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Teens everywhere are struggling to focus. In fact, research shows that attention spans are shrinking in people of all ages, making it more difficult to focus and be productive. There are lots of reasons for shrinking attention spans, from increased technology use to our generally overstimulated, fast-paced lifestyles. Additional barriers such as ADHD or anxiety can make these struggles even worse. Despite these challenges, there are many strategies that we can use to improve our focus and take back control. This post outlines some strategies for parents to support their teens in improving their ability to focus, but can really be used by anyone looking to improve their attention span.
One of the most important things to do when trying to improve your focus is to identify the things that distract you. There are likely to be obvious distractors like your phone, other people in a room with you, or perhaps a busy or hectic environment. However, it’s important to pay attention to less obvious distractions as well. Is there a ticking clock that always distracts you? Perhaps a strange air conditioner noise? Do you find yourself distracted by squirrels running by the window? The more distractions you can identify, the better equipped you will be to remove them. Before sitting down to your next focused work session, eliminate as many of your known distractions as possible.
At this point, the impact that screens and technology have had on our attention spans is indisputable. The more time one spends on screens, the lower their ability to focus is likely to be. The nature of smartphones and similar devices involves highly stimulating short-form content and activities that cause frequent spikes of dopamine. Through this experience, your brain is rewarded for constantly shifting its attention, decreasing its desire and ability to focus on longer form tasks. For this reason, limiting daily screen time is a great way to increase focus. This strategy is likely to be challenging at first, as your teen, or yourself, is likely to really miss the stimulation that phones, tablets, and other screens provide. However, over time, your teen’s brain will adjust to their new normal with less screen time, desiring less stimulation and feeling better equipped to focus on longer-form tasks.
I cannot overstate enough the health benefits of daily fresh air and sunlight. Taking time outside each day, even if it’s a quick walk or simply to sit in the shade, is hugely beneficial for both our mental and physical health. It’s also a great way to improve one’s ability to focus. Spending time outside, particularly out in nature, slows down your body and your mind. It allows you to notice the world around you as well as your own feelings. Because so much of our inability to focus is caused by overstimulation, taking this time to slow down is hugely impactful in improving our attention spans. The best case scenario is to spend time outside, walking or playing and listening to the sounds of nature or chatting with a friend. However, taking a walk and listening to music or a podcast can also produce similar effects.
Most of us find ourselves overscheduled and overstimulated at all times. We run around all day, whether you’re a teen being rushed from class to class or an adult hopping on different meetings and rushing to complete tasks. Then, when we get off work or school, we have after school activities, workouts, and home chores. For many of us, once we finally get time to ourselves, we turn on a show or scroll through our phones until we go to bed. In this scenario, our brains never really get a break. When it comes to our highly stimulating lives, there are many aspects that are beyond our control. However, we can all make space in our lives for quiet time.
By quiet time here I mean time that is slower and more focused, free of overstimulating. Where possible, try to limit yourself to one stimulus. For example, if you read a book, try to do so in a quiet space. If you want to listen to music, perhaps close your eyes or sit outside and enjoy nature. This time doesn’t have to be silent, but what’s important is that it’s away from screens and emphasizes limiting stimulus. You might also use this time to meditate or practice mindful breathing. These techniques can be extremely helpful in learning to slow your mind and improve focus.
A good night’s sleep is essential for focus. If you’re tired, it is much more difficult to pay attention to a task and to have the energy to see it through. Teenagers particularly struggle with getting enough sleep, as their biological clocks want them to stay up late but their school schedules require them to get up early. For this reason, it’s important to do your best to ensure that your teen gets enough sleep to stay focused. Regular bedtimes and wake times are one of the best ways to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. A frequent bedtime routine and limiting screens before bed are also extremely helpful. Lastly, a cool, dark room free of stimulus can help encourage your body to fall asleep even when you’re not tired.
Related to the sleep tip above, a healthy body and mind create a more focused body and mind. For this reason, exercise and nutrition are very important in optimizing focus. However, each of these also come with their own unique benefits. When someone does not move their body enough during the day, it is extremely difficult to sit down and focus. Therefore, focus improves when we use our energy and move our bodies every day. A healthy diet will generally lead to more energy and a clearer mind, improving one’s ability to focus. Additionally, foods that are greasy or high in fat often make us tired, making focus more difficult. Sugary foods can also give us too much energy to sit still and focus, as well as create slumps of tiredness that rob us of the energy to focus. For these reasons, a well-balanced diet that limits sugar and fats and is high in protein and vegetables will help us stay energized and remain focused.
