We live in a world filled with distractions. Attention spans have shrunk from roughly 2.5 minutes in 2004 to about 40-47 seconds — some report a reduction to as low as 8 seconds — a drop of 60-70% since portable digital screens entered our lives.
Now more than ever, focus is at an all-time low, many preferring social media to writing. With the introduction of AI to shortcut the writing process, the problem is only worsening.
Writers who focus long enough to write without AI tools have become valuable to companies and organizations who hire freelance writers to grab the attention of their target audience. With the exception of tech companies who hire writers to train AI models — no amount of money is worth selling your voice! — all say they’ll trash your application if you use AI tools for any part of the application process: resume, cover letter, and writing samples.
Freelance writers need to able to flex their creative muscles, or they’ll never find work.
Authors need to be able to flex their creative muscles to touch the lives of readers.
Freelance writers — or authors who supplement their income with freelance work — have run across the “No AI” warning many times.
When I first ran across it, it made perfect sense. Of course, companies and organizations want the human touch. Any AI prompter can produce thousands of words on various topics. Only a real writer can trigger emotions in the reader.
Writers can’t flex those mental muscles without the ability to focus. In today’s world, new writers especially may suffer with a lack of focus. They’re juggling school, work, family, or all three, and don’t take their writing seriously yet. Many professional writers juggle just as much, if not more, but they’ve learned to hit the keyboard whether they’re inspired or not.
The ability to focus is an important life skill for us all. Hence my motivation for this post.
7 Unusual Ways to Improve Focus
Chewing Gum
Sounds crazy, I know, but I read this recently and couldn’t avoid diving headfirst into a research rabbit hole.
- The physical act of chewing, or mastication, acts like a motor for the brain that activates motor fibers in the jaw that increase cerebral blood flow. This delivers more oxygen and glucose to regions responsible for attention and memory, such as the thalamus and hippocampus, according to Scientific America.
- Chewing stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which is linked to the brain’s arousal system.
- EEG studies show shifts in brainwave patterns associated with being both calm and alert — what researchers call “relaxed concentration.”
- Improved Reaction Times: Many studies found that “chewers” have significantly faster reaction times on cognitive tests.
- Reduced Stress: Gum can lower cortisol levels, which help manage anxiety that often interferes with focus, according to the National Institute of Health.
- While non-chewers often see their performance decline over 30 minutes, gum chewers maintain consistent accuracy.
- Some experts believe chewing serves as a form of productive fidgeting, keeping the brain stimulated enough to stay on track without being a major distraction, according to Science Daily.
The Spider Technique
This mental training exercise helps you ignore external distractions.
If you held up a vibrating tuning fork to a spider web, the spider will rush out to investigate. After several repetitions without finding prey, the spider wises up and stops reacting.
Train yourself to be the wise spider. When a door slams or someone enters the room, acknowledge the sound but choose not to glance over. Practicing “tunnel vision” helps build a mental barrier against interruptions.
Look at “Kawaii” Images
Kawaii means “cute” in Japanese. Hope this one doesn’t sidetrack you for hours, but looking at cute photos of baby animals can significantly boost performance on tasks that require high focus, like writing a novel. A study by Japanese researchers found that cuteness-triggered, positive emotions narrow the breadth of attentional focus, making you more detail-orientated and less prone to veering off-course.
Loop One Song on Repeat
I’ve done this one, and it does work.
Listening to music is common among writers, but listening to one song or album on a loop for hours is a specific high-focus strategy. Your brain has two attention systems: conscious and unconscious. Familiar, repetitive music occupies the unconscious system — the part that usually scans for distracting background noises to assess potential threats — without taxing your conscious mind. This creates a “trance-like” state, or as creatives call it, “the zone,” our ideal happy place.
Create a To-Do List
Sounds simple, I know, but it works. I’ve done it for years.
Rather than fight stray thoughts, whether it be ideas for future scenes or things you need at the grocery store, give them a temporary home by writing it on paper or in Notes on your phone. This externalizes the To-Do item and sends a signal to your brain that the item is safe and can be released from your working memory. Otherwise, your mind will keep trying to remember it.
Practice Positive, Constructive Daydreaming
Sometimes the best way to focus is to stop trying. I do this a lot, too. When I reach a point where I’m spinning my wheels or hit a mental wall, I walk outside and watch my wildlife. Or go for a 20-minute walk. Or take a shower. Or read a book for a while. Or meditate. Or exercise. Do anything that allows free thoughts to flow, like daydreaming. This engages the brain’s default mode network, which replenishes your “willpower reserves” and often leads to creative breakthroughs that a forced focus cannot reach.
Strategic Cold Exposure
Dunking your face in a bowl of ice water for 20-30 seconds is not only an anti-aging technique but a reset for your nervous system. Cold exposure triggers a sharp release of norepinephrine and activates the sympathetic nervous system. This is often followed by a parasympathetic rebound that leaves you feeling calm, alert, and mentally sharp.
How many of these have you done? Did they help?
The To Do List is absolutely essential in my life. it not only gives me a place to park ideas and things I need to attend to, but it also gives me great satisfaction when I can cross something off of it. The simple act of drawing a line through a To Do item, or deleting it provides confirmation of accomplishment, a sense of achieving a goal.
So true, Henry. It’s super satisfying to cross out a To-Do item. Plus, if I don’t jot down a note, I might forget to do it. 😂
I’m a To-Do lister, too, Sue. Crucial for me is prioritizing the list, using ABC method. I put an A by the most important items, then prioritize those with A1, A2 etc. I also put a guesstimated time they will take. Same with Bs and Cs. If I get to the Bs, fine. The Cs can always wait. I also include some down time for breaks, lunch, etc. All this only takes a minute or so to put together, but pays big dividends.
