Improving Concentration Skills

Working in an office killed my focus and productivity. Here’s how I now optimise my remote working environment. Back story: I didn’t know I had ADHD when I worked in-house before going freelance. I told every prior employer I struggled working in an office, even though I didn’t understand why. I always requested to WFH, which was usually denied. The office environments I was working in were never optimal for me as they were created with neurotypicals in mind. I was constantly in an unproductive state of distraction and overstimulation. And most of my senses were triggered by: • Harsh or flashing artificial lighting • Messy environments with lots of clutter • Strong smells: food, drink, cleaning products etc • Music playing on the radio that created sound sensitivity • Colleagues speaking to me or each other when I’m in a deep hyperfocus mode • Or complete silence meaning all I could focus on was people chewing, coughing, typing… There was never any additional support or adjustments. This usually led to brain fog, irritability, restlessness, poor focus and discomfort. When I started my business over 2 years ago, it was the perfect opportunity to find my ideal working environment. And here’s what I’ve learned works for me - LOW STIMULATION ENVIRONMENTS: (Working from home, being outdoors, at a private co-working space) Like the environment in this video where there are few distractions. → Natural daylight → Minimal, neutral decor → Tidy, clutter-free environment → White/ brown/ bilateral sounds → Soothing scents - flowers/ sea/ candles HIGH STIMULATION ENVIRONMENTS: (Coffee shops, hotels, co-working environments, office spaces, library) Optimised for switching locations from desk and chair to sofa > indoors to outdoors etc. → Daylight, colour-changing lamp or dark moody environment → Neutral decor or bolder colours → Contains more useful clutter → Ambient music/ sounds → Relaxing scents Don’t get me wrong, I still switch up my locations 2-3 times per day. But at least I know my triggers now and understand my overstimulation/ sensitivities. - When I’m working remotely in the UK, it’s usually: WFH > coffee shop > garden or Coffee shop no.1 > WFH > hotel > coffee shop no.2 > WFH When I’m working remotely abroad, it’s usually: WFH > coffee shop > work in direct sunlight or Work on the balcony > move to sofa > move to table > balcony again > move to floor (😂) - Learning about ADHD, finding my ideal working environment and having the freedom and flexibility to work remotely has genuinely been a game-changer. P.s. this video is my ideal environment. How could it not be!? 🌊☀️ Smell of the salty air Soaking in the sun’s rays Sound of the roaring waves Eating my wee fruit & nut bowl Warm weather with an ocean breeze Regular screen breaks with this coastal view Sunny balcony = peak productivity for me 💭Where’s your ideal working environment? #adhd #adhdawareness #remoteworking

