Staying focused in today’s world is hard. We’re constantly interrupted, bombarded with information and we’re losing energy to focus on the important things at work and in our lives.
Over the last few years, we’ve been experimenting with dietary supplements to combat this. We wanted to figure out how we could get more energy to stay focused and we started taking tons of supplements to see what worked and didn’t work.
Before I go into that, I want to stress that these supplements are not necessary to get more energy and staying focused. When you get enough sleep, eat clean, exercise, and have enough downtime – you won’t need any of these dietary supplements. Consider them as optional and some for “emergency cases” when you need to work a lot for a short period of time.
Below you’ll find our top 5 dietary supplements that worked for us.
DISCLAIMER: We are not licensed medical practitioners, nutritionists, herbalists or physicians of any sort. All the information on this page should be considered “for entertainment”. Please do your own thorough research and consult your doctor before taking any of these supplements.
1. Green tea
This is our favorite way to get laser-like focus: drink green tea. We drink it almost every day. It’s healthy, doesn’t have any side-effects and you get all the benefits coffee has without the caffeine crash.
On top of that green tea has L-theanine that promotes relaxation and negates the caffeine crash (to give you that relaxed feeling but laser-like focus).
If you don’t like drinking coffee but you want all the healthy benefits, drink green tea. It’s worthwhile investing in high quality green tea leaves – don’t buy the stuff in tea bags because it doesn’t taste as good (get this one instead). If you’re lazy like me but still want the great taste, you can also buy green tea leaves in powder form which is called Matcha powder (this is the one I personally drink). A little bit more expensive but worthwhile.
2. Caffeine pills
If for some reason you don’t like drinking coffee and green tea, you can still get the caffeine boost you’re looking for by taking caffeine pills. It’s pretty tasteless and you can get them at any pharmacy and most grocery stores.
You still get that caffeine crash though, so keep that mind, but they are effective.
Editor’s Note: You could also get L-Ttheanine pills to supplement the caffeine pills.
3. Ginseng
Ginseng has been one of our little secrets for getting more focused. We’ve been experimenting with this Asian herb and adaptogen for a couple years and we can testify that it works…really well.
There are several kinds of ginseng – Siberian (Eleuthero), American, Panax, Korean and bunch of others. You’ll have to experiment with each kind to see which one you best for you. I personally take Siberian ginseng capsules each morning to get the benefits but your mileage may vary (this is the brand I take).
Don’t expect this to be a miracle supplement. You’ll have to take it every day for at least 2–3 weeks, and you’ll slowly start to see the benefits.
4. Vitamin B
Vitamin B supplements will help turn foods into energy and are great if you want an extra boost of energy. If you can’t focus because you’re tired, eat something, take a vitamin B supplement and within an hour or so you’ll feel energized and focused. This is the one I use.
Make sure to take this supplement right after your meal. If you take it on an empty stomach, you won’t get much benefit from it.
5. Fish oil
Your brain consists mostly out of water and fats and it needs that to function at its best. So make sure you give it plenty of water and fats! Besides drinking a lot of water, if you add fish oil supplements on top of that you give your brain all its essentials to perform. This is the one I use.
If you’re vegan, you can take flaxseed supplements but from my experience and my research, they aren’t as effective.
Next Action
Just remember that these aren’t necessary to get laser-like focus. When you get enough sleep, eat healthy, drink plenty of water, exercise on a regular basis and get enough downtime – you don’t need these supplements to get laser-like focus. You’ll naturally have the ability to focus for long periods of time. Consider these supplements as optional and something you want to take for specific situations.
For more productivity tips and techniques to stay focused, get The AE Primer.
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