Keeping your focus in a world full of distractions

“To be able to hear what’s really happening in the world, you have to block out 99% of the noise”.

We all can relate to this quote by author Jonathan Franzen when it comes to the attempt of working or learning with focus and concentration. Just think of the infamous open floor office that often displays an environment so noisy that it is practically impossible to work concentrated and productively.

As a University of California Irvine study shows, it takes about 30 minutes to refocus on task after a distraction. It is no surprise that noise-cancelling headphones and headsets have become increasingly popular in recent years – especially in times of work from home when everyday family life often takes place in the immediate background.

Environmental noise in everyday life

But not only the world of work gets noisier and more distracting. Rather, every aspect of modern life is characterised by many distractions that make it ever harder to concentrate and focus in the present moment.

No wonder that meditation and mindfulness apps are popular among people who attempt to find (acoustical) rest in our digital world.

One thing that is experienced by many as especially stressful is the environmental noise of the modern world. If you live in an urban setting, daily life is characterised by a lot of background noises from construction work, traffic noise and the persistent soundscape in your building. It is this permanent background noise that can affect your mental health immensely.

Environmental noise and mental health

Unwanted background noise is described by many as especially unnerving compared to other stressors in our modern lifestyle.

The problem is that it forms a source of ceaseless stimuli for our sense of hearing: we simply can’t shut our ears as easily as we can shut our eyes.

Noise can trigger a stress response in our brain that leads to a release of cortisol better known as the stress hormone. Noise-induced stress can cause severe cardiovascular disorders and negatively impact our sleep, our ability to learn and our motivation. 

According to the European Environment Agency, long-term exposure to environmental noise is estimated to cause 12.000 premature deaths and to contribute to 48.000 new cases of ischemic heart disease per year in Europe. It is estimated that 22 million people suffer chronic high annoyance and 6.5 million people suffer chronic high sleep disturbance.  

You may wonder if persons, with a (partial) hearing loss are less sensitive to environmental noise. Surprisingly, studies show that hearing loss doesn’t lead to higher noise tolerance. 

5 tips for more focus

It is often difficult to find our focus. But there are some easy techniques to train your mind and body to be more concentrated.

1. Practice meditation or mindfulness routines

​Breathing exercises or mindfulness technics like body scan meditation can help you to stay focused in the present moment without worrying about future tasks or problems that you could not solve yesterday.

2. Engage in a healthy lifestyle

​Mens sana in corpore sano - A healthy mind should dwell in a healthy body: A healthy diet, enough sleep and a balanced workout routine create a rested, yet alert mind that can focus fully on its task without being distracted or suffering from brain fog.

3. Focus on priorities

​We all have a long to-do list every day with various work tasks as well as duties and responsibilities in our private life. Ask yourself every day what is REALLY important – when in doubt, stick to positive procrastination!

4. Avoid multitasking

​Multitasking was long praised as the ultimate method to boost your productivity. But several studies show that the brain is not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. Although we might feel the impulse to dedicate ourselves to all the tasks on our to do list at once, we will be more productive if we focus on every single task on our list, one after the other.

5. Use a Music for Focus playlist

​Music for focus, especially binaural beats, work wonders for many people who aim to work more concentrated. You might also want to try white, pink, or the so-called Brownian noise – multi-award-winning author Zadie Smith swears by it!