Having a space that is designated to work is a great way to stay focused when you need to get something done. Design the workspace with focus in mind, with minimal distractions and as clutter-free as possible. Ideally, this space is a desk that is clean and in a distraction-free environment. However, if that’s not an option, it might be a corner of the living room or a table in the bedroom. In any case, designating one space as “the space where I go to work,” rather than working in different places throughout the house, helps signal to your brain that it’s time to work and focus when you enter that space. Because your mindset is such an important aspect of maintaining attention, this routine will allow you to get into the right headspace and be more focused on important tasks.
An essential part of maintaining focus is recognizing when you need a break. Taking breaks throughout a task allows your mind to avoid fatigue and get more things done. It also helps keep your mind from wandering, as there’s a clear end time when you can think about or do the other things your mind might drift to. Because self-awareness is an important aspect of gauging when you might need a break, establishing a good routine of breaks can be difficult for teens. As a parent, you can help your teen focus on important tasks by encouraging breaks when they are working hard and even suggesting appropriate timelines for taking breaks. For those who really struggle to focus, the Pomodoro Method of 15 minutes of work followed by a 5 minute break, repeated as necessary, can be highly successful. For those who are able to focus for longer, it can be good to take a 5 minute break every half hour, or a 10 minute break every hour. In any case, individuals should avoid going more than 90 minutes without a break even if you’re feeling focused to avoid fatigue.
While completing tasks that require sustained attention, certain sounds can be very helpful for focusing. Many teens turn to music to help focus, but generally any music that has lyrics and singing should be avoided. Listening to this type of music is ultimately distracting and stimulating a part of your brain that takes away from the task at hand. However, listening to classical music can be very helpful to help some people focus. If your teen doesn’t like the idea of classical music, Vitamin String Quartet, which plays string versions of pop songs, can be a great option. Additionally, ambient music, which feels more modern than classical music, produces a similar effect. This suggestion is one to try and really assess its effectiveness, as it can be helpful for some and a distraction for others.
Another audio option with which many people find success is utilizing white noise or sound machines. A fan noise, ocean sounds, rain sounds, or something similar is often quite soothing to the mind and can aid in focus. While a larger percentage of people find white noise effective than music, there are still some for whom it is more distracting than helpful. For this reason, it’s a strategy to try and assess its effectiveness. If it works, it’s a great one to use, and if not, move on to another strategy.
For some individuals, any noise serves as a distraction. Even calming music or ocean sounds might detract from focus and send their mind in other directions. If you fall into this category, noise cancellation can be a great strategy to improve focus. There are many noise canceling headphones that can help block out noise, but earplugs are also a great and affordable alternative. If you’re able to be in your own room while working, you might also consider stuffing a towel under the door to muffle sound from other rooms. In any case, if you find yourself constantly distracted by sounds, consider trying something that will block them out completely.
When sitting down to complete tasks, one of the best ways to help yourself focus is to make a list of what you need to get done. The act of making the list will help your mind settle on the task at hand. The visibility of this list while you are working is even more valuable, as it will serve as a visual reminder any time your eyes or mind begin to wander. When making this sort of list, be sure to only write down your priority tasks to avoid overwhelm. As you complete these tasks, cross them out or check them off. Each time you do so, your brain will get a little spike of dopamine as a reward. Additionally, the task of revisiting the list will help remind you what tasks are left and help your mind focus on them.
Focus is very much tied to mindset, and one of the best ways to remain motivated throughout a task is to celebrate any wins. Give yourself or your teen rewards when finishing a task. Some people find physical rewards, such as a snack for each task completed motivating. However, praise can be just as effective. When you finish a task or hit a milestone, congratulate yourself, noting what you accomplished and perhaps rewarding yourself with a break. If your teen makes it through milestones, make sure you tell them how proud you are. Celebrating the wins along the way when completing longer tasks is a highly effective way to remain engaged and motivated until the end.
Sustained focus is an executive functioning skill, and the best way to build any executive functioning skill is to remain as consistent as possible in your strategies. For this reason, the best thing you can do to build focus dn tasks is to figure out the things that help and do them as consistently as possible. Don’t just prioritize sleep and outside time when there are a lot of tasks to be done, make them a part of your everyday life. Don’t just create a workspace for finals week, maintain a workspace that remains active throughout the year. Most importantly, be consistent in celebrating all wins and progress to maintain motivation to work on improving this skill. When you focus on consistency and building a habit of sustained focus, you are much more likely to be focused in your everyday tasks.
Building one’s ability to focus can be a long, challenging process, particularly for teens who struggle with ADHD. A caring parent can go a long way, but sometimes it’s necessary to call in a professional. YA Success Coach offers personalized support for teenagers in building habits that will improve their lives. Our individualized approach emphasizes getting to know your child, what systems will be supportive for them, and what factors inhibit their success. From there, we work with your child to develop systems that are uniquely supportive to their specific needs and provide them with the individualized support they need to help them stick to these systems. Contact us today to learn more about how success coaching can help your teen.
Having a conversation is the first step to helping your child realize their full potential and set them up for success!