Exercise grows new brain cells at any age. But the type of exercise matters more than duration. Here's what neuroscience reveals about protecting your brain through movement: Single workout effects: ↳ Increases BDNF by 200-300% ↳ Improves focus for 2-4 hours ↳ Enhances memory formation ↳ Reduces stress hormones After 6 weeks of regular exercise: ↳ Growth of new neurons in hippocampus ↳ Increased blood flow to brain ↳ Larger brain volume on MRI scans ↳ Better cognitive test performance The exercise prescription for brain health: Aerobic exercise (150 minutes per week) ↳ Walking, swimming, cycling, dancing ↳ Moderate intensity - able to hold conversation ↳ Increases oxygen delivery to brain Resistance training (2-3 sessions per week) ↳ Builds muscle and brain simultaneously ↳ Improves executive function ↳ Reduces dementia risk by 30% High-intensity intervals (2 sessions per week) ↳ Maximal BDNF response ↳ Improves cognitive flexibility ↳ 15-20 minutes sufficient The mechanisms that protect your brain: Increased blood flow ↳ Delivers oxygen and nutrients ↳ Removes metabolic waste ↳ Supports new blood vessel growth Neurotrophin production ↳ BDNF acts like fertilizer for neurons ↳ Promotes new cell growth ↳ Strengthens synaptic connections Reduced inflammation ↳ Exercise is anti-inflammatory ↳ Decreases pro-inflammatory cytokines ↳ Reduces microglial activation The best exercises for cognitive function: Coordination-based activities ↳ Dancing, tennis, martial arts ↳ Challenge multiple brain systems ↳ Social engagement provides additional benefits Complex movement patterns ↳ Yoga, tai chi, rock climbing ↳ Integrate mind-body awareness ↳ Enhance focus and attention Team sports and group fitness ↳ Social interaction boosts benefits ↳ Strategic thinking engages prefrontal cortex ↳ Fun factor increases adherence Age-specific considerations: 20s-30s: Build cardiovascular base and establish habits 40s-50s: Maintain muscle mass and add variety 60s+: Focus on balance, flexibility, fall prevention But neuroplasticity continues throughout life. Starting exercise at 70 still provides significant brain benefits. The minimum effective dose appears to be 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days per week. But any movement is better than none. Start where you are: ↳ 10-minute walks after meals ↳ Take stairs instead of elevators ↳ Park farther from destinations ↳ Dance while doing household chores The goal isn't to become an athlete. It's to give your brain the movement it needs to stay healthy throughout your lifetime. 💬 Comment with your favorite brain-boosting exercise ♻️ Repost if you think movement is medicine for the mind 👉 Follow me (Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE) for science-based brain health strategies Citations: Voss et al. The influence of aerobic fitness on cerebral white matter integrity. Hum Brain Mapp. 2013; Liu-Ambrose et al. Resistance training and executive functions. Arch Intern Med. 2010

What if the secret to sharper decisions lies not in your strategy, but in your surroundings? We spend much of our leadership energy on strategy and systems. Yet the physical environment we work in...the light, the noise and the temperature shapes our ability to think clearly and make good decisions. Researchers note that exposure to light not only governs vision but also influences alertness, cognition and mood. Bright light reduces sleepiness and improves neuro behavioural performance. Conversely, high levels of noise, particularly irrelevant speech, diminish cognitive performance more than temperature. In one study, researchers observed optimal cognitive performance at a moderate temperature with noise levels around 55 dB. I saw this play out when we refreshed the back office of a restaurant I was overseeing. The team had been working under harsh fluorescent lights and constant background chatter from the kitchen. People were tired, mistakes crept in and tensions rose. After reading about the effects of the environment, we replaced the lighting with softer, brighter bulbs, opened blinds to let natural light in and set up a quiet area away from the busiest machines. Within days, the mood lifted. Staff reported feeling more alert and less stressed. For leaders looking to harness the environment, here are a few considerations: 1. Let in the light. Where possible, increase exposure to daylight or use bright lighting. Evidence suggests that this helps maintain alertness and reduces sleepiness. 2. Control noise. Background chatter and irrelevant speech can impair concentration. Aim for moderate noise levels and quiet zones if your space allows. 3. Mind the temperature. Studies have found that cognitive performance peaks at moderate temperatures and falls when rooms are too cold or too hot. 4. Observe and adjust. Walk through your workspace at different times. Notice where people seem energised or drained. By managing light, sound and comfort, we give ourselves and our teams a better platform to perform. Have you made any changes to your environment that improved focus or morale? I would be keen to hear what worked for you.

Something I wish more people understood about offices is this: For many #neurodivergent people, the workday starts before the work does. It starts with bright lights, overlapping conversations, chair noise, footsteps, smells, background music, and the constant effort of filtering it all out. By the time the actual job begins, a lot of energy is already gone. This isn’t about being sensitive. It’s about cumulative load. And the good news is, a lot of that load is optional. Simple things help more than people realize. → Keeping shared spaces quiet and moving calls into separate rooms. → Normalizing headphones instead of ambient music. → Letting people dress for comfort, not conformity. → Offering quieter places to eat when cafeterias get overwhelming. → Designating a low-stimulation space to decompress, softer lighting, and somewhere to breathe. → Replacing harsh fluorescent lights with natural light where possible. These aren’t perks. They’re accessibility choices. What building Mentra has taught me is that most people don’t struggle because they can’t do the work. They struggle because the environment keeps draining them before they even get a chance. When we design spaces that reduce sensory friction, people don’t just cope better, they think more clearly, collaborate more intentionally, and stay longer. Calmer environments create better work. What’s one sensory stressor in your workplace that could be softened with a small change?

