David and his wife have been living and working overseas for over 15 years. He currently resides in Asia -- enjoying good food and wonderful people. He has lived and traveled from the Himalayas to Afghanistan to the Central Asian steppes. One of his greatest joys is to travel into remote regions where he loves to pioneer new projects. He regularly returns home with the passionate call, "Come out and give it a try!"
External url: http://www.amazon.com/Focus-Concentration-concentration-procrastination-creativity-ebook/dp/B00SK6WZ8Q
It has been showed in many researches that the average human being can concentrate better when the number of sensory inputs is minimal. And if you can't get to a quiet place, learn to shut your mind towards the distraction.
Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.
Here are 10 tips to prevent distractions. Applying those now. Keeping fingers crossed!
The key to attaining focus is to elevate the particular task in front of you to the most important status, and thereby give it your full. This sense of priority that you attach to anything will involuntarily help you concentrating better.
I have always taken your work as the most important task in the world. But, I am a human after all. Sometime it doesn't lure me enough to hold my concentration.
Like this thesis.... Yes it is very important..most imortant in fact..
Concentration stems from a calm mind. When you stay calm, positive and creative energy flows through you, whereas, when you panic, the distractive negative energy deters you from being focused on the job at hand.
Whether I am running late, forgot something; I just panic! I do try affirmation to keep myself calm. But nothing works for long. I wish if someone can advice me how to keep calm when tensed!
Yes.. I have noticed. When stressed our mind runs like an express train. We need to calm down to get a hold back on ourselves. So, I try deep breathing...
You may have heard this countless times before, that you should take a break at regular intervals to be more productive. It is actually true and holds good especially for people who have trouble in concentrating. Medical research has proved it beyond doubt that the attention span of an average person does not exceed an hour and a half at a stretch.
Not taking break between jobs is a mistake and I have done it several times and I suffered a lot. I feel so overwhelmed at times, frustrated, irritated, fickle-minded. The last time I took break when I was down with food poisoning and when I returned back I was more energetic. I should focus on myself a little more but I don't. When you have responsibilities on your head taking breaks looks like a luxury and not everyone can afford that.
Oh yess... I used to feel guilty for those small walks while I was supposed to read for exams as a kids. But, I now know that gave me strength and focus for studying.. Happy.. I got good grades.
This flow of energy can be controlled by you to a large extent. The key here is to understand what makes you feel positive and content and then making sure that you are, in some way, in the presence of that factor when working.
Sometime, I have a deadline over my head. I love music, it motivates me to work. But, sometime even that too fails horribly when I am not in a mood to work (which I had to), how should I regulate my energy into the task?
Can anyone help me with that?
Consider it as the most powerful weapon in your arsenal. Learn a few meditation techniques and make sure that you practice them daily for a minimum of half an hour to one hour.
A few meditational tips from AquarianYoga. I really hope it helps you.. I learned a few great things.
Meditation can improve your concentration. It is not much different but still there are few important things to work on like not letting in the distracting thoughts. the wikihow article on concentration meditation is simply wonderful.
Meditation enlightens me. I connect with the spiritual me. I have been doing this for more than a year and now I feel so good.
Five more minutes, read five more pages, finish five more letters, whatever it is just do five more before you give up and give in.
Actually 5 more is too much for me at the moment so I try to go for one more minute. Let me clear what it is: last week I have joined gym because I was gaining lot of weight which was causing too much of breathing problem. It is very exhausting for me after initial 2 minutes on crosstrainer so I go on with one more.
This "5 More" keeps me going, no matter how boring or frustrating the task it is. But it actually works on me.
I remember, meditation has never been that easy initially. I used to say "5 seconds more" then yes 5 minutes more and now I am able to meditate for 30 minnutes with losing my focus.
Believe it or not, your mind can be bribed. When you tell yourself (or your mind) not to worry about something, especially if it is not a high priority, you will automatically focus on it. Instead tell your mind to do something with a time limit.
I cannot enjoy anything if there are too many dishes on my plate. If I am supposed to focus, I make sure I have one thing in front of me.
I used to take too much of things together.. and it was horrible. It hampered the quality and never got the desired result. Finally, I am rulling out of the distractions and doing on one thing at a time.
Procrastinators are people who put off doing something especially things that should be done in a timely manner.
There is nothing like doing it tomorrow. Life is too short. Postponing things to tomorrow means postponing prosperity to tomorrow! I am happy that finally, I have conquered procrastination.
I can focus, but I have a tendency to delay stuffs unnecessarily. I guess I must stop it before I becomes a bad habit. Checking out the various ways to do so on lifehack.
