Do you feel like you can't focus properly? With so much information and technology out there, it could be argued that our attention span is shrinking.

According to research, our attention span used to be around 12 seconds in the year 2000 and in 2013, it was just 8.25 seconds. After an interruption, it can take people up to 23 minutes to fully return to the same level of focus. Every time we switch our attention from a task to checking our phone or emails, it can take us a long time to focus again when we go back to that original task. 

High-quality work is produced when we balance the intensity of focus with the time spent. Unfortunately, the part we tend to struggle with most is the intensity of focus. So, complex tasks tend to take us longer to complete. So how do we improve our focus?

Various studies have indicated how effective mindfulness can be for improving focus. For example, one study demonstrated that after practising just ten minutes of meditation, people showed a better focus in subsequent tests than in the control group.  

Other ways we can improve our focus and concentration include reading books or long-form content, completing puzzles or Sudoku, playing memory training games or practising something like a language or an instrument. Read on to find out more tips on how to improve your focus.

To improve our focus and get better quality work done, we want to work in what is described as a state of flow. The flow state can be described as: 

A mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity so that they lose the sense of space and time.

It's challenging to apply this to all elements of our daily work, but there may be some tasks we do that require a deep level of concentration and could really benefit from using this approach. So, if you want to improve your focus at work, you should try:

Set windows of time where you will focus on a single task. For example, this period might be the whole afternoon or just one hour. 

Agree with the people around you - that may be your manager, team, or clients - on how frequently you will be available for them. Setting your boundaries in this regard can boost your productivity, as you'll have fewer interruptions.

This tip is a no-brainer. Avoid interruptions by turning off your email, social media, and any other app notifications on your phone. If you can't simply turn these off, try silencing your phone when you have to focus on complex tasks at work.

What does a productive work environment look like to you? Some people work better in the early morning, and with energetic music blasting from their headphones, others might only be able to focus in silent spaces. Identifying your work style can be helpful for your focus.

5. Working in 60-90 minute blocks followed by short breaks

Research shows that our brain will focus for an average of 90-minute blocks, and then you might need a 20-minute break to get back at that particular task. You can also break down that into 60-minute blocks followed by 10-minute intervals.

There are many ways of improving your focus at work and what works best for you may be different from others. It's important to acknowledge that we will have different periods in life, and our focus will also shift depending on what we're going through and our mental health. However, if you are still struggling to keep focused on simple tasks, you should consider other types of help, such as talking to a therapist.

Whenever we cannot focus on our tasks, procrastination kicks in. Of course, we will all procrastinate from time to time – and we probably all know that feeling of frustration when we've put off work and then we have to rush through it or work overtime to get it done at the last minute. 

Procrastination happens for several reasons. Our brain likes to preserve energy, so if it can take on a more manageable task like answering emails or completing simple admin tasks, it will drive you towards that, rather than the alternative, which is using valuable brainpower to focus on something complex. You may notice that when you're carrying out challenging work, you'll be drawn toward checking your phone and emails or trying to find a snack. These actions mean that your brain is looking for a distraction. 

So, how to fight procrastination and get your work done? First of all, you'll need to make your goals and what you're working towards really clear. You should also try:

Part of this will happen in the planning process which we'll cover in the next section, but a few things we also want to think about here.

1. Breaking bigger tasks into smaller goals 

The more specific we can be with these goals and what the outcomes look like, the easier it will be to stay on task and complete them. For example, if we know we have a lengthy report to write, we want to break that down and small achievable chunks. So, maybe the goal for one day is to finish 500 words of the introduction or to complete chapters 2 and 3. You need to be really clear on what success looks like for the task you're trying to complete. If we just have a 'complete report' on our to-do list, the likelihood is we'll put it off, because it seems like too big a task to complete. 

Set yourself mini-deadlines for bigger projects and hold yourself accountable for reaching them. It's important to work at your own pace and within your own limits, however, be mindful and honest with yourself about procrastination.

We hope our tips have helped you to be more focused at work and reduce procrastinating. If you're curious about other tips to improve your workplace mental health, read our blog article on the topic.

Improving your focus at work can be challenging. This article covers five tips to get better at focusing on work and beat procrastination.

Top tips for improving your focus at work

Mental health impacts every aspect of our day-to-day lives, from our mindset and energy levels to our physical wellness. So, it’s natural that our mental health affects our quality of work, productivity and creativity. When we’re feeling our best, we give that to our role, strengthening the company as a whole. 

With the recent uptick in remote work and an expectation to always be online, the divide between work and life has become increasingly blurred. It’s sad, but perhaps not surprising, that around 76% of employees experienced at least one mental health symptom last year. 

Companies are stepping up. To stay ahead of the game, organisations have to hold themselves more accountable for their employees’ well-being. It’s time to reduce the stigma around mental health in the workplace, taking an often taboo subject and creating space for people to find connection and support. 

Creating positive change in an organisation starts from the inside, but it can be difficult to know where to begin. Here are a few ways you can start to promote mental health in the workplace, both at the individual and company-wide levels.

