7 Ways to Get Your Goofy Brain Focused

Do you get scattered brain? Mind's ALL over the place while you're talking to people or working on something?

Do you stare at the corner of the screen missing 90% of the article? Or reread the same sentence ten times?

When you read none of the words process through, and your eyes just trace off the paper to the little speck on the desk?

Or start applying all of your attention to the TV in the background playing Robot Chicken?

Then you start rearranging stuff in the bathroom?

Its okay :) we're only human.

I'm cursed with all of the above. And it's embarrassing to admit... my memory is not all that great. I'm not good with remembering names, faces, and small details unless I note them down in some shape or form, or become repetitive. And I'm HORRIBLE when it comes to recollecting every piece of information someone verbally speaks to me. So yes, I will be the worst witness in history when reporting a crime 😂. But what I do remember is the energy which they express it, and most important information (especially when repeated).

On top of that, my mind drives an entirely different road. I'm either in my own little cozy cloud fantasizing magic adventures or constructing that mental grocery list while trying to listen to someone's sh**ty day.

I also overstimulate myself, working on multiple projects with Catfish or random court shows playing in the background, oldies music on blast or low volume constantly skipping after ten seconds of listening to each song, then switching to journaling a thought, then playing one game of Rocket League... then suddenly start to clean my apartment or learn how to dance, and daydreaming. I enjoy the freedom, though, *groan*, if i can work x hours straight I could get A LOT done.

You can call it ADD, but I'm not confirmed to have it. However I can confirm I've had anxiety that has been diagnosed in every doctor visit. My anxiety has been affecting my life, my productivity, and my mood. I've been a GREAT student, thankfully, but now that I'm out of school I'm challenged to adapt to these defects in the real world.

I know I'm not alone, and if you can relate on any of these habits I mentioned, I'm here to help :) Because we all gotta be productive. Whether at your job or a personal project.

Here are some tips that helped me maintain focus on an important task, whether that be listening to my teacher, typing a research paper, a creative project, reading a book, or watching a movie.

1. Write! Take Notes!

Think about it. When you watch your teacher write notes, listen to what they're saying, you may understand it. But you might forget a lot of really important stuff 🤔

Now if you had a notebook in front of you, copying the notes on screen, and accounting for the lovely bonus information your teacher is saying (don't underestimate that!), you'll have a better remembrance of the lesson.

This all sounds so simple... dude we all know this. But not everyone does it.

And by it I mean PHYSICALLY write ✍️

Sure, typing away does the same trick. But writing is an actual craft, drawing letters and symbols to represent a word or idea. You're putting your energy into creating these lines and swirls, a dot here and there, it becomes more effective for the content to stick to your brain more, whereas when you type you're just pressing buttons.

Not to mention (and this happened to me just now...) you type something and an error occurs or your document crashes, you refresh... and it didn't save your last edit?!?! Totally forgot. And it was worded PERFECTLY.

Now don't get me wrong, I love to type. I almost NEED to type because I'm a fast typer. While my teacher speaks I can't write as fast - plus I don't want to be that annoying student asking them to repeat themselves (btw, don't be afraid to ask questions. I just have slight stage-fright.) So it's effective to have my laptop to get everything down tap tap tap, study later, aaaaand write it down in a book so it can stay in my brain.

So it works both ways! Write your notes, type it later. Type your notes, write it later.

I take notes and make lists on EVERYTHING - listing ideas and tasks for creative projects, grocery lists, understanding the overwhelming lore of a fantasy book, talking on the phone and constructing to-do lists for the week. After looking at the lists often, it eventually becomes fluent in my brain :)

2. Put on Subtitles

Dude.... when I watch Game of Thrones I have NO idea what most of these people are saying most of the time. And when I don't I'm not focusing at all on the plot. And sometimes, dialogue in movies are just wayyyy to fast for me 😵‍💫

Since I was young and discovered the CC button on the TV remote I've been watching everything with subtitles. It helped me understand what's really going on and I still manage to watch the visuals as well.

If only real people came with subtitles...

