Mastering Focus: The Science of Tuning Out and Boosting Brain Power

Information rushes at us all day long. It’s as if we were standing in the middle of a stampede, and we need truckloads of energy to stay focused. Concentration requires you to sustain your energy in the charge. It helps to understand how your brain works and act accordingly.

Our brains are awesome. With close to 1 billion neurons, the noggin possesses 2.5 Petabytes of storage capacity—that’s 3 million hours of TV shows. Yikes! Do you really want that much TV going on in your head?

That said, we are incredibly inattentive—at least our conscious mind is. Although the brain processes up to 400 billion bits of information a second, it seems we humans are only aware of around 2,000 bits. When it comes to visual processing, the brain only decodes about one percent of what comes in. Specific neurons select the important bits. 

Furthermore, Harvard professor of psychology George Miller determined that the number of objects an average person can hold in working memory is between five and nine.

We’re made to filter things out. Own it. 

Tune Out

Loud noises and flashing lights create a ton of neural activity pulling you immediately away from whatever you’re focusing on. So while you are engrossed in your seven things, put on some noise-canceling headphones and remove yourself from the party. 

The ventrolateral prefrontal cortex blocks distractions—some brains do it better than others, and it requires a lot of energy to do so. Practicing single-minded focus improves your ability to concentrate.

Sometimes it works like a charm but other times impulse wins. Try not thinking about something and see how well that goes.

Creating uninterrupted periods of time—no dazzling lights or dinging noises or colleagues interrupting—saves us a lot of energy and improves our ability to focus on the task at hand.

More Energy, More Concentration

You need energy to extend your attention span, so make sure you have the basics covered:

  • Get your beauty sleep—and dream. Lack of REM sleep reduces our capacity for concentration.

  • Don’t over-exercise, because it leads to a dip in mental concentration, most likely from fatigue.

  • Hydrate. Dehydration impairs concentration.

The Magic Time Frame

Do you get bored after 10 minutes? Don’t judge yourself. It’s natural. I told you we were absentminded. Our brain is hard-wired to ignore most stimuli it does not find threatening or stimulating enough. We tune it out at about 10 minutes.

So, schedule periods of focused work anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes long, depending on your practice concentrating and your energy levels. Less energy, less time.

During that time frame, stay on task. Switching between tasks reduces productivity by 40%. The Biohacker’s Handbook sums it up succinctly:

Law of concentration: 1 × 1 = 1 vs. 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.25

Hold Your Breath

Want to boost your concentration even more? Brain-derived neutrophic factor helps you grow new neurons and pathways and strengthens the ones you have, keeping you alert and improving memory. Holding your breath—yes, depriving the brain of oxygen for brief periods—triggers BDNF release. Try the Wim Hof method.

Hacks To Improve Focus

  • Minimize unnecessary human contact. Own the hermit in you.

  • Schedule the tasks that require concentration. Do the  hardest ones first, interspersing less interesting tasks like email and phone messages. 

  • Split large projects into smaller chunks. Discover the Sausage Principle here.

  • Listen to Mozart. Some music can help you focus. You can also try BrainFM.

  • Add some L-theanine to your java to enhance concentration skills.

Anne TragerPotentializing Focus