I do have some music loops. Also ambient sound, like coffee house, rain, soft street noise.
What a fantastic idea to prioritize the To-Do list, Jim. I’ll try that. Thanks!
Life’s too crazy to NOT use a to-do list. I can’t keep myself straight otherwise. I’ve not tried but like the idea of looping one song on repeat.
For a long time I didn’t consider myself as impacted as some people I observed with regard to ability to focus but it’s definitely a bigger impact on me now–and I’m not even a “phone in hand every minute” person like so many folks I see. Technology has some definite positives, but the 24/7 news & media has definitely had a negative impact as well.
As to dunking my face in ice-water…I HATE to be cold so that one ain’t happening. LOL!
Haha. Fair enough, Brenda. I will say, the cold face bath is invigorating. 😁
Dunking your face in cold water also stops A-Fib. 🙂
Does it really? Wow.
It has mine when coughing or holding my nose, and blowing hard doesn’t work.
Another skill I’ve found that helps with focus is knitting. The click-click of the needles and the feel of thread in my hands resonates with my brain. I’m also a to-do list maker, and you’re right about the satisfaction of drawing a line through a completed task.
Oh, I bet. Any relaxing exercise like knitting would work.
Great tips, Sue! I regularly “loop one song on repeat” to center me on the fictive dream I’m spinning. I’m also a fan of Marvel ’83’s synth wave music, which is an 80s electronica sound evoking that time. Each tune is different, but the commonalities between songs gives it a unity akin to looping one song.
I’m also a fan of to-do lists to offload my concerns so I can focus. I really like Jim’s approach he shared above–much more structured than my simple checklist.
I’ve practiced a constructive daydreaming, especially with walking, but lately I’m focusing on being mindful while walking, doing the dishes etc to help myself slow down and focus on the moment, which helps when sitting at the keyboard.
Hope you have a great week!
I swear we’re kindred spirits, my friend. One song or a collection has the same effect. I often create a playlist for each book, which becomes white noise after a while. As soon as the first song starts, I’m transported into the story again.
You and I also share the practice of mindfulness to live in the present moment. It helps a lot to achieve and maintain focus when we hit the keyboard. Also, I believe, mindfulness helps to achieve happiness, contentment, and inner peace — all vital to find our center.
The Natural World is such a beautiful, wondrous place that should never be traded for social media (during work hours) that suck the creativity right out of a writer.
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead! Stargaze for me. We have a full week of rain ahead.
This is great, Sue! Distractions are a big problem for me. If I have music playing, I can’t keep from listening to it. Maybe playing the same loop over and over would help, as you indicated. I have a bullet point journal, but never do the things I list. Too spontaneous, I guess. If there’s something that sounds interesting, I switch from whatever I’m doing. Strangely, I wrote a novel of 85K words in ten days when I was between jobs. I had a lot of jobs due to boredom or just plain restlessness. I’m going to try some of these and see what happens. Thanks!
Good for you, Becky! Hope they help.
I create a to-do list at the beginning of each week. It’s a great way to focus and get control over things I need to do. My method of prioritizing isn’t as sophisticated as Jim’s. I just put an asterisk in the margin of each task that has to get done that week.
Thanks for a good start to the week, Sue.
I use the asterisk, too, Kay, but Jim’s process resonated with me. Gonna try that.
I’m not organized enough to be consistent with any of these. Sometimes I wrote my To Do list AFTER doing a task, so I can see how much I’ve accomplished instead of looking at a list that makes me think I’ll never get all that done.
The gum chewing is interesting. I’ve done it to keep away from over snacking, but now I have another reason.
Hard no on the Ice bath.
I found the gum chewing interesting, as well, Terry. Haven’t chewed gum in years but… 🙂
Fantastic post, Sue!
I always buy an extra calendar for my desk. Nice big squares for each day’s to-do list.
The tip you mention about daydreaming is the one that resonates with me. It’s kind of a lost art in these noisy, chaotic days we live in. Maybe I should add “daydreaming” to my to-do list…now there’s an idea.
Another thing I practice almost daily is Scrabble against the droid in my Kindle. Yes, I’m thinking, but the girls in the basement get bored with the game and as I’m gaming, I can hear them down there getting into all kinds of trouble. That’s when I sneak up on them to see what they’re up to. 🙂
Have a great week!
Haha. Love the image of you eavesdropping on the girls in the basement, Deb.
Wishing you a fab week ahead, too!
I’m also a list maker, Sue. Can I substitute cookies for chewing gum?
Haha! If only… 😂
Interesting tricks, Sue, thanks!
To do list is mandatory. I also like Jim’s prioritizing system.
Going for a walk outside is my never-fail, mind-clearing, problem-solving tool.
While writing, I can’t listen to music but sometimes I get an ear worm that won’t leave, like the chorus of Hey, Jude or a particular Springsteen song. The tune keeps repeating until it’s like a background mantra I’m not esp. conscious of. Is that similar to your loop soundtrack?
Sounds like the same as the loop, Debbie. Hey, whatever works!
Among other things the facial dunk in ice cold water may be useful for, it was part of Paul Newman’s routine to help maintain his youthful look.
I wish I could monetize all the trivia lodged in my brain.
Yes, I knew about the ice bath’s anti-aging properties. Didn’t realize Paul Newman did it, though. What a perfect poster child.
Wearing headphones, I find this very useful for blocking out audio distractions. https://asoftmurmur.com/
I use rain with a little thunder in the background. Works for me.
I use that to sleep, Marshall. Works great.
I can’t live without my headphones, Marshall. Works great for blocking out the world.