4 ways to improve focus and memory

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If you find it harder to focus your attention and absorb information as you age, you're not imagining it. Normal aging leads to gradual changes in many skills associated with thinking and memory. In fact, research shows that memory loss begins as early as age 45.

The slowdown in processing can lead to a bottleneck of information entering your short-term memory, reducing the amount of information that can be acquired and encoded into long-term memory.

The good news is that you can improve focus and attention. Try these four strategies to help you tune out distractions and improve your ability to focus in daily life:

• When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you missed something that was said, ask the person to repeat it or to speak more slowly.
• Paraphrase what was said to make sure you understand it and reinforce the information. For example, if someone says, "We can see the movie either at Loews Theater at 7:30 or at the Paramount at 7:50," you might respond, "Which would you prefer, 7:30 at Loews or 7:50 at the Paramount?"
• If you find that you tend to become distracted during conversations, try getting together with people in quiet environments. For example, you could suggest meeting at someone's home instead of at a noisy restaurant. When you do meet people at a restaurant, sit at a table near a wall. If your companions sit against the wall and you sit facing them, you'll be able to focus on them without having your attention wander to other diners.
• You can improve your ability to focus on a task and screen out distractions if you do one thing at a time. Try to avoid interruptions. For example, if someone asks you something while you're in the middle of reading or working, ask if the person can wait until you're finished. Don't answer the phone until you've finished what you're doing - let voice mail take the call.

This is the supplied newsletter’s dated educational content, not individual medical advice. The age-45 statement describes the source report, not a diagnosis or a prediction for every person. New, worsening or disruptive memory problems should be discussed with a clinician.

Earlier published wording (archived for history)

The earlier wording below is retained for history and is not the corrected source translation above.

If focusing your attention and absorbing information feels harder as you age, you are not imagining it. Normal aging brings gradual changes to many thinking and memory skills - in fact, research shows memory loss can begin as early as age 45.

Slower processing can create a bottleneck of information entering short-term memory, shrinking how much gets acquired and encoded into long-term memory.

The good news is you can improve focus and attention. Try these four strategies to tune out distractions in daily life:

When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you missed something, ask them to repeat it or speak more slowly.

Paraphrase what was said to confirm your understanding and reinforce the information. For example, if someone offers two movie times at two theaters, respond by naming both options back and asking which they prefer.

If you tend to get distracted during conversations, meet people in quiet environments - suggest someone's home instead of a noisy restaurant. When you do eat out, sit at a table near a wall with your companions against the wall and you facing them, so your attention stays on them rather than wandering to other diners.

Do one thing at a time to sharpen your focus on a task and screen out distractions. Avoid interruptions: if someone asks you something mid-task, ask them to wait until you finish. Let voice mail take calls until you are done.