How to Improve Your Concentration

You can't remember what you never paid attention to in the first place. That's the uncomfortable truth about memory: concentration isn't just helpful for learning, it's the gateway through which all learning must pass. If your attention wanders during a lecture, a conversation, or while reading, the information never makes it into memory at all. No memory technique can retrieve what was never encoded.

The good news is that concentration is a skill, not a fixed trait. Like a muscle, it responds to training. And unlike many cognitive abilities that decline with age, the capacity to focus can be strengthened at any point in life through deliberate practice and lifestyle adjustments.

This page covers what concentration actually is (and how it differs from attention), the factors that genuinely improve it, what undermines it, and when concentration difficulties might signal something that needs professional attention.

Attention vs. Concentration: What's Actually Happening

These terms get used interchangeably, but they describe different (though related) cognitive processes. Understanding the distinction helps clarify what you're actually trying to improve.

Attention is your brain's filtering system. Right now, your senses are being bombarded with information: the words on this screen, background sounds, the temperature of the room, the feeling of your clothes against your skin. Attention determines which of these inputs reaches your conscious awareness and which gets filtered out. It's largely automatic, operating below the level of conscious control.

Concentration is sustained, directed attention on a chosen task. It's what happens when you deliberately hold your focus on something specific while ignoring distractions. Concentration requires effort. It's the conscious, voluntary component of attention.

Focus is often used to describe the intensity of that concentration, how completely you're engaged with the task at hand.

Here's why this matters: when people complain about "poor concentration," they might actually be dealing with different problems. Some people have genuine difficulty filtering out distractions (an attention issue). Others can filter fine but struggle to sustain focus over time (a concentration issue). Still others have adequate baseline capacity but work in environments that make concentration nearly impossible (an environmental issue). The solutions differ for each.

Why Concentration Has Gotten Harder

If you feel like your ability to focus has declined in recent years, you're probably right, and you're not alone. Research by Dr. Gloria Mark at UC Irvine has tracked attention spans in the workplace for over two decades. In 2004, the average time people spent on a single screen before switching was about two and a half minutes. By 2024, it had dropped to just 47 seconds.

This isn't because human brains have changed. It's because our environments have. We're surrounded by devices engineered to capture attention, notifications designed to interrupt, and platforms optimized for engagement rather than depth. The constant task-switching takes a measurable cognitive toll. Each interruption requires mental effort to reorient, what researchers call "attention residue," a lingering cognitive trace from the previous task that impairs performance on the next one.

The reassuring implication: if your concentration problems stem primarily from environmental factors rather than underlying capacity, they're very addressable. You don't need to fundamentally change your brain. You need to change your relationship with the things competing for your attention.

Building Your Baseline Capacity

Before discussing techniques for concentrating better in the moment, let's address the factors that determine your baseline capacity. Think of this as the foundation. Techniques help you use your capacity more effectively, but these lifestyle factors determine how much capacity you have to work with.

Sleep: The Foundation

Sleep deprivation impairs concentration more reliably than almost anything else. When you're underslept, your brain's prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for executive functions including sustained attention, operates less efficiently. You become more distractible, more impulsive, and less able to inhibit irrelevant information.

This isn't subtle. Studies consistently show that even moderate sleep restriction (getting six hours instead of eight for several nights) produces measurable deficits in attention and working memory. The effects accumulate over time, and people tend to underestimate how impaired they are.

If you're struggling to concentrate and you're not sleeping well, that's the first thing to fix. Nothing else will compensate for chronic sleep deprivation. For detailed guidance, see the Sleep and Memory page.

Exercise: The Most Underrated Intervention

Regular physical activity improves cognitive function across the board, but the effects on attention and concentration are particularly strong. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, promotes the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and reduces inflammation, all of which support the neural circuits involved in sustained attention.

The benefits aren't just long-term. Even a single bout of moderate exercise can temporarily improve concentration for several hours afterward. If you have something important requiring deep focus, a brisk 20-minute walk beforehand may genuinely help.

For more on the brain benefits of physical activity, see Exercise and Memory.

Stress: The Concentration Killer

Chronic stress impairs concentration through multiple mechanisms. Elevated cortisol levels affect the prefrontal cortex directly. Stress also tends to trigger rumination, where your mind keeps returning to worries rather than staying on task. And stress disrupts sleep, creating a cascade of additional problems.

Addressing chronic stress isn't just about feeling better. It's about restoring your cognitive capacity. See Stress and Memory for evidence-based approaches.

