4 Brain Boosts for Better Focus

To function successfully in the world today, you need to be focused. But this can be difficult. Distractions, brain fog, and too much jitter-causing caffeine, can make getting through the day a struggle. Below you will find four easy ways to cut through the fog and gain better focus for your busy and meaningful days.

1. Lower Your Stress
Stress is hard on a body, both physically and mentally. Every time your body experiences stress it produces and secretes stress hormones, giving your body the signal to fight or take flight. Lowering your stress will reduce the number of stress hormones your body produces and allow you to think clearly, responding to situations instead of reacting. Lowering your stress levels may mean saying “no” more often, asking for helping, or delegating tasks to others either at work or at home.

2. Cut Out Food Intolerances
Some foods, especially when consumed in excessive amounts, have been proved to affect brain function negatively. You do not have to give up these foods completely, but you can try cutting back or attempt an elimination diet. If you think a food may be causing you trouble, try living a day without it. See how you feel. Then test another food on another day. Food intolerances can also be an added strain on your brain function. These intolerances, similar to allergies, can cause reactions within the body that make it hard to focus. Foods to consider cutting back on can include pre-cooked meats, artificial sweeteners, bacon (especially the heavily preserved kind found in the supermarket), alcohol, and cheese/dairy. Remember, you do not have to cut out any of these foods completely, but you may want to consider how much you are consuming.

It may interest you to know that it has been discovered that there are different body types and each one does better on a different diet. This explains why some people do well on foods other people cannot tolerate.
Here are a couple of books that discuss the topic.

3. Increase Key Nutrients
Amp up your intake of nutrients that help your body and brain function best. Your body needs calories from fat, protein, and carbs to work properly. You may also want to consider if you are consuming enough magnesium, B vitamins, and choline.

4. Get Your Zzz’s
Getting enough quality sleep might just be one of the most significant contributors to having better focus during the day. Your body needs sleep to recuperate and clear out everything from the previous day. This includes liver function, cortisol (a stress hormone) regulation, and muscle repair. Basically, if you aren’t sleeping enough or well enough, your body can’t function at its top condition. There is a debate as to whether EMFs from electronic devices affect sleep. Try keeping yours out of the room where you rest and see what happens. Also try to keep a standard routine and bedtime and you will grow into a better sleep habit.

Having a clear and focused mind can seem like a tall order, one that you can’t possibly stack up to. But that isn’t the case. Take small and simple steps toward clearing the fog and cobwebs, and toward a brain that is ready for whatever the day brings.

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9 Things You and Your Children Should be Eating for Better Focus

Food and the nutrients they provide are the building blocks of our bodies and minds. Properly fueling your body is the perfect way to make sure your mind is ready to take on the day.  If you are going to home school, good nutrition is an important part of any school day.  You need the energy.  Plus, the children need to be focused on their work.

  1. Blueberries

Studies have shown that blueberries do contain antioxidants that can boost memory and improve focus for hours after eating them.  They can be mixed in with yogurt for an easy breakfast.

 

  1. Green Tea

Sipping this delicious beverage will give you a boost of caffeine and L-Theanine. When caffeine and L-Theanine are combined, they work together to improve alertness and focus without the dreaded crash that typically comes a few hours later.  Make yourself a cup before school begins and sip it throughout the morning.

 

  1. Avocados

It’s no wonder social media influencers are preaching the benefits of avocados. Filled with good fats and fiber, they enhance blood flow. Better blood flow means a healthier and happier brain.  Especially since the advent of the keto diet, some people now eat avocadoes for breakfast.

 

  1. Leafy Green Vegetables

Antioxidants, carotenoids, and B-vitamins. All of these individually and combined help with memory and focus, as well as protecting your brain and giving it the nutrients it needs to replenish after a long day of work.   There are recipes for making home-made kale chips that your children will enjoy.  These are easy to make, and a good way to get healthy greens into your children’s diet.

 

  1. Fatty Fish

Consuming a serving of fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, or sardines, has been shown to increase memory, mental performance, and lessen issues such as mood swings and fatigue. This is all thanks to omega-3 fatty acids, something that is abundant in several types of fish.

 

  1. Water

Your entire body is made up of water, and it is no surprise that it depends on it. Drinking enough water daily can aid in memory, focus, and creativity. You and your children need to get enough water.  This is much better for the children than sodas or sugary drinks.

