Why “trying” to focus makes focus nearly impossible

Sitting in front of a screen stressing about your inability to focus is what not to do, according to science. But what do you do when you’re chained to your desk and under pressure?

WRITTEN BY THE NEUROHACKER TEAM

You know when you come back from lunch and fully intend to get right back to work?

You have a big meeting at 2:30 you really need to prep for.

Yet you scroll Slack, check your email, grab your phone. Which you meant to leave out of arm’s reach. And then you’re on TikTok.

Your eyes are strained. Your brain feels erratic. 40 minutes have passed.

You just can’t seem to buckle down… despite feeling pressure to…
You keep telling yourself “if I get going right this second and nothing else comes up, I’ll be fine.”
You feel like your brain is somehow working against you. Like you’re getting in your own way…

IF this combines with feeling scattered, unmotivated and forgetful… you’re probably stuck in beta brain.

When you’re stuck in beta brain, trying to focus is like trying to slow down a car stuck in 4th.

Now, if you’re always eating garbage food and avoid the gym for months and never get outside, this probably isn’t for you.

But if you live a healthy, balanced lifestyle — most of the time... if you swear your focus used to be so much better… if that mid-afternoon brain fog just swallows up all motivation…

Excess beta brain waves could be your issue.

Common beta brain triggers are inseparable elements of being a busy professional.

Triggers of excess beta brain waves include…

hours of daily screen time
stress levels that keep trending upward
tossing and turning at night, even if you practice consistent bedtimes

Which explains this vicious cycle…

When you’re stressed about not being able to focus, the stress creates more beta brain waves which makes focus impossible, which makes you more stressed, which creates even more beta brain waves…

Then it’s already 2:10PM and you’ve just finally managed to put your phone out of reach. Now you really can’t handle something else coming up…

Then your boss pings you: a fire that needs your attention now. Meaning you’re walking into that meeting in 20 minutes totally unprepared. Meaning stumbling on your words in front of everyone. There’s literally no way around this now.

The worst part is, you know you’re smart and you know you’re capable.

If only you could have buckled down to focus when you needed to.

But here’s another truth:

How you’re currently trying to focus may be making beta brain even worse.

There’s a reason caffeine and productivity hacks just don’t cut it.

Coffee helps you pay attention in brief spurts. But you’re left jittery and overstimulated.

It’s the same reason techniques like pomodoro can be so challenging to actually stick with…

You’re still in beta brain.

And that’s because you’re trying to solve attention, rather than nurture true focus.

And attention is just one of four elements of true focus.

How to nurture the balanced brain wave state of true focus.

True focus includes attention. But it also includes motivation, memory and an ability to maintain engagement.

And each element of focus requires help from multiple brain wave states. So when you’re stuck in beta brain, the other critical elements of focus get neglected.

True focus includes attention (which requires beta waves). But it also includes motivation, memory and an ability to maintain engagement.

And these other critical elements of focus require you to shift out of beta.

So when you’re stuck in beta brain, the other critical elements of focus get neglected.

Attention: needs the right amount of beta brain waves to help you feel sustainably alert but not jittery
Motivation: requires a sweet mix of alpha and beta waves to help balance focused attention with creativity
Memory: requires gamma waves to help with high-level mental coordination and integration
Maintaining engagement: alpha and theta waves are needed to support “flow state” marked by relaxed attention and creative insight

So how can you better shift into optimal brain wave states with ease?

Well, you control what you can control: you keep your engine — your brain — tuned up. You can…

rearrange your schedule to do the most cognitively-demanding work first thing…
better manage your stress levels by getting out for more walks and regular exercise and get better sleep most nights of the week…
keep your eyes off screens as often as possible

Or, you can fast-track that with one of the best, science-backed ways of shifting into optimal brain wave states…

Nootropics can help your brain shift seamlessly between brain wave states.

There’s plenty of scientific backing behind the cognitive-improving substances known as nootropics.

