{"id":669896,"date":"2025-05-18T03:25:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T00:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span\/"},"modified":"2025-05-18T03:25:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T00:25:15","slug":"easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span\/","title":{"rendered":"Easily distracted? How to improve your attention span"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e74f859648\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e74f859648\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span\/#How_did_we_lose_focus\" >How did we lose focus?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span\/#Give_your_wandering_mind_%E2%80%98active_breaks\" >Give your wandering mind &#8216;active breaks&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span\/#Say_no_to_multitasking\" >Say no to multitasking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/easily-distracted-how-to-improve-your-attention-span\/#Start_with_something_you_actually_like_and_set_a_goal\" >Start with something you actually like and set a goal<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/easily-distracted-how.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/easily-distracted-how.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A woman looks at her phone while watching the sun set in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Credit: AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/easily-distracted-how.jpg\" alt=\"Easily distracted? How to improve your attention span\" title=\"A woman looks at her phone while watching the sun set in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Credit: AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                A woman looks at her phone while watching the sun set in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Credit: AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Feel like you can&#8217;t focus? Like you&#8217;ll never finish a book again? Like the only way to keep your mind and hands busy is to scroll on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> for hours?<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re far from alone. One body of decades-long <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityofcalifornia.edu\/news\/cant-pay-attention-youre-not-alone\" target=\"_blank\">research<\/a> found the average person&#8217;s attention span for a single screen is 47 seconds, down from 2.5 minutes in 2004. The 24\/7 <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> cycle, uncertainty about the state of the world and countless hours of screen time don&#8217;t help, experts say.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When my patients talk to me about this stuff there is often a feeling of helplessness or powerlessness,&#8221; said Dr. Michael Ziffra, a psychiatrist at Northwestern Medicine. &#8220;But you can change these behaviors. You can improve your attention span.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here are ways to start that process. As you read, challenge yourself to set a 2.5 minute timer and stay on this article without looking at another device or clicking away.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_we_lose_focus\"><\/span>How did we lose focus?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A shifting attention is an evolutionary feature, not a bug. Our brains are hardwired to quickly filter information and hone in on potential threats or changes in what&#8217;s h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening around us.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s grabbing our attentions has changed. For our ancestors, it might have been a rustle in the bushes putting us on guard for a lurking tiger. Today, it could be a rash of breaking news alerts and phone notifications.<\/p>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic warped many people&#8217;s sense of time and increased their screen usage like never before, said Stacey Nye, a clinical psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a> isn&#8217;t the only thing that influences our attention, experts say, but the effects of those pinging notifications or hours scrolling through 30-second long videos can build up over time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our attention span has really been trained to only focus in those little, small blips and it interrupts our natural focus cycles,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Give_your_wandering_mind_%E2%80%98active_breaks\"><\/span>Give your wandering mind &#8216;active breaks&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Experts say &#8220;active&#8221; breaks are among the best way to retrain your mind and your attention. They only take about 30 minutes, Nye said, and can be as simple as taking a walk while noticing things around you or moving to another room for lunch.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t be afraid to get creative. Develop a list of alternative activities or randomly choose ideas out of a fish bowl. Try craft projects, a short meditation, fixing a quick meal or talking a walk outside. All the better if you can involve a friend as well.<\/p>\n<p>The break needs to be a physical or mental activity\u2014no passive phone-scrolling.<\/p>\n<p>When the brain is understimulated and looking for change, it&#8217;ll usually grab onto the first thing it sees. The smartphone, an &#8220;ever-producing change machine,&#8221; is an enticing option, said Cindy Lustig, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n<p>Turn off unnecessary notifications and put that &#8220;do not disturb&#8221; mode to good use, especially before bedtime. Better yet, put your phone in a whole different room, Lustig said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Say_no_to_multitasking\"><\/span>Say no to multitasking<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Multitasking may make you feel like you&#8217;re getting more done, but brain experts recommend against it.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Be a single tasker,&#8221; Nye said. &#8220;Work on one thing at a time, for a specified period of time and begin to work your way up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lustig is a big fan of the &#8220;Pomodoro technique,&#8221; in which you set a timer and work on something for 25 or 30 minutes before taking a five-minute break.<\/p>\n<p>She tells herself: &#8220;I can do anything for this amount of time,&#8221; and the world will still be waiting for her at the end.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Start_with_something_you_actually_like_and_set_a_goal\"><\/span>Start with something you actually like and set a goal<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s not enough to just have a hobby, Lustig said. It helps to choose hobbies that include deliberate practice and a goal to strive toward, whether it&#8217;s playing guitar for an audience or improving in a sport.<\/p>\n<p>It helps to pick something that you enjoy as well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t want to start with the heavy nonfiction or like &#8216;War and Peace,'&#8221; Lustig said. &#8220;If you need to start with the romance novel, then start with the romance novel. You can work your way up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also important to be kind to yourself. Everyone has good and bad days, and attention needs are different\u2014and even vary from task to task.<\/p>\n<p>The key is to make an intentional effort, experts say.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is in many ways similar to a muscle in the sense that we can build it up with practice and exercises,&#8221; Ziffra said. &#8220;Conversely, it can weaken if we&#8217;re not exercising it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                \u00a9 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Easily distracted? How to improve your attention span (2025, May 17)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 17 May 2025<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2025-05-easily-distracted-attention-span.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2025-05-easily-distracted-attention-span.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A woman looks at her phone while watching the sun set in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Credit: AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File Feel like you can&#8217;t focus? Like you&#8217;ll never finish a book again? Like the only way to keep your mind and hands busy is to scroll on social media for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":669897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/easily-distracted-how.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-669896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}