Anyways, have you done this: someone says something to you. A joke. Something. You had NO idea what they said but you go "haha yeah."

Be... Very... Careful o_o 😂!!!

I'm guilty of it too. I do it because repeating yourself or asking someone to repeat themselves can get exhausting. Even if it's just random chatter, you don't wanna say "yeah" to the wrong thing. And I did that with my TEACHERS. Just because I was tired, wanted to go home to my bed, didn't want to spend time to understand it at that very moment. That's... not good lol.

Not many of us are good listeners. I'd like to say I am, but with my "movie-brain" sometimes I drift off into my own fantasies. Words on the screen personally helps me maintain focus on the screen in front of me, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

3. Drink Water

Stay hydrated! Coffee and RedBull boost your ENERGY, but does not necessarily help you focus. Drinking too much of those will get you jittery, and your heart beating like a tribal drum.

Your body needs WATER. I feel like most of us forget to drink it every day. Get in the habit of carrying a water bottle. Also, nothing beats a fresh glass of ice cool water 🤤

Drinking water is super effective for your cognitive functioning. Water is essential for maintaining proper blood circulation, ensuring that oxygen and nutrients reach the brain efficiently, water helps your short term memory, attention, and problem solving skills. It also increases your energy levels, making you feel more alert and energized, contributing to better focus.

It's the ultimate healing potion. Why are we ignoring it?!

I find an easy way to keep water in your diet every day is to have a favorite cup or bottle. My Gloomy Bear water bottle is plastic and has a straw that flips, so when I drop it nothing spills. It fits nicely in my bag too and I keep it nearby when I work, refilling it with ice and water throughout the day. It's beginning to wear and tear so I plan to put some stickers on it or purchase a new one... maybe even make my own!

4. Fix the Lighting

I really hoped this wasn't just me but after some research it's very true.

Too much exposure to artificial light such as phone screens can have a negative affect on your focus, causing you to have mental fatigue and eye strain. Blue light in particular can mess up your natural sleep schedule and patterns, especially during the evening.

Odd preference: I shop at Kroger vs Meijer. The walls and floor are warm colors instead of bright white light all around, ceiling to floor. I found it difficult to focus on where to go, what to look for, because the florescent light irritates me so much.

Ask yourself this: what happens when you turn on your phone in the middle of the night and the brightness is 100%? You squint. Your eyes process. They feel strained. The unevenness of the light in the room is bothering you.

Sure, when a rooms dark and your bright screen is the only source that attracts your attention you look at that. But you're straining your eyes :( !

Balance the light in the room. Dim the brightness of your screen to a comfortable level, nothing too bright or too dark. This will create a warm environment. Additionally, make sure you get NATURAL light - take walks, or take your work outside.

A trick I use to turn the screen to a warm hue after hours is to add a night light to my computer. The warmer hue puts less strain on my eyes and helps me become more productive and less tired from brain fog

5. Limit Distractions

For example, put your phone face down. When my phone screen lights up while I read or watch something, my eyes immediately draw to my phone. My brain becomes fixated on a bunch of different thoughts. "Who is it?" "It can wait but maybe it's so and so." "Did he reply to my meme?"

S***. Rewind -- totally missed that part.

Sure, the mysteriousness of a phone upside down has the same effect. But when that phone lights up you KNOW someone hit you up. But you gotta finish this online course. Or this chapter. Instead of struggling to push the thought aside... just don't encourage it.

The same goes for music and busy environments. You hear someone say something, rap random verses, a weird sneeze, now you're fixated on that, not your book. For me its distracting to the point the new information that distracted me knocked out the information I recently read.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes we need music in the background to work. And it's nice to be distracted, like when your dog comes up to you for pets (imo, thats the BEST distraction). But there are certain times you might need to really tune down the extra stimuli.

6. Change Your Environment

Working from home sounds like a paradise. Thats just it... a paradise.

I can snuggle up in my bed when I want to, play a game of Sims, have a smoke, a shot of Crown Royale, a bowl of lucky charms, play with the dog. But I gotta get this project done. And my breaks take... longer than usual.

