How to Improve Concentration and Performance
As a writer, do you ever feel lazy? Tired? Distracted? Well, you’re not alone. A lot of writers explore different ways to stay ahead of their lazy-selves. There are common, well known practices to stay focused and improve performance, such as drinking coffee or eating healthy. While different people have their own methods of maintaining success and a routine that works, there are a couple of simple, yet perhaps not quite as obvious tactics for writers who can’t keep still to consider.
Stop Drinking Coffee
At first, you might be thinking, No way, but limiting your intake of coffee does have its benefits. This might seem contradictory to many studies and perhaps your own experiences, but people who are not dependent on caffeine are more likely to perform better overall. According to TalentSmart, the world’s premier provider of emotional intelligence, 90% of individuals who are considered top-tier performers have high emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is responsible for 58% of your work performance, and we all know that the best work can be done when an individual is thinking logically in a calm and focused manner. Caffeine may have you somewhat focused, but calm is definitely questionable.
MISUSAGE OF CAFFEINE
Caffeine tampers with emotional intelligence, trading clear thinking for temporary alertness and energy. While drinking a cup of coffee may temporarily improve concentration and help churn out paragraphs, caffeine withdrawal can undo your hard work. After 15 minutes of alertness, your cognitive performance sinks below your normal performance levels, meaning you have to drink coffee again to return your performance back to normal. This can result in writers to intake large doses of caffeine which raises blood pressure and produces rapid shallow breathing, depriving the brain of oxygen. With a lack of oxygen, the brain has difficulty thinking intelligently and creatively. It’s especially detrimental for writers who regularly pull all-nighters by chugging down cups of coffee in order to get a piece done.
CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL
Like most performance enhancement substances, caffeine comes with a variety of effects from withdrawalincluding:
Headaches
Fatigue
Sleepiness
Difficulty concentrating
All of these symptoms are not ideal for thinking and writing. Also, a need to get more coffee can help justify wasting time or taking frequent breaks. Getting up to make coffee or going to a café are just the distractions you don’t need when trying to improve your concentration and finishing your novel.
Put Away Electronic Devices
These days, it is difficult to part with your handheld devices when most of the world is connected online. Now more than ever, people are attached to their electronic devices, being almost inseparable.
OBSERVING STUDENTS STUDYING
Dr. Larry Rosen, a psychology professor at California State University, conducted a study observing students studying for a 15 minute period. He found that most students started to lose focus just after three minutes and spent only about 65% of the period actually studying. 80% of the students admitted to switching between studying and technology. Dr. Rosen called this behavior “Continuous Partial Attention.” It’s obvious that people with handheld devices or computer screens with social media nearby are more prone to shifting concentration back and forth.
DIVIDED ATTENTION
According to Dr. David Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, in most environments, the brain cannot perform two complex tasks at the same time. Writing already involves thinking and typing. There’s no need to further divide attention by adding another task. You’ll only take longer to complete your sentences.
SOLUTION
Help yourself perform at the most efficient levels possible by hiding your electronic devices and sticking to a certain time of day to write. If the anxiety of checking your phone or surfing the web is too great, take a break for a couple of minutes before going back into writing mode.
Have a Separate Work Station
A huge way of limiting distractions and setting yourself into the writing mindset is by creating distinct play and work stations. If you find yourself in a habit of playing games or browsing Youtube on your computer at a certain desk, find another space to work on writing only. There’s a reason why so many people, self-employed or not, rent out office spaces instead of working at home. Home is where you come back to relax. An office space is where you go to get work done.
LIBRARIES
Of course, there are cheaper locations to establish a work station. Libraries are one of the best and most obvious choices. The quiet environment paired with surrounding hard working visitors makes your local library an ideal writing station. Also, most libraries don’t allow food or drinks (like coffee), and the use of handheld devices is usually discouraged.
With two different stations, your mind can easily shift gears between work and play, improving concentration and writing.
Moderation
Great stories don’t entirely depend on you completely cutting off coffee. In fact, if you’re a regular coffee drinker, then abstaining from coffee initially might do more harm than good. Lower your intake a little day by day until you’re happy with the results.
The same idea should transfer over to your usage of electronic devices and social media. There’s no need to be constantly connected with your phone glued to your hand. Try to start off by checking your usual sites and apps a limited amount of times per day until you can reach a point that won’t distract you from writing.
The key is moderation, and good habits with a distraction free work station can boost your focus. And while these tips may help control your physical limitations, the most important factor to your concentration and performance is your mindset. As a writer, you can only go so far without motivation and self discipline.