Your brain after 4 hours of continuous work performs like you've been drinking. Here's the 10-minute fix backed by neuroscience. Just reviewed fascinating research that every healthcare professional (and frankly, anyone in high-stakes decision-making) needs to know: A new RCT shows that a simple 10-minute physical activity break can boost cognitive performance by up to 42% - with effects lasting 2 hours. The sobering reality? After 17 hours of being awake, our cognitive impairment equals the legal driving limit for alcohol. For those pulling 12+ hour shifts, this isn't wellness advice - it's risk management. Key findings that stopped me in my tracks: 🧠 Selective attention improves 23-42% ⚡ Executive function enhances 22-31% 👁️ Visual processing speed increases 33-42% The neuroscience is clear: moderate exercise increases frontal lobe blood flow by 26-27% and triggers BDNF release - essentially giving your prefrontal cortex the fuel it needs when decision-making matters most. The practical protocol is refreshingly simple: After 4 hours of continuous work 2 min warm-up 6 min brisk walk (even corridors work) 2 min cool-down This isn't about fitness. It's about maintaining the cognitive performance your expertise deserves. For NHS colleagues: Several trusts have successfully implemented this during peak COVID pressures. If we schedule equipment maintenance, shouldn't we schedule cognitive maintenance? For everyone else: Whether you're in finance, law, tech, or any field requiring sustained mental performance - this applies to you too. The choice isn't whether we can afford 10-minute breaks. It's whether we can afford the consequences of not taking them. What strategic breaks have worked for you? #HealthcareLeadership #CognitivePerformance #WorkplaceWellbeing #NHS #BrainHealth #EvidenceBasedPractice #MedicalLeadership #PatientSafety #WorkplacePsychology #PerformanceOptimization

Focus isn’t broken. The way we design work is. We ran a poll on attention blockers. The results were telling: • Constant digital distractions: 33% • Task switching and multitasking: 29% • Mental overload: 22% • Lack of clear priorities: 17% Nearly two-thirds of people are struggling with the same underlying issue: Work environments that overload the brain’s attention systems. From a neuroscience perspective, this is predictable. The brain is not built to juggle competing demands in parallel. Every interruption forces the prefrontal cortex to drop context, rebuild it, and expend metabolic energy in the process. Over time, this shows up as fatigue, slower thinking, and reduced quality, not poor motivation. What actually helps, based on how the brain works: • Cap inputs at the system level. Turn off non-essential notifications. Close email and chat outside defined windows. Limit active tasks to one priority plus one secondary task. Focus fails when inputs are unlimited. • Sequence work deliberately. Block time for one cognitive mode at a time. Do not mix deep thinking, decisions, and reactive tasks. Task switching drains energy and increases error. • Define work with clear edges. Start with a specific outcome. End when that outcome is reached. Completion stabilises dopamine and makes it easier for the brain to re-engage next time. • Design for attention rather than demanding it. Protect uninterrupted time. Reduce urgency theatre. Stop rewarding constant availability. Attention improves when the environment supports it. This is not about trying harder or being more disciplined. It is about aligning work design with how the human brain actually functions. That is where sustainable performance comes from. #NeuroscienceAtWork #Focus #Leadership #CognitivePerformance #BrainBasedLeadership #SynapticPotential