Take a walk. Take your laptop to the nearby coffee shop or public library. Yes, trap yourself in a different environment. Discipline yourself to stay there for a few hours and WORK!

I find that I'm way more productive with important projects when I'm in a different environment other than my home office. Limiting the luxurious things around me will give me no other choice but to stay with my laptop.

So this is the same as limit distractions, though you are getting out of your super-comfort zone. Your WAY too comfortable zone, and into your productive zone.

The mere thought of thinking about going out and leaving the room is exhausting - I admit. But that just says I don't get out much. That should change. You don't have to go alone either :) take your co-worker or friend with you to the library and do some parallel-play! You'll have each other for moral support or to take small breaks to chat and talk about your work. But I really do encourage to start solo.

And like Stan Lee, bring some headphones. If it helps you, listen to the music that helps you flow through tasks - no one should bother you either seeing you wear them (but do be aware of any epic-battles.)

7. Puzzles, Brain Games and Fidget Desk Toys

Work can be overwhelming.

When I need a break from straining my eyes staring at a bright computer screen all day, not feeling like reading a bunch of words in my fantasy book, or even feeling angsty, I pop in some earbuds and work on one of my word-search books or jigsaw puzzles. They're a perfect relaxing activity. Once I get started I get invested, not even knowing I'm exercising my brain o_o

I love to collect jigsaw puzzles. Back in high-school our library had a puzzle that my friends and I worked on together while chatting and listening to music. Since then I've noticed all the schools I've attended had a puzzle table for students to unwind and take a break.

Mobile puzzle games are also fun and effective, helping improve your memory, problem solving skills, and concentration. Some of my favorites are Water Sort, Flow Free, Wordle, and some good-ol Tetris <3

As for fidgets, overtime I found myself having trouble sitting down or the NEED to multitask. But my multitasking consisted of doing a bunch of different projects, leaving all the productivity to each project to level out. I mean, sounds great but I want to focus on one thing at a time. Messing around with rubber poppers or ninja-flipping my pen helped me take a short break to think, or keep my hands busy while I read an article.

I keep a box of fidgets on my desk at work, which includes a Rubix cube, fidget poppers, spinners, a yo-yo, a TekDeck skateboard and a Useless Box. When a student comes to me and I have to spend two minutes to prepare a new laptop for them, I don't want things to be awkward - having them STARE at me while I work or browse around on their phones 😨 These fidgets do the job VERY well and the kids absolutely love them!

Affordable puzzle books, fidgets and brain games can be purchased at the dollar store. Good qualitiy products can be found at Walmart and Five Below. Keep them close by your work station whenever you need a break, your brain will thank you <3

Wrapping up - medication, self-care, etc.

My hope is that the tips listed for staying focused are helpful and act as a guide to help you find your own focus. As an easily-distracted creator myself, I strive to do a good job. I am aware of my own habits that break my focus. The truth is, these tips take energy and commitment - as does everything ever. It is important to take care of yourself, to know what is best for you, and to identify and avoid things that cause your productivity to decline and makes you unhappy.

Take control!

I am aware there are people who struggle to have any focus, who have been diagnosed with severe learning disorders and cognitive thinking disabilities. If it does become a huge obstacle in your life - note that I am NO EXPERT! I'm just a young adult artist with distractions, with defects here and there, who aspires to help others truck through. Consider talking to a specialist to come up with a plan or treatment for you. Medications such as Ritalin or Aderall are known for treating ADHD, enabling the user to have more focus on tasks. I've had friends who have taken it, experienced the effects, but didn't want to commit long time as they have experienced extreme changes to their behavior, such as impulsiveness and hyper-activity. I've taken anxiety medication in high-school, but as I got older I practiced a lot of self-care rituals, eventually quitting my daily pill all on my own. I didn't want to rely on one pill, and I didn't really feel any different while taking it. But I'm just one person, my friends are just one person, I'm sure there are others that would benefit from medication.

I hope 2024 brings you much happiness, productivity and big accomplishments! Good luck on your goals and ambitions - know that in order for them to happen YOU gotta put in the work 💜