 

  1. Dark Chocolate

Before you get carried away, it only takes a small serving of dark chocolate daily to reap the benefits. Caffeine and magnesium combine in this decadent treat to stimulate your brain and release the feel-good hormones, endorphins and serotonin. Both give you energy, focus, and a positive mood.

 

  1. Flax Seed

These tiny seeds are filled with goodness such as magnesium, B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and even fiber. Grinding the seeds gives your body the ability to digest them fully and to benefit from the mental clarity and focus that comes from them.

 

  1. Nuts

Nuts also contain a number of health benefits. Protein, vitamin E, and amino acids are packed into a one-ounce serving, giving you less cognitive decline and better focus throughout your day.  Choose raw nuts over fried and salted.  Raw nuts are better for you and your children.

 

Filling your diet with benefit-packing foods can sometimes seem complicated.  However, small additions of these 9 foods can allow you to reap the benefits of small changes.

Make decisions to form new habits, such as eliminating sodas and drinking water instead.  Or, make a decision to purchase raw nuts instead of salted.  As you make quality decisions one-by-one, and implement them, you will notice a cumulative benefit from new, better habits.

 

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5 Hints to Regain Lost Focus During the School Day

It happens to everyone at some point. You’re moving along, zipping through your to-dos at work or at home, and then BOOM. Something happens around you, and your focus and productivity train is derailed. It can be tricky to find your footing and get back into your groove. However,  these five hints can minimize the chance of derailment and help you to get back on track after losing focus.

 

  1.  Silence Your Phone (and computer)

We are all guilty of it. Every time your phone rings, vibrates, or lights up, you automatically look away from your task to glance at your phone. Stop those notifications, silence your phone, or put it out of your line of vision (in a desk drawer or up on a shelf).  This is especially important during home school.

Set boundaries when you can and cannot be contacted.  Most calls can wait.  If you have to use the phone, for example, to set up an appointment, do it when there is a legitimate home school break.  Having a disciplined homeschool is as much as setting disciplines for yourself and the phone, as it is setting disciplined activities and a schedule for the children.

 

  2.  Close Your Door

Close your door to the world during school.  This is school time.  It is not time for friends or mother or mother-in-law to call.  You will find some will respect this.  Some may not.  You have to set boundaries.  You also have to set up your own home “closed door” policy.  This is a time when you can get school planning or other jobs done while the children do a quiet activity such as  reading or watching a documentary.  Pureflix, a subscription service, has some good home school materials in this respect.  You have to eliminate the distractions so you can accomplish what you need to accomplish.

 

  3.  Take Breaks

Taking breaks probably seems counterintuitive. However, taking breaks from work can give your mind a rest too. Also, if you know you have a ten-minute break coming up, it will provide you with an incentive to push through a laborious task.  You need a break.  Your kids need a break.  You might find an online ten minute exercise routine they can do during as a break.  With the smaller children, there are lots of song and exercise activities to go along with learning the days of the week and months of the year.  While electronics can certainly be an over-whelming distraction, you can use them to your advantage if you use it judiciously.

If you live in the country, or have a back yard, send the children out for a short break from time to time while you take a break as well.

 

  4.  STOP Multitasking

There is no way around this, but multitasking is killing your productivity and your focus. Multitasking means you are splitting your attention between multiple items, which means you are not giving anything your full attention. Stop it. Focus on one task at a time.

Multitasking can come from having unfinished business elsewhere.  In other words, you may be trying to set the dentist appointment while helping Johnny with his spelling.  It is better to follow other suggestions on this topic of setting up certain times in your schedule to deal with unresolved activities.  If you write them down and get them out of the way, you will be less tempted to  multi-task.

 

  5.  Remove Internal Distractions

Internal distractions are the little ideas, to-dos, and random thoughts that pop into your head while working on a different task. When this happens, take a moment to write down that thought/to-do, and then get back to work. Writing it down will allow your brain to let go of it while you get back to work, and you can revisit it later.  Later on as you review the list you may find that some of the things you thought were urgent aren’t that important any more.

 

Regaining lost focus is possible. With practice and the correct tools in place, you can restore your focus quickly and with little downtime.

 

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5 Tips to Eliminate Distractions to Gain Better Focus

Distractions come in all shapes and sizes and can ruin even the best laid of plans and intentions. Some distractions cannot be helped or ignored (fire alarms or crying babies), but many of our daily interruptions can be. Keep reading for five simple steps to minimizing and eliminating disturbances that are keeping you from focusing on what matters most.