Meditation: Training Your Attention

Of all the interventions for improving concentration, meditation has the strongest direct evidence. Neuroscience research shows that regular meditation practice produces measurable changes in the brain regions responsible for attention control. These aren't subtle correlational findings. Randomized controlled trials show that even short-term meditation training (a few weeks of regular practice) improves performance on attention tasks.

The mechanism makes intuitive sense. Meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation, involves repeatedly noticing when your attention has wandered and bringing it back to a chosen focus (usually the breath). You're essentially doing reps for your attention. Each time you notice you've drifted and redirect your focus, you're strengthening the neural circuits involved in attentional control.

I've practiced meditation for years, and I can say from experience that it genuinely improves concentration over time. Not dramatically, not overnight, but noticeably. You become more aware of when your mind is wandering and more skilled at redirecting it. One practice I've found particularly helpful is trataka, or candle concentration, a traditional yogic technique where you maintain steady focus on a candle flame. Research suggests it improves selective attention and cognitive flexibility, and I find it more immediately engaging than breath meditation for training concentration specifically.

For more on meditation approaches and their effects, see Meditation and Memory.

Optimizing Your Environment

Even with excellent baseline capacity, you'll struggle to concentrate in an environment designed to distract you. Here's what actually matters:

Eliminate Digital Interruptions

This is the highest-leverage change most people can make. Every notification, every ping, every banner represents a potential interruption, and each interruption carries a cost. Research shows that after an interruption, it takes significant time to fully re-engage with deep work. Even brief interruptions (checking a notification for a few seconds) can disrupt concentration for much longer.

When you need to concentrate, put your phone in another room. Not on silent in your pocket. In another room. The mere presence of your phone, even face-down and silent, has been shown to reduce available cognitive capacity. Turn off desktop notifications. Close email. If possible, disconnect from the internet entirely for the duration of your focus session.

This feels extreme until you try it. Then it feels obvious.

Create a Dedicated Space

Your brain forms associations between environments and mental states. If you try to do focused work in the same place you scroll social media and watch videos, you're fighting against those associations. Creating a space where you only do focused work helps your brain shift into concentration mode when you enter it.

This doesn't require a separate room. It might be a specific chair, a particular spot at the library, or even just sitting at your desk with your phone elsewhere and unnecessary tabs closed. The key is consistency: this space is for concentrated work, nothing else.

Manage Noise Thoughtfully

Complete silence works well for some people and poorly for others. If you find silence uncomfortable or if you work in an environment with unpredictable, distracting sounds, consistent background noise can help. The key word is consistent: steady white noise, ambient sounds, or instrumental music can mask distracting sounds without creating new distractions.

Avoid music with lyrics for tasks requiring verbal processing (reading, writing). The words compete for the same cognitive resources. Instrumental music or ambient sound generators work better.

Techniques for Better Focus

With your baseline capacity addressed and your environment optimized, these techniques help you concentrate more effectively in the moment:

Time-Boxing and Structured Work Periods

Open-ended work sessions often lead to drifting attention. Setting a specific time boundary creates a container that helps sustain focus. The Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break) is one popular implementation, but the specific numbers matter less than the principle: defined work periods with planned breaks.

Starting with shorter periods (15-25 minutes) and building up is often more effective than attempting marathon sessions from the start. Concentration is a skill that develops with practice.

Single-Tasking

Multitasking is largely a myth when it comes to tasks requiring cognitive effort. What feels like doing two things simultaneously is actually rapid task-switching, and each switch has a cost. You work slower, make more errors, and remember less than if you'd done each task sequentially.

Commit to one thing at a time. When you notice yourself wanting to switch to something else, note it (you can even jot it down) and return to the current task. This gets easier with practice.

Start Small

Often the hardest part of concentrating is getting started. The task looms large, and the temptation to do something easier feels overwhelming. The "just five minutes" approach works well here: commit to working on the task for just five minutes. Anyone can concentrate for five minutes. Usually, once you've started, continuing is easier than you expected.

Plan Before Your Focus Session

Uncertainty about what to do next is a concentration killer. Before beginning a focus session, know exactly what you're going to work on and, ideally, what the first small step is. This eliminates the cognitive overhead of deciding what to do, which is often when attention wanders.

Take Real Breaks

Concentration naturally wanes over time. Working through exhaustion doesn't demonstrate dedication; it just produces poorer quality work. Plan breaks before you need them. During breaks, do something genuinely restorative: move your body, look at distant objects (to rest your eyes), or simply sit quietly. Checking your phone doesn't count as a break. It's just a different kind of cognitive load.