How to promote mental health in the workplace

Fostering mental health in the workplace requires empathetic leadership, consistency and a clear plan for the future. Here are a few proactive strategies you can use to start creating a more positive company culture, whether you’re an HR professional, a team leader or a C-suite exec.

Many employees feel ashamed and afraid to share their mental health struggles with key decision-makers for fear of being judged. Encourage high-level employees, HR representatives and executives to be open about how they prioritise their own mental and emotional well-being. Resilience and vulnerability go hand in hand, and can only spread company-wide when they start at the top. 

We’re all juggling competing demands in a day. Work and life don’t have to be in conflict. There are many ways to help your employees bring their whole selves to work, including generous parental leave benefits, increased health insurance options, and hybrid or remote working options.

To truly improve mental health in the workplace, it’s important to back your words up with actions. Consider investing in valuable resources like mental health training programs, therapy plans and self-care initiatives. At Frankie, we offer a personalised mental health platform to reduce burnout and turnover in your team. Our data-driven suite supports global teams across over 80 markets. Whether you’re looking for mindful exercises, office yoga or your first therapy appointment, it’s all a couple of clicks away. 

Tips for dealing with mental health in the workplace

“Mental health” is not a corporate buzzword – and addressing it is not a box-ticking exercise. From depression and anxiety to stress and burnout, employees are facing more pressure in the workplace than ever before. Management has the power to make changes that can transform someone’s life. 

Wondering how you can prioritise employee mental health in your day-to-day decision-making process? Here’s how you can show your employees that you have their back every step of the way.

Around 75% of employers believe that there is mental health stigma within their own company. The best way to stop stigma in its tracks is to open up the conversation as proactively as possible. Whether you’re organising mental health awareness events or making it clear what counselling options are available to your employees, you have daily opportunities to chip away at mental health stigma. Frankie’s workshops and trainings can help your team start having positive conversations about the importance of mental health.

If left unchecked, stress can quickly lead to burnout – a phenomenon that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised as a growing problem in the modern workplace. Key signs of impending burnout include reduced work performance, apathy, insomnia, irritability and low energy levels. Proactive burnout prevention is a cornerstone of improved mental health in the workplace, as burnout can have devastating consequences for your employees’ health and the success of your company. Offering an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to an employee when they have already hit burnout is no longer good enough. At Frankie, we work to understand when an employee is moving towards burnout and introduce preventative support, personalised for the individual. 

Communication and transparency foster mutual respect between employees, senior execs and HR professionals alike. Keep an open line of dialogue with your employees by offering multiple avenues to share their thoughts. Employees’ feedback about issues like fair pay, benefits, diversity, paid leave, workplace discrimination and conflict resolution can help to shape your decisions about how best to support their mental health.

The importance of well-being in the workplace

Of course, every employer should value their employees on both a personal and professional level – and that includes making their well-being a priority. But there’s also a business case for promoting mental health in the workplace. 

Each year, depression and anxiety lead to countless losses in terms of quality of life, physical health concerns and even life expectancy. In the workplace, the pattern is similar. Widespread burnout leads to lost time and money for both you and your employees. 

Looking to build a resilient, productive, energised team? Here are a few reasons to put mental health interventions at the top of your list.

Research suggests that poor mental health and high employee turnover go hand in hand. A staggering 81% of Gen Zers and 68% of millennials say they’ve left a job for reasons related to mental health. 

From increased absenteeism to lost productivity hours, there’s no question that mental health issues lead to lower speed, quality and morale at work. In fact, burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day and about half as likely to discuss their performance goals with a manager.

For many people, mental and physical health concerns are intricately intertwined. Employers spend an estimated $125 to $160 billion per year in added healthcare costs as a result of unaddressed burnout. Use Frankie’s cost calculator to learn how much poor mental health management could be costing you.

Recruiting employees with mental health conditions

You can begin supporting employee mental health as early as the recruitment, application and onboarding processes. Building trust starts at the interview – or even the first time a potential colleague reads your job description. 

Plus, it’s likely that people with mental health conditions already work for you (or that you work for them). Your awareness will only build a greater sense of respect and safety among your existing employees and colleagues.

During the recruitment process, make it clear that you support candidates’ mental health paths. Include a point of contact and clear instructions on how to request accommodations so that candidates feel they are able to put their best foot forward every step of the way. 

Mental health accommodations may look like what you might consider “conventional,” such as additional requests for time off. Some may seem unorthodox or unexpected, such as a request to avoid video calls when possible. To recruit and retain the best possible employees, it’s crucial to stay open to mental health-related requests that don’t look like a cookie-cutter “norm”.

Whether during a second interview or their fifth year at your company, your employees should always be aware of how to access support for a mental health challenge. Since an employee’s needs are likely to change over time, it’s important to repeat this message regularly within your internal communications. 

Improving mental health in the workplace is an ongoing journey, so it’s important to celebrate the little steps along the way. 

Here are a few ways to help your employees have some mini-mental health wins by the end of the day. 