 

  1. Turn Off Notifications

We love notifications. From our phone, from our computers, from everything. Turn them off. You do not need to know every time you get a like or a retweet. You can also turn off notifications from other apps (health, email, news, coupons), and do the same with notifications that come from your computer for emails and ads. This will significantly lower the number of distractions you will have throughout a day.

 

  1. Put Away Your Phone

If at all possible, put your phone on silent or away for a set amount of time. You will no longer be tempted to check-in needlessly every few moments, and when it does go off, you won’t know it. The vast majority of messages received throughout the day do not need immediate responses anyways. If you still worry about missing important calls or texts, change your settings to allow messages and calls from specific people.

 

  1. Only Necessary Programs

If you are working on your computer, be sure only to have open the programs that are necessary for your project. Are you working on a spreadsheet? Close your email and internet browser. Closing the unneeded programs will limit distractions and having the programs you need already opened will save you time and energy.

 

 

 

  1. Clear All the Clutter

Clutter comes in many forms. Physical clutter on your desk, visual clutter (notes stuck to your monitors), or mental clutter. Get everything put up, cleaned up, and out of your head so you can focus on your task at hand and not worry about distractions.

Keep your house clean and picked up.  Keep your home school area clean and organized.  Enlist the children in these tasks.  It will much easier for you to homeschool in an orderly environment, than a disorderly one.

 

  1. Prepare Your Home School Area

Decide where you will home school and prepare a dedicated area accordingly.  Purchase the supplies you need and keep them handy in an organized way. Make sure your room is the right temperature.  Have the children get a drink of water or use the bathroom before school begins.  Set a standard that school time is school time and needs to be respected accordingly.  Having everything and everyone ready for school means the children (or you) will not be leaving the home school area frequently.

 

Taking a few moments to prepare yourself, your children and your home school area can go a long way in helping all of you maintain focus and complete projects promptly.

 

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5 Things You Should be Doing to Improve Focus During Home School

Are you someone that skips from task to task at work without spending a significant amount of time on any one thing? You probably are if you’re reading this article… but that’s okay, you’re here now, and we are going to work on it. Keep reading to learn the 5 things you should be doing at work to improve your focus and productivity.

 

  1. Respond, Don’t React

Immediate reaction is something we all feel like we have to do. New email? Read, react, and hit send. New to-do pops up on your phone?   STOP.  First, unless something is marked “Immediate Action Needed,” it can probably wait. Stop reacting immediately and instead take time to work through, think, and respond when you’re ready.

 

  1. Hardest First

It can be  hard getting everything done.  A trick is to not put it off, do it now, get it done the night before.  This will get it out of the way so you can enjoy the rest of your day and stay focused on your home school routine.  A good motto is “Do it now.”

Learn to get work done the night before.  Throw laundry in the washing machine at night so it is partly done by the next day.  Get the dishes done the night before, don’t let them sit in the sink.  Learn to finish a day’s work in a day, that way, when morning comes, and school is ready to start, you are ready to start with a clean slate of fresh energy.

 

  1. Stop Time-Sucks

Time-sucks come in many forms. Notifications, social media, and cleaning out your deleted email files are great examples. You are giving up your valuable time to those things that can wait, and instead, most likely creating a backlog of work for yourself. Do whatever it is you need to do to remove the temptation and get back to work.

Sometimes something like deleting emails can be done at a different time, for example, when you are on hold waiting to talk to someone on the phone.  Think about some time wasters and how to reduce the work load.    Unsubscribe from unnecessary email lists.   Set up folders for incoming emails.  For example, you probably get notifications when you pay bills.  By making folders, or labels as they are sometime called, in the email provider, you can automatically or semi-automatically send emails to your folders.  This will save you time.

 

  1. Make a To-Do List

A game plan for your day is possibly the most valuable tool you have at your disposal. Simply knowing what all you need to do and what other commitments you have will give you a clear view of what your day will look like. A simple piece of paper with a time ladder and checkboxes will do the trick.  Or you may want to get a planner to help you.  There are planners that are set up specifically for home school moms.

 

  1. Work in Chunks

Break your day up into chunks by time. Working for forty-five minutes with a ten-minute break will not only make the day go by faster but will also help you learn to gauge how long specific tasks take and where your time is being used.  Learn how to adjust these chunks of time for your own home school situation.

 

Following these suggestions will help you train yourself to work, respond, and plan your day in a way that is most productive for you and your children. This will look different for everyone, but with time and practice, you can become more effective.

 

 

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