How to improve focus: Try these 5 tips to increase attention span

In the early 2000s, Gloria Mark noticed she was having trouble paying attention to any single screen. Anecdotally, she knew others were feeling the same way. As a psychologist and scientist, she decided to test it: Are computers impacting our attention spans?

Over two decades of research, the answer has been an overwhelming “yes.” The digital age is impacting our ability to stay focused.

Sound like you? Here’s what experts recommend to improve your attention span.

What is the average attention span?

Mark, a chancellor’s professor emerita at the University of California, Irvine and the author of “Attention Span,” first began studying attention spans in 2003. She found that people spent an average of two and a half minutes on any computer screen before switching. In 2012, she repeated the study and saw that number shrink to 75 seconds.

When she studied it for a third time between 2016 and 2020, the average attention span was only 47 seconds.

Why is my attention span so short?

While the public narrative is that algorithms are to blame, Mark says it’s a bit more complicated.

She identified several factors that influence attention spans: the design of the internet, algorithms, personalities, human social needs and the general media landscape.

Designed to distract

With hyperlinks, tagged photos and pop-up ads, the internet is designed as a rabbit hole that keeps us online. This creates a “roller coaster” of reward-seeking, says Marcy Caldwell, a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner and director of the Center for ADHD.

“We hit a peak at the highest level when we actually make that switch over to the new (tab) and then the levels decrease again, so then we get hungry for more,” Caldwell says.

Algorithms

Social media algorithms are designed to keep users on the platform. TikTok keeps tabs on your likes, comments and how long you view videos to feed you content that keeps you scrolling. Facebook’s algorithm can take in more than 10,000 different signals to predict a user’s likelihood of engaging with a post, the Washington Post found.

These algorithms make it “very hard to turn away from tech,” Mark says. TikTok, in particular, is “very agile” and can quickly learn how to keep you consuming content, she says.

Person-to-person differences

“Some people are born with good self-regulation skills – that’s a personality trait. They’re born with low impulsivity and high conscientiousness that they’re much better able to control their attention,” Mark says. “But a lot of people aren’t.”

Folks with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, may also have a harder time regulating. There are differences in the reward center of the brain for those with the neurological disorder, says Caldwell, who runs ADDept.org.

“This cue and draw for attention can create that anticipation of reward and (when) we have a brain that has a hungry reward system, then it’s going to be extra compelling,” she says. Medication may help.

Social reward seeking

A “like” or interaction with a follower taps into the social rewards that human beings so desperately seek, Mark says. The internet has increasingly become a place where users can find friends and even stardom. It keeps you coming back for more, especially if you don’t have that community offline.

General media landscape 

While TikTok is now pushing longer-form content, the platform is known for short, endlessly scrollable videos. And now there are similar options on almost every other platform – Instagram and Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spotlight.

Even the shot lengths in films have gotten shorter. One paper analyzed 135 films between 1935 and 2010 and found contemporary movies had shorter shot lengths and more motion, likely “created by filmmakers seeking to control the attention of their viewers.”

How to increase attention spans

There are two types of attention – rote and active. Active attention is an engaging and challenging state of focus, Mark says, like when reading a difficult book or writing a paper. When you’re engaged but not challenged, like watching a video or playing Candy Crush, you’re using rote attention.

In her research, Mark found that people are happiest when using rote attention but experience a deeper fulfillment when they use active attention. Use these five tips to balance the two.

1. Prioritize breaks

Both types of attention are important, as are breaks. Humans cycle through a natural rhythm of focused attention throughout the day, Mark’s research found. While everyone is different, people typically experience a peak focus mid-morning and then again in the afternoon.

Don’t expect to always be focused and productive, Mark says. When we’re fatigued, our executive functioning skills deplete and we can’t perform as well or filter out distractions. That’s the signal that it’s time for a break.

The best type of break is away from electronic devices and outside, which research shows can reduce stress. But if you can’t get outside, it’s OK to play a game on your phone or engage in some other rote activity, like knitting, to give your mind a moment to rest and wander.

Just make sure to set a timer so you don’t get sucked into your activity, Mark says.

2. Avoid distraction rather than resisting distraction

Distractions are natural, but it can be hard to refocus.

“Resisting distraction depletes our executive function because in order to resist this distraction, we have to notice (it), be drawn away from it and then tell ourselves no,” Caldwell says. “That takes effort.”

Here are a few ways you can set up blockers to avoid distraction:

• Use noise-canceling headphones.

• Play focus music, like brain.fm or classical music.

• Face your desk toward a wall.

• Try “body doubling,” or working alongside an accountability partner.

• Turn off social media and text notifications.

• Install a social media blocker.

3. Practice meta-awareness

Instead of clicking unconsciously, practice being aware of what you’re doing as you’re doing it, Mark says. This skill will help you become more intentional when you’re online.

Next time you have the urge to open an app, ask yourself “Do I really need to go on social media right now?” or “Do I really need to check this notification?”

4. Don’t try to multitask

Forget multitasking – it doesn’t exist unless one of those tasks is automatic, like driving a car down a straight road and talking to a passenger. In all other scenarios, you’re shifting your attention rapidly between two tasks, which takes longer, leads to more errors and increases stress.

“Think of it as writing on an internal whiteboard of your mind and then suddenly you switch and … you have to erase that internal whiteboard and write this new (task),” Mark says. “Sometimes, just like with a real whiteboard, we can’t erase it completely and it leaves a residue.”

5. Prioritize overall health

A good night of sleep – both in quality and quantity – is important to start your day and attention capacity off on the right foot. A balanced and nutritious diet can also fuel energy and concentration.

“When our blood sugars drop, our brains divert resources away from our prefrontal cortex, which is where our executive function is,” Caldwell says.

Why you should drink peppermint tea: Benefits include memory, cognitive improvement

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered.

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "What is hangxiety?" to "How to answer common job interview questions?" to "What is the most spoken language in the world?" – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to focus better: Increase attention span with these 5 tips