How to Get Your Brain to Focus: 7 Steps That Actually Work

How to get your brain to focus — if you’ve been struggling to focus lately, you are not alone. Whether you’re a student, an entrepreneur or simply a person trying to read a book instead of checking your phone every 10 seconds — learning how to get your brain to focus is an absolute game changer.

In today’s society, we are constantly being interrupted by social media, endless notifications, multitasking or even our own thoughts. But guess what? You can train your brain to focus deeply and consistently. In this article, I will take you through my own phone experiment, explain the hidden root cause of poor focus, introduce you to scatter focus and help you discover a second shift that will change the way your brain works. 

By the time you finish this guide, you will know how to control your attention and take productivity back.

Stay with me. This article is filled with actionable tips and shocking insights that will change the way you work, study and ultimately live.

1. How to Get Your Brain to Focus: My Phone Experiment

When I couldn’t get through a 10-minute task without touching my phone, figuring out how to get your brain to focus became an obsession for me, so I did this experiment where I locked my phone in another room for 7 days and saw what happened to my mind.

Day 1 was horrible. My hands grabbed for a phone that was not there and I felt anxious like I was missing something. However, by Day 3 something interesting started to happen. My brain stopped craving the instant dopamine hits! I was finishing things that I would normally procrastinate doing, like blog posts, working out, and reading.

By Day 7, my mind felt quiet. Not empty, but calm. I could hold long trains of thought, deeply reflect, and focus for 90 minutes straight. Mind you, this was not some magical state that I had attained after being off my phone for 7 days. This experiment taught me that your phone is not just distracting you—it is literally training your brain not to focus.

If you want to know how to get your brain to focus, you first need to take a good hard look at how you manage your relationship with your phone. This is the first and most important step to rebuilding your attention.

2. How to Get Your Brain to Focus: The Root Cause

How to get your brain to focus means asking the tougher question—why can’t we focus in the first place? The answer is buried in the way our brain retains information. 

We are a dopamine-driven culture, everyone and every app is creating a tiny little hit of dopamine whenever we ping, like, scroll, or click something, a reward chemical that is making us feel good about ourselves. But just like sugar, the more dopamine you consume, the less it affects your system. You need more and more stimulation to feel the same excitement.

The real reason you’re unable to focus is not that you are lazy or a lack of motivation—it is your addiction to dopamine.  You’re addicted to novelty. And novelty is the enemy. Regaining control over your focus starts with understanding how self-discipline leads to success—because focus without discipline simply doesn’t last.

If you truly want to regain control over your brain, then you will need to detox yourself from the way you are stimulating yourself with dopamine. You’ll have to reduce your stimulation- less tabs, less notifications, less digital interruptions.

How to get your brain to focus? Detox first, focus second.

3. How to Make Your Brain Focus with Scatter Focus

Here’s a twist: sometimes the best way to make your brain focus is to let your brain not focus. 

Enter scatter focus, which was introduced by author and productivity expert Chris Bailey. Scatter focus is what happens when you intentionally allow your mind to wander. It’s during this period of “rest” that your brain does the most solving, connecting, and creating. 

Ever have a moment of clarity in the shower? That’s scatter focus.

Here’s how to do it intentionally: 

Take a walk without your phone.

Stare out the window for 15 minutes.

Listen to instrumental music and allow your thoughts to drift. 

Don’t confuse this with procrastination. This is intentional rest! 

Knowing how to make your brain focus also means knowing when to let your brain wander. Scatter focus allows you to balance out deep focus. Both are important!

4. The Second Shift: From Task Switching to Single Tasking

Multitasking does not exist, you are not doing many things at once you are switching back and forth between them. And every time you switch you lose focus.

The second shift is a transition from a disjointed, multitasking brain to a focused, single-tasking machine. Now here’s how to get it going:

Use the Pomodoro technique (25 mins focus, 5 mins rest)

Close all tabs but the one you are working on

Turn off all notifications on your phone (forever?)

Use apps like Cold Turkey that block your ability to access distractions.

As your brain gets used to focusing on one thing at a time, it gets stronger – like a muscle! Focus becomes a skill you develop, not an inborn trait.If you want to boost this skill even further, check out these 7 hacks to be 100% more productive that require no extra money—just smarter habits.

This shift will not happen all at once, and it will take time for you and your brain to get used to. But if you keep being consistent your brain will come along.

5. Build a Focus-First Morning Routine

The way your morning begins frames your entire day. If you are starting with TikTok, then your brain is instantly going to be trained to want distraction.

Instead, try this:

Drink water immediately upon waking.

Meditate or journal for 10 minutes.

Read or work on a personal project for 30 minutes.

No phone until 1 hour after waking.

Now you’re training the brain: focus first.

You will find what normally takes you 2 hours to do is suddenly done in 45 min. Your brain feels sharp, alert, and laser focused.

6.  Create Your Environment for Focus

If your space is begging for a million distractions, your brain isn’t going to work—regardless of how hard you put in the effort.

Make your space conducive for focus:

Clean your desk: clutter = chaos

Have only essentials within sight

Block distracting websites on your computer

Wear noise-canceling headphones or use instrumental music

If you share the space you are in with others, make sure you communicate your focus time. Wearing headphones or putting a “do not disturb” sign will do wonders. Protect your focus time as though it is sacred—because it is.

You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your environment.

7. Fuel and Train Your Brain Like an Athlete

You can’t expect your brain to concentrate if your body is running on junk food and 3 hours of sleep.

Your brain needs fuel and:

Eat healthy fats, like avocados and nuts

Stay hydrated—dehydration will kill concentration

Exercise daily, even if just to walk

Get 7–9 hours of good sleep

In addition, train your brain:

Read every day

Do puzzles or play strategy games

Meditate regularly to increase your attention span

Focus is not simply avoiding a distraction—focus is developing your brain’s ability to sustain attention. In fact, Harvard researchers offer proven strategies to train your brain for better focus that align perfectly with what you’re learning here.

Conclusion: 

How to get your brain to focus is no longer a mystery. You’ve learned that…

Your phone may be hijacking your attention

Dopamine addiction is the real enemy

Scatter focus is secretly productive

Single-tasking wins over multitasking

Your morning routine is important

Your environment must support concentration

Your body feeds your brain

The reality is, focus means freedom. The ability to direct your attention—on command—is the ultimate superpower in a distracted world.

So I ask you now: What will be your first step in training your brain to focus?