I work with leaders and teams across finance, law, real estate, consulting and professional services. High-pressure industries. Different sectors. Similar pressure profiles. Peak-performance in fast-paced industries isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter. It’s about staying cognitively sharp and preserving your energy, in an always-on, digitally-demanding world. High cognitive load. Constant digital interruptions. Tight timelines. Emotionally charged conversations. Decisions that carry real financial, legal and/or reputational consequences. And yet, many high-performing professionals are still trying to “out-hustle” an environment that is biologically misaligned with how humans are designed to operate. That approach doesn’t scale. Instead, that approach leads to stressed, exhaustion and burnout. The professionals who consistently perform at the top of their game are not the most frantic or constantly available. They are the ones who have learned to work with, rather than against their biological blueprint, so that they can: • Think clearly under pressure • Maintain focus in digitally noisy environments • Regulate their nervous system during high-stakes conversations • Recover quickly between intense cognitive demands • Make better decisions late in the week, not just on Monday morning This is what peak-performance actually looks like in modern fast-paced industries. Not endless output. Rather, ensuring that we close the gap between their capacity and capability. The common shift I see in my clients is this: They stop optimising for busyness and start optimising for biological alignment. That means: • Protecting their FQ (focus quotient) as a performance asset • Building micro-recovery into the workday, not just weekends • Designing boundaries around your digital load, not just hours worked • Having a Minimum Viable Performance (MVP) Energy Routine for high-pressure periods • Understanding their Human Operating System (hOS) and working with it, not overriding it This week I'm working with a fast-paced team in Finance in a group performance program. We're refining their MVP Energy Routine: The smallest set of habits that preserves cognitive clarity, emotional regulation and sleep quality during busy or stressful periods. In fast-paced industries, the cost of poor regulation shows up quickly. In decision quality. In judgment. In client relationships. In energy. I The future of peak-performance belongs to professionals who can operate at a high level without burning out the system that makes that performance possible. I’m excited to be in conversation with teams who are asking a more sophisticated question: How do we help people thrive in a digitally intense, always-on world? High-performance and health are not competing goals. When you work and live in harmony with your hOS, you begin to see there's a symbiotic relationship between the two. And when you get that right, performance becomes more sustainable, not less.

Attention is the new currency. Are you going broke? “Your attention span of 8 seconds is shorter than a goldfish's.” Hah! This sounds like a myth that is popularly mis-quoted. As a mid-career employee juggling multiple tasks, I used to feel like my brain was a browser with 15 tabs open. Emails, Slack messages, spreadsheets, and meetings - all demanded my attention simultaneously! One hectic Tuesday, I missed a crucial deadline because I was constantly switching between tasks. My boss wasn't happy, and I felt like I had let down my team. That's when I stumbled upon the power of micro-focus sessions. It's a game-changer for people like us who are pulled in a hundred directions. A well-known study from Yale found that once you are distracted from a concentrated task, it may take up to 20 minutes to get back on track. I learnt that you can double your focus in just 10 minutes a day: Here's how it works: Set a timer for 10 minutes and focus on one task only. No phone, no email, no distractions. Just you and the task at hand. It sounds simple, but it's like lifting weights for your attention span. You're training your brain to concentrate intensely for short periods. I started with just one 10-minute session a day. Within a week, I could feel the difference. My mind felt sharper, like a knife that had been freshly honed. This technique works because it aligns with our brain's natural rhythm. We're not meant to focus for hours on end. Short bursts of intense concentration followed by brief breaks are much more effective. By practicing micro-focus sessions, you'll avoid the exhaustion of constant task-switching. You can gradually increase the time from 10 minutes, in incremental steps of 5 minutes each time.  No more feeling like you're running on a hamster wheel, busy but getting nowhere. You'll also sidestep the anxiety of never finishing anything. Each completed micro-session gives you a sense of accomplishment, fueling your motivation. Ready to try it? Here's a simple step to get started: Pick one important task on your to-do list. Set a timer for 10 minutes and give it your full, undivided attention. No exceptions! You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in these focused bursts. It's like time expands when you're truly concentrated. As you practice, you can gradually increase the duration of your sessions. But don't rush it. Consistency is more important than length. Stick with this habit, and you'll see your productivity soar. You'll finally be able to close some of those mental browser tabs and feel in control of your workday. Remember, in our distracted world, the ability to focus is a superpower. And you're just 10 minutes away from starting to build that power. Do share your tips to improve your attention span, in the comments. #CareerCoach #TransformCareer  #LifeCoach #Leadership #KareerKraft     

