. Especially if it is of a chronic nature.
So consciously ensure that your Reduce stress levels. Find a sporting balancewhere you can really work out or relax mentally - soccer, boxing, fitness, yoga, meditation or breathing exercises, for example!
But also actively address stressful things in order to Eliminate the cause in a targeted manner. This is the only way to ensure that the stress factors disappear in the long term.
10. finish work on time
It is important at some point to To set the final point and the proverbial "drop the pen". After all, nobody can work for 8-10 hours at a time with concentration. Your overtime may be well-intentioned, but you are definitely not really efficient during this time.
So stick clearly to your working hours so that you can also get going again the next day with joy and high concentration can. You can also reward yourself with an after-work lemonade or an after-work beer if you have achieved your work goals for the day.
More concentration at work, made easy!
Distraction is good! However, if it doesn't help us concentrate on our work and still becomes the norm, we need to take targeted action. Measures for greater focus initiate.
Fortunately, you have learned about many of them today. From an ergonomic workstation and a distraction-free working environment to regular breaks and a conscious end to work.
"Concentrate all your thoughts on the work at hand. The sun's rays only burn when they are focused."
Alexander Graham Bell (more at Diligence Quotes)
I hope that the advice in this article will help you to become more focused and therefore also work more productively. Do you have any questions, suggestions or further ideas? Then feel free to share them with me in the comments.
Stay focused,
PS: A mindful lifestyle is also, in my opinion, an important key to maintaining a high level of concentration at work - and also in your private life. So, next, check out the linked article for a few more tips!