When Concentration Problems May Be Medical

Everything above assumes relatively normal baseline concentration that can be improved with lifestyle changes and practice. But for some people, persistent concentration difficulties reflect underlying conditions that benefit from professional attention. Recognizing when this might be the case is important.

ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity. It affects roughly 5% of children and 2-3% of adults worldwide, though many adults with ADHD were never diagnosed in childhood.

Research shows that people with ADHD have genuine differences in executive function, the set of cognitive processes that includes attention control, working memory, and inhibition. These aren't just difficulties with willpower or motivation. Brain imaging studies show differences in the structure and activity of the prefrontal cortex and associated networks.

ADHD often looks different in adults than in children. Hyperactivity may present as restlessness or an inability to relax rather than running around. Inattention might manifest as difficulty finishing projects, chronic lateness, losing things frequently, or struggling with tasks that require sustained mental effort.

If concentration difficulties have been present since childhood, significantly impair your functioning across multiple areas of life (work, relationships, daily tasks), and don't respond adequately to the strategies described above, consider evaluation by a professional. ADHD is treatable, and both medication and behavioral approaches can substantially improve quality of life.

Depression and Anxiety

Depression impairs concentration through multiple mechanisms. The mental preoccupation with negative thoughts competes for attentional resources. Motivation and energy deficits make sustained effort difficult. And depression often disrupts sleep, adding another layer of cognitive impairment.

Anxiety similarly interferes with concentration. The hypervigilance characteristic of anxiety keeps the attention system in a state of threat-monitoring rather than task-focus. Worried thoughts intrude on whatever you're trying to concentrate on. Meta-analyses show a reliable negative relationship between anxiety and working memory performance.

In both conditions, the concentration difficulties often improve as the underlying condition is treated. If you're experiencing persistent low mood or excessive worry alongside concentration problems, addressing the mood symptoms may be more effective than concentration strategies alone.

Sleep Disorders

We covered sleep deprivation above, but it's worth noting that some concentration problems stem from sleep disorders that aren't obvious. Sleep apnea, for instance, fragments sleep in ways that impair next-day cognition even if you're "in bed" for eight hours. If you snore heavily, wake frequently, or feel unrested despite adequate sleep time, evaluation by a sleep specialist may be warranted.

Thyroid Dysfunction

Both hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) can impair concentration. Hypothyroidism often produces mental "fogginess" and difficulty focusing. Hyperthyroidism can cause restlessness and difficulty sustaining attention. A simple blood test can check thyroid function.

Medication Side Effects

Some medications impair concentration as a side effect. Antihistamines, certain blood pressure medications, and some psychiatric medications can affect cognitive function. If concentration problems began or worsened after starting a new medication, discuss this with your prescriber.

The Connection to Memory

This page is part of the brain health section because concentration directly affects how well your memory functions. The relationship works in several ways:

Encoding requires attention. Information that doesn't receive adequate attention during initial exposure is poorly encoded and harder to retrieve later. This is why you can "read" an entire page while thinking about something else and remember nothing afterward. The words passed through your visual system but never made it into memory.

Memory techniques require concentration. The memory techniques described elsewhere on this site (visualization, association, the memory palace) all require focused mental effort. A scattered mind can't create the vivid mental images that make these techniques work. Improving concentration makes every memory technique more effective.

Retrieval can be disrupted by divided attention. Even information that was well-encoded is harder to retrieve when you're distracted. If you've ever blanked on something you definitely know because you were stressed or multitasking, you've experienced this.

Building concentration capacity doesn't just help you focus in the moment. It improves your ability to learn, remember, and retrieve information across the board. It's foundational to cognitive performance in a way that few other skills are.

A Practical Starting Point

If you want to improve your concentration, here's where to begin:

Week 1: Assess and optimize the basics. Are you sleeping enough? Exercising regularly? Managing stress adequately? Address any obvious deficits here first. These are the foundation.

Week 2: Tackle digital distractions. For your most important focused work, put your phone in another room. Turn off notifications. Notice how much easier concentration becomes when you're not fighting constant interruptions.

Week 3: Add structured practice. Start a brief daily meditation practice (even 10 minutes) to train your attention directly. Begin using time-boxed work sessions for tasks requiring concentration.

Ongoing: Refine and expand. As these practices become habitual, you can refine them based on what works for you. Experiment with different session lengths, environmental adjustments, and additional techniques.

If significant concentration difficulties persist despite consistent effort, consider whether professional evaluation might be appropriate. Some concentration problems require more than lifestyle adjustments.

