How to improve concentration: 7 habits that actually help
You sit down to work, read the same paragraph three times and somehow end up checking your phone. Sound familiar? Losing focus now and then is normal. But if it happens every day, your habits are often a bigger factor than you think.
Here are seven research-backed ways to improve concentration, what a lack of focus can point to, and when it’s worth speaking to your GP.
1. Protect your sleep
Concentration starts the night before. The NHS says adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep on average, and that being constantly tired during the day is a sign you’re probably not getting enough. Short or broken sleep shows up the next day as a foggy head and a short fuse.
The NHS also recommends waking up and getting out of bed at the same time every day, and avoiding tea or coffee for at least 6 hours before bed. Our article on the importance of sleep for your health goes into more detail.
What to do: pick a wake-up time you can keep seven days a week, and put screens away before bed.
2. Put your phone in another room
Turning your phone face down isn’t enough. In a study by Ward and colleagues with nearly 800 smartphone users, people whose phones were in another room did significantly better on concentration-demanding tests than those whose phones were on the desk. It made no difference whether the phone was switched on or off, or face up or face down. Simply having it in view seemed to use up mental capacity.
What to do: for tasks that need real focus, leave your phone in a different room, or at least in a bag out of sight.
3. Drink water throughout the day
Even mild dehydration can affect how well you think. A meta-analysis of 33 studies by researchers at Georgia Tech found that more noticeable impairments began at around 2% loss of body mass through fluid. Attention, coordination and complex problem solving were hit hardest.
What to do: keep a glass or bottle of water on your desk and sip regularly, rather than waiting until you feel thirsty. Drink more on hot days and when you exercise.
4. Move, even briefly
A meta-analysis of 79 studies found a small positive effect of a single bout of exercise on cognitive performance. The effect showed up during exercise, immediately afterwards and after a delay. It’s not a dramatic boost, but it’s free and comes with plenty of other benefits.
What to do: take a brisk walk at lunchtime or before a demanding task. Over the week, the UK guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity for adults, plus two strength sessions.
5. Take short breaks
Pushing through for hours rarely works. A 2022 meta-analysis of 22 studies looked at micro-breaks of 10 minutes or less. They were linked with more vigour and less fatigue. They weren’t linked with better performance overall, though longer breaks tended to help more on some types of task.
What to do: build short pauses into longer stretches of focused work: stand up, stretch, look out of the window or refill your water. Keep the break away from your inbox.
6. Do one thing at a time
Switching between emails, chat and a report feels productive, but every switch means your brain has to pick the thread back up. Notifications make it worse, because each one pulls your attention somewhere else.
What to do: block out time for a single task, close the tabs you don’t need and turn off non-essential notifications. Write down stray thoughts on a notepad so you can deal with them later.
7. Be smart with caffeine
A coffee can make you feel more alert for a while, but it doesn’t replace sleep. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), up to 400 mg of caffeine a day raises no safety concerns for healthy adults, with single doses of up to 200 mg. EFSA also notes that even 100 mg close to bedtime can affect sleep in some people, which brings you straight back to tip one. If you want to check your intake, see how much caffeine is in coffee.
What to do: have caffeine in the morning or around lunch, and count every source, including tea, cola and supplements.
When to see your GP
Everyone has unfocused days. But speak to your GP if:
- poor concentration lasts for weeks despite better habits,
- it comes with persistent low mood, worry or memory problems,
- you’ve had trouble sleeping for months, or changing your sleep habits hasn’t helped,
- it’s affecting your work, studies or safety, for example when driving.
Constant tiredness can have many causes. Our guide on how to stop feeling tired covers the most common ones.
What about supplements?
A supplement doesn’t replace sleep or the habits above. But some days are harder than others, and that’s where it can help.
Vit2go ENERGY combines guarana, ginseng and caffeine with B vitamins. Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. You mix it into water, and the sachets fit in any bag.
Each sachet contains 124 mg of caffeine, a little more than a cup of filter coffee. Take it the way you’d have a coffee: in the morning or before training, no more than one sachet a day, not on an empty stomach and not combined with other caffeinated drinks or alcohol. It’s not recommended for children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or if you’re taking medication.
Also from Vit2go: Vit2go IMMUNITY and Vit2go DRINK RECOVERY.
FAQ
What is the main cause of lack of concentration?
There’s rarely a single cause. Common ones are too little or irregular sleep, constant interruptions from your phone, not drinking enough, stress and long stretches without a break. If none of these explain it, or it doesn’t improve, talk to your GP.
How do you fix low concentration?
Start with the basics: regular sleep, your phone out of sight, water within reach and short breaks. Then work on one task at a time. Small changes add up faster than you might expect.
How can I maintain my focus and concentration?
Plan your hardest work for when you feel most alert, often the morning. Work in focused blocks with short breaks in between, and move during the day. Keep caffeine early so it doesn’t cost you sleep.
How much caffeine is too much?
EFSA considers up to 400 mg a day safe for healthy adults, with single doses of up to 200 mg. During pregnancy and breastfeeding the limit drops to 200 mg a day. Count every source: coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks and supplements.
Sources
- NHS. Insomnia.
- Ward A.F., Duke K., Gneezy A., Bos M.W. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. Summary by the University of Texas at Austin.
- Wittbrodt M., Millard-Stafford M. (2018). Dehydration Impairs Cognitive Performance: A Meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Summary by Georgia Tech.
- Chang Y.K. et al. (2012). The effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance: a meta-analysis. Brain Research, 1453.
- Albulescu P. et al. (2022). “Give me a break!” A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLOS ONE. Summary on ScienceDaily.
- Public Health Wales. Updated physical activity guidelines.
- EFSA. Caffeine.
