The Ultimate Focus Guide
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This document provides tips to help improve focus and concentration. It begins by explaining common situations that require focus, such as having an important report due or preparing for an exam. It then outlines steps to create a focus-friendly environment, including getting rid of distractions, anticipating physical needs, and choosing an appropriate time. The document also recommends setting a specific, achievable goal and provides various techniques to boost energy levels during focus sessions, such as ear massages, peppermint, hydration, exercise, and green tea.
The Ultimate Focus Guide
- 1. The Ultimate Focus Guide Photo credit:Young Woman with Fingers on Temple from iStockPhoto
- 2. Brought to you by Cognitive Enhancement by The Front Labs Find more resources at: mycogitate.com. Cogitate is a registered trademark of The Front Labs, LLC. All rights reserved.
- 3. So here you are, trying to focus and be productive Photo credit: Guy with Head on Desk from iStockPhoto
- 4. Maybe you have an important report due tomorrow Photo credit: Blank Paper and Drawing Tools from iStockPhoto
- 5. Or perhaps it’s a midterm or a final exam Photo credit: Tables and chairs ready for students's final exam at Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway from Wikipedia
- 6. No matter what the case is, you need to concentrate
- 7. No matter what the case is, you need to concentrate (here comes the good news)
- 8. No matter what the case is, you need to concentrate (here comes the good news) we’re here to help you do just that
- 9. By using this Focus Guide and you will experience improved focus and mental clarity
- 10. Note: In order to experience the full benefits of Cogitate you will need to take it every morning.
- 11. Some people like to take Cogitate at the same time as their Multivitamin; others prefer to take it with their coffee at the office. Photo credit: Coffee Cup from FoodPhotoSite
- 12. I personally have a reminder on my iPhone to take it every morning at 8:30am – thanks to the reminder I now never forget to take Cogitate. Photo credit: Stock iPhone from Apple
- 13. Now, before we get started with our ‘focus session’ we need to make sure that your environment is focus friendly. Here’s how you would do that:
- 14. 1. Get Rid of Obvious Distractions ✓ Your phone is your worst enemy (and so are those email notifications). As soon as you get a text or an email you're going to want to look at it. It will be incredibly hard (read: impossible) to focus if you're chatting with someone or if you are answering incoming emails. (Come on, we both know that these emails CAN wait.) ✓ Here’s a tip: if you work in a public place where people can be a big distraction, plug in those headphones and pretend to listen to music. People will think twice before bothering you. Photo credit: Man with Smartphone from iStockPhoto
- 15. 2. Anticipate Your Physical Needs ✓ Make sure that you have a beverage handy before you start your ‘focus session’. You may even need a power snack while you're working, so grab some brain food too. ✓ Use the bathroom, make sure you’re wearing some (relatively) comfortable clothes and set the air/heat to your ideal temperature. Photo credit: Organized Desk from iStockPhoto
- 16. 3. Choose an Appropriate Time ✓ If you're a morning person choose the morning for your focus session; if you're a night owl choose the evening. We know, it sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised at the amount of people that don’t pay attention to their body. ✓ Depending on how noisy your office or workspace gets, you may want to get there couple hours before everyone or stay couple hours once everyone has left. It’s amazing how much you can do when you don’t have any distractions and interruptions. Photo credit: Sunrise from iStockPhoto
- 17. So now that you have a ‘focus friendly’ environment the time has come for you to do one thing: Set a reasonable and achievable goal. Don’t try to achieve a million things at once; you’d only be setting yourself up for failure. Set one (and only one) specific goal. A good example would be to say: “I’ll complete the first 5 pages of the market research report” or “I’m going to review the first 3 chapters of my Organic Chemistry test”.
