Mind Control: How to Focus and Pay Attention

It's not always possible to tune out every distraction and new studies show that may not be such a bad thing. Certain stimuli can actually enhance our concentration.

1. Chew gum when balancing your checkbook, doing your taxes, or figuring out a budget. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine concluded that gum chewing reduces stress and increases alertness and concentration when working with numbers.
2. Listen to classical music when you're writing a to-do list or planning a trip. The music boosts spatial temporal reasoning, used to help us think ahead.
3. Doodle when you're trying to memorize facts. In one study, students who drew during a lecture retained 29  more information than the control group.
4. Change background colors when you're working on the computer. Research shows that detail work goes better when the desktop is red, while blue boosts creative tasks.