4 ways to improve focus and memory

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If staying focused and absorbing information feels harder as you age, you're not imagining it. Normal aging brings gradual changes to thinking and memory, with research showing that memory loss begins as early as age 45.

The slowdown in processing can create a bottleneck of information, making it harder for information to enter your short-term memory and be stored for long-term memory.

How to improve focus and attention

The good news is that you can take steps to 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 voicemail 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 concentrating and absorbing information feels harder as you get older, you are not imagining it. Normal aging brings gradual changes to thinking and memory, and research shows memory decline can begin as early as age 45.

Slower processing can create an information bottleneck, making it harder for new material to enter short-term memory and be stored for the long term.

How to improve focus and attention

The encouraging part is that you can take practical steps. These four strategies can help you tune out distractions and sharpen your focus in daily life:

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

Paraphrase what was said to confirm your understanding and reinforce the information. If someone says, "We can see the movie at one theater at 7:30 or another at 7:50," you might answer, "Which do you prefer, 7:30 at the first or 7:50 at the second?"

If conversations tend to leave you distracted, meet people in quiet settings - a home instead of a noisy restaurant. When you do eat out, pick a table near a wall. If your companions sit against the wall and you face them, your attention stays on them instead of wandering to other diners.

Do one thing at a time to focus better and screen out distractions. Avoid interruptions: if someone asks you something mid-task, ask whether it can wait until you finish. Let voicemail take calls until you are done with what you are doing.