Start your Monday off with a “mindfulness moment,” like a mini-yoga session, breathing exercise or brief guided meditation. Frankie offers meditation, sleep stories, breathwork, yoga and exercise videos in multiple languages. We work to meet each employee wherever they are on their mental health path. 

Hold a water drinking challenge to help your team stay hydrated.

Share a video or song that has recently inspired you, or create a team playlist.

Suggest that employees enjoy a brisk walk after lunch or take a walking meeting.

Send out a quick reminder to encourage employees to take advantage of their existing mental health benefits, such as therapy or life coaching sessions. 

On a Friday afternoon, set aside time to praise someone you work with on a job well done and encourage co-workers to do the same for one another.

Ask for feedback on how the company could offer more mental health support.

Host a brainstorming session for future possible events, such as team-building challenges, retreats or fun outings.

Ask a colleague who may seem a little off-balance how they’re doing – and really listen to their answer.

Destigmatising mental health at your workplace begins with a willingness to learn, grow, and create conscious change.

We like to think of ourselves as your personalised mental wellness toolkit. Frankie’s comprehensive suite of digital mental health solutions boosts well-being, prevents burnout and helps your employees thrive no matter where they are on their mental health journey. 

Our data-driven mental health platform supports global teams in over 35 different languages across more than 80 markets and integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google and more. We’re here to support you and your team as you start creating an in-house wellness movement. 

Learn about the importance of workplace mental health and how to promote it as an HR person or a manager.

Mental health in the workplace has become an important topic in the corporate world. Find out how to promote employee mental well-being.

How to improve mental health in the workplace

Do you often check your email throughout the day? You're not alone! Research shows that 70% of emails are read within 6 seconds of being received. This means most of us are practically living in our inboxes. 

Like other forms of technology and social media, checking your email repetitively can be addictive. This behaviour activates our brains' rewards system and releases a hormone called dopamine, which is why we sometimes get a buzz from it. We should learn how to manage our emails so we don't let our inbox govern how we spend our days.

With this in mind, our first tip is to batch email checking and reply. To make it easier, you should:

Have set times in the day when you read and deal with emails. For example, depending on your day, you can read emails once an hour. 

Set your frequency for inbound emails. Your inbox might automatically check for new emails every minute, but you can change your settings so that they are only delivered every hour, for example. This could help you from being distracted by emails so frequently. 

Close down your inbox entirely while you're doing other work. Just minimising it could shift your attention to new emails. 

Don't waste your most mentally alert hours checking and answering low-level emails. Spending your time and energy answering emails that are not that important could negatively impact your productivity.

Our second tip is to try keeping a well-organised inbox:

Create a filing system which works for you. Your inbox should not have hundreds of emails in it.

File emails you've dealt with immediately. This way, you can focus on what matters. 

Use different coloured flags to set a priority list within your inbox. You can use a flagging system. For example, when you read an email, flag it red if it needs dealing with within a few hours, orange if it requires dealing with within 48 hours, and green for less urgent things you can answer once you have more time. 

Unsubscribe to junk mail rather than just deleting it. It might take some time to do this, but it will save you time and energy in the long run. 

Our third tip requires a bit of set-up time, but it will save you time in the long run. The advice is to create inbox rules or filters. You can use the clever setting in your email system. A few extra details for managing your inbox settings:

Filter out any non-priority emails, such as group emails, newsletters, junk mail, or emails you're cc'd into.

Create rules to pre-sort emails into your folders. This way, you don't have to spend time filing and organising your email folders.

These settings should be available under your email inbox settings. If you're struggling to set them up, you could check how to set up a priority inbox on Gmail or how to customise a view on Outlook.

By pre-sorting emails, you can stop hundreds of emails you don't need to see immediately coming into your inbox. Remember, each email is competing for our attention, so the fewer emails you see, the better. 

Our fourth tip is to apply the one-touch system. If an email takes less than two minutes to answer, answer it as soon as you've read it. Otherwise, we tend to re-read emails several times before dealing with them, which isn't very efficient. 

You could also save some email templates. Especially if you end up writing out the same response repeatedly, save some templates so that you can just copy and paste the text. This will save you a lot of time. 

Finally, our fifth and last tip is to minimise the number of emails you're sending and receiving. 

Always analyse whether an email needs a response. Most probably, your peers don't need an email reply in which you're solely thanking them. You could use other channels to show your appreciation for their work.

Consider solving issues over a quick call. It could be more productive to talk to your coworkers, mainly if there is a heated or sensitive topic. 

Think about who you copy in. You don't want to be generating emails unnecessarily, so also check whether you really need to "reply all". 

Be mindful of your email replies. This could mean not answering an email if nothing really good would happen when you respond, and nothing really bad would happen when you don't reply.

Be as specific as you can within your reply. Provide all details and tie up as much as possible in one email.

We've got used to thinking that when people send us an email, we need to respond straight away, but we have the power to make this decision. Remember that your email is just a tool to facilitate your work, not the contrary!

Five great tips to master your email game and be more productive with less effort.

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