One thing at a time: Reclaiming attention with focus hygiene

A pedestrian crossing beeps insistently, clashing with the chatter of an animated group of backpackers. A bike zips by as a bus screeches to a halt, while the engines of impatient cars add to the symphony of discordant noise. Above, a stock ticker flashes updates, while workers rush through revolving doors into office buildings. Phones buzz and ring, and before you realise it, your own phone is in your hand, though you can’t recall why.

Today, more than ever, we face a constant barrage of stimuli competing for our attention. Additionally, the pace at which we must contend with all this information has surged. As noted by psychiatrist Edward Hallowell,  “Never in history has the human brain been asked to track so many data points!”

Attention is precious

However, despite this bombardment of sensory information, our brains can only truly focus on one thing at a time. One thing. One stream of thought, one task, one news article; one email; one friend, parent, son, or daughter. When we realise this, it becomes clear that what we focus on essentially dictates what is important to us.

Yet maintaining focus is often far from simple. We feel fatigued, irritable, or easily distracted and, when this is combined with the one million things that could distract us, it’s understandable why staying concentrated on what truly matters can feel so frustratingly difficult.

Defining attention and focus hygiene

To be able to understand attention—and why and how things might have an influence on it—let’s quickly dive into what attention is and how it works.

Attention can be defined as the ability of the brain to selectively focus on one aspect of the environment while ignoring unnecessary distractions.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is what allows us to decide what to focus on by helping us direct our attention, while simultaneously filtering out those unnecessary distractions. Deeper brain structures work alongside the PFC by helping us to ignore repetitive and non-useful information, while remaining sensitive to other kinds of information (e.g., filtering out the sound of an air conditioning unit while trying to focus on something technical).

There are several simple practices that we can bring into our lives to profoundly influence our ability to focus our attention. By creatively shaping our environment and prioritising emotional and physical wellbeing, we can better control our attention. Much like washing your hands or brushing your teeth, these practices may be integrated into your life as habits to protect your long-term health. Hence the term, focus hygiene.

So, what makes for good focus hygiene?

Creatively shape your environment

Here are our three best tips:

1. Limit distraction. Yes, this sounds common sensical, but it can’t be understated. Distraction is massively detrimental to focus. One study commissioned by Hewlett Packard in the early 2000s showed that workers distracted by frequent email checking and phone calls suffered a fall in IQ so significant, it more than doubled the deficit in IQ seen in frequent marijuana users.
2. Classical conditioning. By way of associative learning, your brain will come to recognise that a certain environment is associated with focus. By consistently working while focused in one environment, you can “pavlov” yourself into being more focused whenever you return to that environment. It’s focus on tap! The brain is so nuanced in its ability to decipher these environments that you can dedicate one side of a room or the end of a table for focus and the other side for relaxation.
3. In the long term, associating an environment with focus is a powerful means to enhance focus. However, in the short term if you find your focus waning, the novelty in changing the environment can prompt your brain to release dopamine. Our brains evolutionarily love novelty, and this change in environment can result in a wave of motivation and a refreshed ability to focus. If changing environment isn’t possible for you, then merely changing the task you’re working on can have a similarly refreshing effect. But beware. Don’t jump around too much, and use this hack only every so often.

Supercharge the environment. These environmental modifications can be supercharged by a phenomenon known as social facilitation, where the presence of other people will enhance the behaviour you’re trying to achieve in that context. For example, if you are in a space associated with focus (like a quiet office, or a library), and you feel as if this is a context in which you’re typically able to maintain focus, your capacity to stay deeply focused will be enhanced merely by the presence of those around you.

Prioritise emotional and physical health

Think about the last time that you got into a flow state. There’s a high chance that alongside feeling intensely focused you were also feeling highly energised. Our capacity to focus is closely tied to our energy levels. Now, how we go about feeling optimally energised is a topic too large for a book to cover, let alone an article. So let’s briefly touch on three key contributors: hydration, nutrition, and sleep.

1. We all know that hydration is incredibly important. But dehydration goes beyond physical health. Being just mildly dehydrated can impair cognitive performance and our ability to focus. How much water should you aim to drink in a day? It varies between individuals based on a number of factors but the average recommendation is 4-6 cups of water a day alongside other sources of fluid and a balanced diet.
2. Your food choices fuel your focus. High-GI foods (glycaemic index refers to how foods affect your blood sugar), like white bread and sugary snacks, can lead to energy surges and crashes and, as a result, poor focus. Instead, prioritize low-GI options, such as wholegrain bread, yoghurt, fruit and vegetables, and protein-rich foods, like fish or chicken, to sustain energy and mental clarity.
3. In terms of your energy levels and focus hygiene, good quality sleep matters. To ensure good quality sleep you should focus on sleep hygiene. That is, a consistent sleep/wake time, a cool dark room, moderate aerobic exercise (ideally more than 3 hours prior to sleep) and limiting caffeine consumption in the 8 hours before sleeping. In addition, aim to avoid alcohol, as just one drink can impair the quality of your sleep. For more about sleep, check out our previous article here.

Exercise. Researchers have become increasingly interested in the benefits of exercise not only on physical health but also on mental health and cognitive functioning. Findings have shown that regular aerobic exercise (moderate or vigorous exercise on at least four days a week) can enhance prefrontal cortex function, leading to improved attention and executive function. Even just one exercise session can boost short-term focus.

Take breaks. These days, it’s all too easy to keep your head down and try to “push through”. But the return on taking a break is well worth the time spent away from your work, parenting duties, or other obligations. Taking breaks is not only important for maintaining attention; they improve our mood, wellbeing and performance. If you’re strapped for time, taking a microbreak of just a few minutes spent relaxing, socialising or completing the crossword can boost mood, engagement, and performance.

Avoid attentional traps

There are also a few common attentional traps that catch us out. The first is multitasking. While it would be amazing if we could multitask, humans DO NOT have the ability to focus on more than one activity at a time. What’s actually happening when we’re “multitasking” is that we’re switching very quickly from one task to the other. This task-switching is detrimental and has been shown to incur “switch costs” – which make it harder to remain and sustain focus. Also, try to leave your phone in your pocket, bag or in a separate room; research has shown that just the presence of a phone can negatively influence attention.

Just like hygiene and our general health, our ability to focus is profoundly influenced by a few simple habits. To remain focused, try to limit distractions, associate specific spaces with focus, and work surrounded by people. Stay energised through hydration, balanced nutrition, quality sleep, and regular exercise. When you can, try to slow down and avoid multitasking. Taking these simple aspects of your life into consideration can help you to focus on the things that matter.