I will admit this blog is a bit selfish in motivation. This has been one of those weeks where the most consistent part of my job has been the number of interruptions. Not only am I trying to juggle about six or eight different tasks there has also been a plethora of personal issues going on. I used to think I was a Zen master when it came to concentration. But this week has challenged that perception; I started feeling like the interruptions were winning. So today I took a few minutes to see if there may be any suggestions in the literature on how to maintain concentration.

Our level of attention is largely controlled by the brain’s levels of dopamine and noradrenalin. Dopamine helps one maintain a persistent, goal centered state of mind. Noradrenalin is responsible for us being able to focus externally and to maintain vigilance. So, how do we raise our levels of dopamine and noradrenalin?

The short cut is to use drugs such as amphetamines, methylphenidate (better known as Ritalin) and caffeine. I think my caffeine levels are likely at optimal levels; from what I hear of the side-effects I’d rather avoid the others.

As it turns out lifestyle is a major factor in maintaining concentration. The proverbial eight hours of sleep, food high in slow release sugars (yogurt, legumes, whole grains) and exercise have all been shown to improve concentration.

Your work style can also be adapted so as to improve your ability to maintain concentration. Working on tasks that are interesting to you helps maintain concentration.

One of the biggest factors is to cut down on distractions. I found different statistics in different studies of the workplace but it seems like people lose concentration for 15-25 minutes after each distraction. If you can schedule your phone calls all together rather than spread them throughout the day you will avoid this. Try to arrange a time amongst your team when you will all be available for discussions, and possibly more importantly, agree on times when you will leave each other alone. Team members should be particularly sensitive to the needs of persons who are positioned in high traffic areas–just because you walk past them to get to your space doesn’t mean they are fair game for a chat every time you walk past.

Music also seems to be a possible aid in maintaining concentration, provided it is familiar and soothing music. If it helps keep background noise to a minimum, soft music seems to be a good thing.

And, it also seems that there are drills one can do to help deal with distractions. College counselors increasingly are teaching students to catch themselves when their mind starts to wander or after they have been interrupted with a simple saying that will help them get their mind on the task at hand. “Stop: Be Here Now.” It does sound a bit cheesy but the few times I have tried it it has been pretty useful.

Now I want to see some research on whether this actually raises dopamine or noradrenalin levels.

Further Reading:

For more on attention read this excellent review article:
Michael I. Posner. Attention: The Mechanisms of Consciousness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 91, No. 16 (Aug. 2, 1994), pp. 7398-7403