How to #Concentrate in an #EverDistractedWorld; Five things to know: 1. It’s not just you — it really is that hard to #Focus/#Concentrate; - The human brain is wired to-#DetectRewards and, increasingly, our #Smartphones are wired to dole them out. - Our brains get a boost — in the form of a #DopamineHit; every time you see something fresh, you feel a reward. - Once the #Brain becomes accustomed to those #EasyWins, it’s more difficult to perform the effortful, long-term thinking that demands focus and concentration. 2. Our #Attention, #WorkingMemory-Capabilities change with age; - #AttentionFunction improves as children get older. But, children need protected time to develop their attention capacity through activities like reading a book, solving math problems or playing chess. - If they get used to #ZeroEffortRewards from things like social media, they might have difficulty developing the capacity to think longer and deeper. - “Working memory” is the information we can hold in our minds without writing it down, which as we get older, it decline slightly. 3. #Willpower alone won’t strengthen your #Focus; - Each #WillPowerExersion depletes your attention capacity a bit more. That’s because it takes effort to resist the temptation of distractions. Eventually our willpower stores get used up. - A better approach is #ProactiveControl or keeping the distractions away altogether. - Instead of training yourself to #ResistTemptations, it’s better to #MoveTemptationAway. 4. Be sure to build in #BREAKS; - Taking breaks can be a boon for focus and concentration. - #Sleep is the ultimate brain break & quality sleep leads to better cognitive performance. - #DaytimeBreaks are also crucial, a 10-minute break each hour (to drink water, trips to the bathroom & with a stretch and some fresh air). 5. Physical sensations and visualization, to put yourself into a “#FlowState" of immersion during a challenging and rewarding task. - Focus is a skill, an advantage that we humans have that allows us to determine where and how we deploy our attention, & - an opportunity to prove to ourselves how much control we have over our bodies and our minds. @StanfordMed Christina Hernandez Sherwood med.stanford.edu/news/insigh…