- 18. While you are working on completing your one, achievable, goal you may feel that your energy levels start decreasing after a while. Don’t worry, this is normal - you’re not used to being focused for long periods of time. In order to increase your energy levels we recommend the following:
- 19. 1. Massage Your Ears ✓ Traditional ancient Chinese medicine states that stimulating certain pressure points in your body cause your blood circulation and energy to improve. Ears are particularly receptive because they are dense with pressure points. Rubbing the entire portions of your ears for at least one minute (they should start to feel hot) will instantly revive you. Photo credit: Ear from PRWeb
- 20. 2. Power Up Your Shower ✓ A steaming hot shower combined with a couple of drops of eucalyptus essential oil will instantly stimulate your brain, increase blood flow, and oxygenate your cells to quickly transform your energy. For an extra jolt, turning the dial to cold will blast your nervous system and give you that "wide awake" feeling despite the number of hours you banked with your pillow. Photo credit: Showerhead from iStockPhoto
- 21. 3. Breathe ✓ A yoga breathing technique known as "The Breath Of Fire" will help rid your body of excess carbon dioxide and is a simple yet instant way to perk up. To release your inner (momentarily dragging) dragon, breathe in through your nose, inhale deeply and then exhale in 20 to 30 short, very rapid bursts while tightening your stomach muscles to force out each burst. Repeat 3 or 4 times and you'll be replenished and breathing fire again. Photo credit: Deep Breath from Good-Wallpapers.com
- 22. 4. Perk Up With Peppermint ✓ Peppermint stimulates your brain, as do most strong aromas, and chewing or sucking on mints multiplies a scent's intensity. Vapors and flavors travel from your mouth to your nose and increase the peppermint's effects on your energy. Plus, peppermint has natural soothing properties that work well on upset stomachs and make your breath fresh. Go with a low sugar variety of mints (like Altoids) to guarantee an energy increase. Photo credit: Peppermint from PantrySpa
- 23. 5. Down A Cold Glass Of Water ✓ Dehydration causes fatigue and when the fluids in your body slow down, circulation decreases, and energy cell reproduction dawdles. The easiest way to pump up your energy is to throw back some cold water. As an extra tip, the easiest way to determine if you are short on fluids is by licking your lips. If your lips and mouth are dry or cracked, you need to sip water, regularly and consistently, on a daily basis. Photo credit: Glass of Water 2 from Clker
- 24. 6. Snack, nibble, munch ✓ Eating the right foods will give you instant energy. Nutrient rich foods, like proteins found in nuts, meat, or dairy, and complex carbohydrates, like those found in vegetables and fruits, will revive you from during a sluggish energy dip. Avoid simple carbohydrates, like those found in candies and sweets, as they will only spike your blood sugar temporarily and cause a severe crash which will only further deplete you. Pairing proteins and complex carbohydrates (ex. nuts with carrot sticks) will give you a power boost to push through a low energy moment. Photo credit: Healthy Snacks from SmartDestination
- 25. 7. Exercise ✓ Try to get up and move for at least 5 minutes for every 45 minutes you sit. Do squats, push ups, walk in place, walk outside, dance, do anything that gets your body moving. Exercise increases circulation and gets more oxygen to your cells and can greatly impact your energy well beyond the moments while you're exercising. Photo credit: Morning Exercise from malekjamal.blogspot.com
- 26. 8. Drink Green Tea Instead Of Coffee ✓ When all else fails, drink caffeine as long as it's in the form of green tea. Coffee causes the jitters, as it has five more times more caffeine than green tea. Additionally, green tea contains important disease fighting, anti-aging antioxidants. Green tea contains vital compounds like theophyllin (which dilates bronchial passages) and L-theanine (an amino acid which improves concentration). Photo credit: Green Tea from greenteaproductions.com
- 27. Concentrating and being productive is very similar to working out – it tends to be hard to do at first but then, with time and practice, it gets much easier. We recommend that you push yourself a bit more everyday until one day you’ll look back and wonder: “How could I have been so unproductive all this time?” Here’s to you achieving your goals and being successful. Cheers, Your friends at P Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any .S. questions: hello@mycogitate.com