We depend on concentration to get us through various things. Be it school or work, it helps us get through every single day. One can not think clearly, focus properly, or sustain one’s attention without concentration.
All of us, at some point in time of our lives, have been there before. We are trying to make a conversation; when right in the middle of a sentence, for a very brief time something crosses our mind, and suddenly we lose the track of our conversation. It may seem funny at first, but it can be embarrassing too. Not just limited to this, loss of concentration can have serious repercussions in larger areas of our lives. This can potentially hamper our ability to meet deadlines, reach broader goals in life, and even act as an impediment in accomplishing things we have been meaning too.
How do we concentrate?
I feel before we jump on to the answer to why we lose concentration; it is imperative we understand how it works. Concentration on a task can be compared to focusing our vision. It is a top-down process. First, we need to make a decision to concentrate on something. Brain simultaneously register the visual information around that work. It then processes the information and then tells you what to focus on. Once the level of concentration is established. The time starts to slip by, the perception of our environment changes, allowing us to deeply concentrate on a task and ignore outside stimuli.
How do we lose concentration?
You will be shocked to know that losing one’s concentration is a desirable trait. It is developed over the years in many animals. It helps animals be safe in their respective habitats. This essentially happens when your brain acknowledges something else that needs immediate attention. It generally happens when something out there is extremely dangerous or rewarding.
In a practical setting like an office, studies say that we get interrupted almost every 10 minutes. These interruptions can be from various sources like colleagues, phone calls, or emails. But human beings can concentrate on a particular task for two hours at a stretch after which we need twenty to thirty minutes to break and recharge. Now the question is, why are we not able to live up to this potential?
Who is to be blamed?
There could be a number of factors, that can be pinned detrimental to our concentration. The following are the three most common reasons why our concentration is eroding:
1. Getting distracted
We all are aware of the technology that is accessible to us, is very well capable of keeping us distracted for hours and hours. From social media to streaming applications, all of these lead to something called Attention Fragmentation, where we are not able to focus on a single task for a long time. In such scenarios, it is important to overcome distractions and focus on accomplishing your work. You can overcome distractions by setting limits and reward system. Most important of all, keep reminding yourself of the outcomes you look forward to.
2. Multitasking
It is one of the biggest culprits that has trained our brains to be unfocused. There are studies that conclude that heavy multitaskers face difficulty in ignoring the irrelevant cues as compared to light multitaskers. Steve Jobs attribute Apple’s success to the ability to deeply concentrate just on a few products as compared to its competitors. Concentration demands you to give up multitasking and all other trivial things which compete for your attention. It can be anything from your e-mail, twitter feed, or your colleagues’ Whatsapp message.
3. Bad Habits
Hijacking back your lifestyle and giving up bad habits can improve your ability to concentrate better. Bad habits like, not taking enough sleep, having a poor diet, and staying away from physical exercises can affect our attention as well as our concentration power, drastically. It can blur your mind and negatively impact your train of thoughts. So it is important we take control of our lifestyle and improve brain function by focusing on relevant tasks.
Note: A lot of times, there are many profound and deep reasons behind someone’s low level of concentration. In some cases, the deficit in concentration level can be a call for medical attention!!