Particularly when combined into “stacks”. Nootropics can help nurture optimal cognitive conditions for focus.

Alpha-GPC, Velvet Bean, DL-Phenylalanine and Vitamin C can better regulate beta brain waves By supporting healthy production of associated neurotransmitter dopamine1 for alertness without the jitters.

L-theanine can directly increase alpha brain waves2, while Huperzine A and Coleus support associated neurotransmitter acetylcholine3 for relaxed motivation.

Ginkgo biloba can influence optimal alpha-theta balance4, along with Taurine and L-theanine which together support associated neurotransmitter GABA5 for a focused “flow-state”.

Bacopa monnieri, Celastrus paniculatus, Coleus forskohlii and Vitamin B5 combine with Alpha-GPC to support acetylcholine function associated with gamma waves6 for laser-like attention and concentration Though gamma wave science is still evolving.

Put these together, and you have a recipe for true, sustained focus. By fine-tuning the engine of your brain and helping the gears shift seamlessly.

We created a supplement that amplifies the four elements of focus

Our team of expert neurobiologists and doctors spent thousands of hours researching, testing, and tinkering the best formula for supporting brain function long-term.

The end result is a supplement called Qualia Mind.

Qualia Mind provides 27 high-purity, biologically available ingredients that help enhance the four areas of focus we mentioned earlier:*

1
Attention
2
Motivation
3
Memory
4
Maintaining engagement

And it provides them in a way that takes the complex workings of the brain into account.

We initially “soft launched” Qualia Mind to a small group here in California.

They were blown away by the way it made them feel — after only 30-40 minutes for some people. They reported that their focus and clarity was so fine-tuned that they completed work tasks that usually took all day in one morning.*†

That ability to “drill down’ is sadly missing from many people’s toolkits, as we’re inundated with notifications, messages, and alerts.

But by creating the right mental conditions for focus, memory, and motivation, you can promote the kind of “dialed-in” feeling that many people are lacking.

But get this: because Qualia Mind is formulated to support and strengthen neural pathways, users can expect continual improvement over the weeks and months that they use it.*

Pretty soon Forbes featured our work on their website. They wrote that they’d seen the best results in boosting focus by using our product.

Since then, word has been spreading about Qualia Mind Essentials among Americans looking to go a step beyond caffeine.

It’s already helped thousands of people find focus and drive at the exact moment they need it. And it’s little wonder so many people give it a chance when you realize you can…

Limited-Time Offer: Save $50 on Your 1st Bottle, Get the 2nd Free

We’re so confident that Qualia Mind can help summon inspiration when it’s needed most... that we’re offering over $230 in savings on your first 2 bottles.

When you choose “Subscribe & Save” at checkout, we’ll give you our normal first-time-buyer discount of $50 off…

Plus another bottle of Qualia Mind, absolutely free.

Try it for 100 days.

We recommend 5 capsules a day, 5 days a week.

Giving yourself 2 days off is important for preventing habituation — so every time you take Qualia Mind, you’ll feel an effect that lasts throughout the workday.*

If you don’t love it for any reason, just let us know and we’ll refund every penny of your purchase. And you have up to 100 days to do so.

What would it be worth to you to settle into your work faster, with more focus...

...more mental space to get inspired?

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease.

†Disclaimer: This personal review is not a guarantee or promise of all users’ results.

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References
1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7176745/
2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7184753/
3: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sasi-Kumar-20/publication/329773687_INFLUENCE_OF_NEUROTRANSMITTERS_ON_MEMORY_AND_LEARNING/
4: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18296328/
5: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sasi-Kumar-20/publication/329773687_INFLUENCE_OF_NEUROTRANSMITTERS_ON_MEMORY_AND_LEARNING/
6: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18296328/
7: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sasi-Kumar-20/publication/329773687_INFLUENCE_OF_NEUROTRANSMITTERS_ON_MEMORY_AND_LEARNING/
8: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejn.13582