You think focus is a willpower problem. It's often a design problem. Pianist Glenn Gould built one of the most original careers by refusing to follow the standard template. 3 lessons for designing a life that protects your best thinking: 1. Shape Your Environment to Match How Your Mind Operates Gould used a low wooden chair his father built. He took it everywhere. It let him sit at the exact height he needed. He worked closely with studio engineers. Adjusted details constantly. Created an atmosphere that supported deep attention. This wasn't eccentricity. It was method. He designed his surroundings so he could think with absolute clarity. Your move: Stop tolerating what doesn't work. Fix your chair, lighting, desk setup. Your environment either supports your thinking or sabotages it. 2. Protect Your Focus With Strong Boundaries Gould eventually stopped giving public concerts. Live performance created pressures that pulled him away from the thinking he valued. Recording let him work in controlled conditions. Explore ideas without interruption. He was willing to look unconventional. His priority was concentration, not conformity. Your move: Say no to what fragments your attention. Protect the conditions where you think best. Convention is not a strategy. 3. Build Routines That Serve Your Work, Not Someone Else's Clock Gould didn't follow a standard schedule. He worked in long, quiet stretches when his mind felt most engaged. What mattered was creating conditions that supported insight. Not keeping typical hours. His routine looked unusual. But it was consistent with how he produced his best ideas. Your move: Design your schedule around when your mind works best. Not around what looks productive. Then defend those hours fiercely. Productivity isn't about fitting into the world. It's about tailoring your environment and your boundaries so your mind can do its best work. ♻️ Share this with someone trying to think differently 🔔 Follow Kabir Sehgal for more creative insights

Do this to Stay on track and maintain focus. 1. Set Clear Goals - Break your larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks. If your goal is to complete a project, break it into tasks like research, drafting, editing, and finalizing. Identify the most important tasks and tackle them first. 💡 TIP - Use the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks by urgency & importance. 2. Create a Plan - Spend 10 minutes each morning planning your tasks & estimating how long each will take. 💡 TIP - Time Blocking: Schedule specific blocks of time for different tasks and stick to the schedule. Allocate 9-11 AM for focused work, 11-12 PM for emails, and 1-3 PM for meetings. 3. Eliminate Distractions - Use apps like Freedom or StayFocusd to block distracting websites. Keep your workspace tidy and free from clutter. 💡 TIP - Spend 5 minutes each day for organizing your desk. 4. Use Productivity Tools - Use Trello, Asana, or Todoist to keep track of tasks and deadlines. 💡 TIP - Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. Repeat this cycle to maintain focus and avoid burnout. 5. Practice Mindfulness - Incorporate short meditation sessions into your daily routine to improve focus and reduce stress. Use apps like Headspace or Calm for guided meditation. 💡 TIP - Mindful Breathing: Take deep breaths and focus on breathing to bring your attention back when you feel distracted. 6. Take Regular Breaks - Take regular short breaks to rest your mind and avoid fatigue. 💡 TIP - Take a 5-10 minute break every hour to stretch and move around. Physical Activity: Incorporate light exercises or stretches during breaks to rejuvenate your energy. Do a quick set of stretches or a short walk to refresh your mind. 7. Stay Organized - Keep a daily to-do list and check off completed tasks to stay motivated. Use a notebook or digital app to list your tasks for the day and enjoy the satisfaction of checking them off. 💡 TIP - Use a calendar to schedule meetings, deadlines, and important events. 8. Set Boundaries - Establish clear boundaries between work and personal time to avoid burnout. 💡 TIP - Set a specific end time for work each day and stick to it. Let others know your work hours and availability to minimize interruptions. 9. Stay Motivated - Celebrate small wins and reward yourself for completing tasks. Treat yourself to a favorite snack or activity after finishing a big task. Maintain a positive attitude and remind yourself of the reasons behind your goals. 💡 TIP - Keep a journal of your achievements and review it when you need a motivation boost. 10. Reflect and Adjust - Regularly review your progress and make adjustments to your plan as needed. Spend 15 minutes at the end of each week reviewing what worked well and what didn't. 💡 TIP - If you notice certain times of the day are less productive, adjust your schedule to match your peak performance.