Techniques to Maintain Focus While Typing

In a five-minute test, your greatest enemy is not the keyboard, but rather your own brain. Being able to stay focused for five minutes without letting your thoughts wander is an extremely difficult cognitive task. Any small distractions, like thinking to yourself, “How much time is left?”, or “I definitely made a mistake,” can break your focus and cause a large number of mistakes. Therefore, developing techniques to focus is fundamental for preserving a strong “Flow State” while typing.

Creating an “Attention Tunnel”

The first step for accomplishing long pieces of typing is to establish an “Attention Tunnel.” This is a mental state, where everything disappears outside of the text source and your fingers. One focus method that works well for typists is called “Visual Narrowing.” Avoid looking at the timer or to the sides of your screen. Instead, concentrate your focus to the 2 or 3 words that are located just ahead of the cursor. By doing so, you can minimize the information needed to be processed by your brain, and therefore, reduce the chances of experiencing cognitive burnout in the middle of the test.

Internal Distractions

As you type, many people have an “internal critic” speaking to them. What do you think the critic says after you make an error at the 2-minute mark? “Oh no, you just ruined the test!” Suddenly, you are feeling stressed and lose the ability to type accurately. Practicing internal silence can help. Once you make the error, acknowledge it, and let it go. Anger and frustration do not help you in a 5-minute test. Focus on typing instead of reliving the mistake.

Managing Blinking

Managing your blinking can help with focus. When under stress, we tend to blink less, which leads to dry and blurred vision. This cause us to squint and lean forward. This is poor posture. Try to focus on creating a blinking pattern that feels natural. This helps with vision and resets the brain. Concentration is a physical skill. Deliberate practice can help with focus.