Concentration is both a skill and a capacity. With deliberate practice and attention to the factors that support it, most people can meaningfully improve. The payoff extends well beyond productivity: better focus means richer experiences, deeper relationships, and a mind that works the way you want it to.

Related pages: For learning strategies that work with your improved concentration, see Active Recall and Spaced Repetition. For an overview of memory technique options, see Memory Skills.

Important: This page provides general educational information about concentration and attention. It is not medical advice. If you have concerns about ADHD, depression, anxiety, or other conditions affecting your concentration, please consult a healthcare professional. See my Medical Disclaimer and Editorial Standards.

References & Research

I've reviewed these sources and selected them for their relevance to understanding concentration and attention. Here's what each contributes:

1. Mark, G. (2023). Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity. Hanover Square Press. Author's website
Researcher's Note: Dr. Gloria Mark is a professor at UC Irvine who has studied workplace attention for over two decades. Her longitudinal research tracking how long people sustain focus before switching tasks provides the most comprehensive data we have on how attention spans have changed in the digital age. The finding that average screen attention dropped from 2.5 minutes (2004) to 47 seconds (2024) comes from her work. She also documents the cognitive costs of task-switching and provides evidence-based recommendations.

2. Erickson, K.I., Hillman, C., Stillman, C.M., et al. (2019). "Physical Activity, Cognition, and Brain Outcomes: A Review of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(6), 1242-1251. Free full text at PMC
Researcher's Note: This umbrella review for the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee synthesized evidence from dozens of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on exercise and cognition. The conclusions are strong: moderate-to-vigorous physical activity improves cognitive function across the lifespan, with particularly robust effects on executive function (which includes attention and concentration). The acute effects of single exercise bouts are also well-documented.

3. Tang, Y.Y., Hölzel, B.K., & Posner, M.I. (2015). "The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation." Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213-225. Free PDF at BVCN
Researcher's Note: This influential review in one of neuroscience's top journals synthesized two decades of research on meditation's effects on the brain. The authors identify three key components that meditation improves: attention control, emotion regulation, and self-awareness. Critically, they show that these aren't just subjective reports: brain imaging reveals measurable changes in the structure and function of regions including the anterior cingulate cortex (involved in attention control) and the prefrontal cortex (involved in executive function).

4. Raghavendra, B.R., & Singh, P. (2016). "Immediate effect of yogic visual concentration on cognitive performance." Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 6(1), 34-36. Free full text at PMC
Researcher's Note: This study specifically examined trataka (candle-gazing meditation) and found immediate improvements in cognitive performance on the Stroop test, a standard measure of selective attention, cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition. While the sample was small (30 participants), the findings align with traditional claims about trataka's benefits for concentration and suggest that visual concentration practices may train attention through different pathways than breath-focused meditation.

5. Willcutt, E.G., Doyle, A.E., Nigg, J.T., et al. (2005). "Validity of the Executive Function Theory of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review." Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1336-1346. Free full text at DocsLib
Researcher's Note: This meta-analysis of 83 studies (over 6,700 total participants) examined executive function in ADHD. Groups with ADHD showed significant impairment across all executive function measures, with the strongest effects for response inhibition, vigilance (sustained attention), working memory, and planning. The effect sizes (0.46-0.69) were in the medium range, indicating real but not universal deficits. This research established that ADHD involves genuine neuropsychological differences, not just motivation or willpower issues.

6. Rock, P.L., Roiser, J.P., Riedel, W.J., & Blackwell, A.D. (2014). "Cognitive impairment in depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Psychological Medicine, 44(10), 2029-2040. Free full text at ResearchGate
Researcher's Note: This meta-analysis examined cognitive function in depression using a standardized test battery. Patients with depression showed moderate deficits in executive function, memory, and attention compared to controls (Cohen's d effect sizes ranging from -0.34 to -0.65). Importantly, significant deficits in executive function and attention persisted even in patients whose depressive symptoms had remitted, indicating that cognitive impairment can occur somewhat independently of mood symptoms.

7. Moran, T.P. (2016). "Anxiety and working memory capacity: A meta-analysis and narrative review." Psychological Bulletin, 142(8), 831-864. Free PDF at Bban
Researcher's Note: This comprehensive meta-analysis of 177 samples (over 22,000 individuals) demonstrated that anxiety is reliably associated with poorer working memory performance. The effect was consistent across different types of working memory tasks and whether anxiety was measured as a trait or experimentally induced. This provides strong evidence that anxiety genuinely competes for attentional resources rather than just making people feel less confident about their performance.

Published: 10/30/2007
Last Updated: 01/13/2026