It’s time to do some work…

But it’s a Monday morning in February.

It’s cold and (probably) raining.

You feel tired, sluggish, maybe even a bit sad or distracted.

Hardly a recipe for productivity!

Or perhaps it’s the evening…

You’ve been at work all day… yet now you have to sit at a computer to study a course, or follow a home business plan.

Now it’s even harder!

But you have no choice!

While you’d love to work on home business projects at the time of day when you’re at your freshest and sharpest, that’s not always possible.

Either you give up on your ambitions to set up a home business… or you have to push through.

So how can you give yourself a jolt of energy that will help you focus and concentrate?

Well, the obvious one is STRONG COFFEE.

But it has drawbacks…

It can make you jittery… cause a spike of energy followed by a crash… and disturb your sleep later on.

What’s more, maybe you don’t like coffee or only drink decaf.

So what happens then?

Well, the good news is that there are plenty of other ways you can boost your focus.

And they’re not what you necessarily expect!

So today I present 22 weird tricks to help boost your focus, energy and concentration when you need them the most!

1. Chew Gum

Chewing increases blood flow to the brain and activates those areas involved in attention and memory, like the hippocampus.

Andrew Scholey and his team at Cardiff University studied this effect back in 2009 and show that that chewing gum was associated with:

• improved alertness
• faster reaction times
• better performance on attention-demanding tasks
• reduced fatigue during sustained mental effort

2. Splash Cold Water on Your Face

Splashing cold water on your face activates sensory receptors linked to the ‘trigeminal nerve’, which carries information about touch, temperature, pressure, and pain to the brain.

This triggers ‘the mammalian dive response’, a survival reflex that shifts your nervous system into a more alert, oxygen-conserving state.

3. Hum for 60 Seconds

Humming increases the levels of nitric oxide in your nasal passages .This improves oxygen delivery to your brain, which calms your nervous system and creates a sense of ‘relaxed alertness.’

For instance, a study by the Karolinska Institute research in 2003 showed that humming increases nasal nitric oxide much more dramatically than deep breathing.

4. Get off Your Chair

When you sit on a chair, you tend to switch off your postural and stabilising muscles, causing you to slump.

This compresses your chest, leading to shallower breathing and less efficient oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, which increases tiredness.

At the same time, slumping puts your nervous system in an energy-saving state, rather than one primed for focus.

So rather than use a chair to work…

• Try sitting on the floor to engage your muscles, improve posture, and prevent slumping.
• Use a standing desk to boost muscle activation and circulation.
• Use a kneeling chair to enforce an upright posture, increasing levels of muscle engagement.
• Or sit on an inflatable stability ball. When you do this, your body constantly needs to find balance, which engages your core muscles.

5. Smell Something Nice

Certain smells improve your memory and alertness.

This is because your olfactory nerve connects directly to the hippocampus (the bit of your brain responsible for memory).

For example, a Northumbria University study found rosemary aroma improved memory accuracy by around 13%.

Other options include:-

• Peppermint, which is known to increase alertness and reaction speed.
• Eucalyptus, which can increase your perceived sense of mental clarity.
• Cinnamon, which may improve attention, working memory, and performance.

Even just the smell of a freshly cut lemon could do the trick!

6. Look at a Distant Object

Eye strain gradually drains your mental energy, which is why it’s important to look away from your computer or phone now and then.

This simple action relaxes the ciliary muscles and reduces visual fatigue.

Just stare out of the nearest window at a distant object for two minutes.

7. Do 20 Squats

A bit of intensive movement primes your brain for work better than a strong cup of coffee.

This is because short bursts of exercise increase BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) which improves your concentration and focus.

8. Drink a Glass of Water

We’ve covered this recently, but even mild dehydration can reduce your cognitive performance by up to 10%.

This is because the brain is highly water-sensitive, so even small deficiencies can have a detrimental effect.

9. Write by Hand

Writing by hand improves memory encoding and clarity. For example, Princeton and UCLA studies show handwritten notes lead to better understanding and recall.

So if you’re feeling mentally sluggish, switch the keyboard for a pen and paper. This is especially useful if you’re trying to follow a course or learn a new skill.

10. Stand on One Leg

Neuroscience research has linked balance training with improved cognition in adults.

This is because when you balance, your brain is actively involved in keeping you upright. The same brain systems that do this also play a role in mental processing.

So when you activate one, you activate the other!

Obviously, you can stand on one leg for long, but perhaps use it to do a short task, like scanning through your emails, or brainstorming an idea.

11. Listen to ‘Brown Noise’

Lots of people listen to music to stimulate their brain and put them in a good mood.

But it’s actually better to listen to ‘brown noise’.

This is natural, ambient sound, with no lyrics or melodies. For instance, the sound of heavy rain, wind through trees, ocean surf, distant thunder or the sound of a moving train…

This steady, low noise blocks distractions and boosts concentration without giving your brain anything else to process.

You can find brown noise on YouTube, like this video here.

12. Brush Your Teeth

Before you start a work session, go and brush your teeth.

The combination of vigorous movement, cool water, and mint flavour activates your oral and facial sensory nerves.

These feed directly into areas of your brain involved in arousal and attention. At the same time, the strong mint acts as a sensory booster.

13. Turn the Heating Down

A room that’s too warm will make you feel more tired. So try and get the temperature in your workspace to 19–21°C.

14. Do Nothing

Stop for 10 minutes and do absolutely nothing.

Just let your mind wander.

This helps your brain solve problems and come up with ideas – a bit like the way you might get a great idea in the shower or while driving on the motorway.

15. Yawn Deliberately

There’s a theory that yawning helps regulate your brain.

The “thermoregulatory” hypothesis goes that a deep inhale and jaw stretch increases blood flow and heat exchange in the skull, helping your brain return to a better operating temperature.

16. Sip Green Tea

Green tea combines caffeine with L-theanine, an amino acid that crosses into the brain and promotes a calm, attentive mental state.

17. Try a Lion’s Mane

Lion’s Man mushrooms are famed for their neurotrophic powers.

In human studies, they’ve shown improvements in cognitive function and mental clarity, particularly in older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment.

And if you combine Lion’s Mane with mildly stimulating compounds like L-theanine, you can get a fast result.

So look out for supplements, powders and teas extracted from Lion’s Mane, with added L-theanine.

18. Breathe for 5.5 Seconds

Take a deep breath through your nose for 5.5 seconds…. letting your belly rise and fall.

Then breathe out for 5.5 seconds.

This activates your ‘vagus nerve’, which calms your heart, improves your circulation and lowers stress. This will put your body and mind in a calmer, more focussed state.

Do this for 1 minute every time you need a boost.

19. Make Your Neck Cold

The sides of your neck are rich in temperature-sensitive nerves and blood vessels.

A sudden application of a cold compress to your neck sends a quickly signal to your brain that something has changed, and that your body needs to quickly re-adjust.

This instantly boosts your alertness.

20. Squeeze Something Tightly

Grip a stress ball, towel, or handgrip trainer as hard as you comfortably can for 30–45 seconds, then release.

Do this a couple of times, then start your work session!

Sustained squeezing is a form of isometric muscle contraction. It increases signals to your brain that are linked to attention.

Behavioural studies show faster reaction times and improved task readiness immediately after doing a few handgrip exercises.

21. Doodle

Doodling is usually seen as a sign of distraction…

But actually, if you doodle while listening to important information (like an audio book, course or webinar) it can improve your powers of memory recall!

Light doodling gives your hands something to do, which helps stop your mind drifting, and keeps your attention on what you’re hearing.

22. Suck a Sour Sweet

Strong sour flavours in your mouth stimulate sensory and trigeminal pathways that are linked to alertness. So find a really sour sweet – or a sour fruit – then suck on it to get that sudden flavour-shock that makes you wince.

And there you have it…

Twenty-two tricks for putting your brain in a more alert state, whenever you need to focus on an important task.

Perhaps you could combine a number of them…

Drink a lion’s mane tea… grip a stress ball for 5 seconds… suck a sour sweet… then stand at your desk to work, while listening to brown noise.

The choice is yours!