If you are not willing to do a certain task, it is hard to avoid procrastination. It is much more harder to focus on things that I am unwilling to do! How to focus on tasks I am unwiling to perform at that specific moment?
Cupping your hand around your eyes focuses your concentration on one thing at a time and you can actually train your brain in this way.
Today I tried it after a long time..
There is one asana in yoga which is pretty similar. Except, we just need to humm ooommm internally.
I feel vibration within.
This is also a good treatment for Glaucoma. I did this today....
Well! I do that everyday right after I meditate! Plus, I chant "Ommm". Creates a vibration within! But, how long should I do to it? I do it for 30 seconds only.
Next time you find your mind wandering away from you are and what you are doing, take a good look around you and open your eyes to what you see. Study your surroundings, truly see it and concentrate on it and your mind will snap back to attention.
This is a method where you set yourself a timer, say for 45 minutes, and you work until the timer goes off. Then you can take a 15 minute break. But, if your focus isn’t up to scratch, you don’t want to be diving straight into it. So, set yourself a 5 minute timer. Focus completely on your work for those 5 minutes and then have a 2 minute break. Do another 5 minutes, followed by another 2 minute break. Each day, add another 5 minutes to the timer and another 2 minutes to your break. By the time 9 days is up, you should be focused enough to work for that 45 minutes without stopping, before rewarding yourself with an 18 minute break. Once you get settled in to that routine, you can work on lengthening the time you work and reducing the time of your breaks - but not to the extent where they disappear altogether.
When you think of something you might want to check on the internet, right it down on a piece of paper and push it to one side until you are on a break or you get home.
I have little black book where I write my MIT every day and track it. It also give me a note what I need to do next, and get things completed within time. It works great for me and helps me to be more productive.
Strengthening your willpower takes time but the best way to do it is to tackle large goals and use the pomodoro method we talked about earlier, gradually building up the time you spend on that goal. Another method that has been proven to work is to switch hands. If you are right-handed person, switch to using your left hand for a while and vice versa.
I think; I got my answer! I think I need to build up my will power to fight against my procrastination and focus on task that I am not soo willing to perform!
Willpower!
You should get into the habit of dedicating between 10 and 20 minutes of each day to meditation. On top of that, practice being mindful all day as well. All that is, is concentrating your entire focus on one task at a time, slowing down and thinking about all of the emotions you feel while you are doing that task – physically and mentally.
Physical exercise has been shown to have a beneficial effect on mental strength and health. Exercise boosts your brain’s ability to ignore any distractions and increases your willpower as well.
Reading long articles or books can really strengthen the mind. Long articles may not automatically mean that they are better, sometimes there is a great deal of information, complex information that must be stretched over a long article or a book. To skip something because it looks too long is a definite no-no and can result in you missing out on a ton of useful information and brain stretching as well. Pick up a book tonight and really try to get into it – it will do you the power of good. As well as that, try to find the time to read two or three long informative articles a week. They will really broaden your mind, and you’ll be surprised at what you can learn along the way as well!
I remember, in school I hated the lengthy papers so much! It's going to hard! Will going reading long articles and papers! But, I love reading romantic novels.. I can read them whole night! I guess, I love them so I can go long!
The more curiosity you have about the world and about things around you, the better your concentration will be.
Focus isn’t just about your working habits, it’s also an essential life skill. To be able to concentrate your attention on family or friends without your mind wandering is a useful skill to learn and, while you are focusing, you are strengthening up your mind muscles.
•Find somewhere quiet where you can be by yourself and not be disturbed. •Be comfortable – most people find it easier to sit on a chair or you could sit cross-legged on the floor. You must sit with your spine erect though
•Take some deep calm breaths and relax your entire body, bit by bit, by pointing your direction to each muscle in turn, starting from your feet and working up to your head •Practice all of the exercises for 10 minutes to start with. After a few weeks you can start increasing the time to 15 minutes and so on •Do the exercises in the order they are listed in.
•Start with the first exercise and practice it every single day until you can do it without being distracted and without your mind wandering elsewhere for at least three minutes continuously
•If you do get distracted, start again until the 10 minutes has passed
•Be very honest with yourself – only move on to exercise two when you are happy that you have mastered the first one properly and have practiced it without being distracted
•Do not set yourself a timetable as this will just end up frustrating you. If you set yourself a task of practicing a specific exercise for, let’s say 5 days. Two things are likely to happen – first you will be disappointed if you can’t master it within those 5 days and second, you will move on to the next exercise before you already to.
•Remember that mastering these exercises can take days, sometimes weeks or allow yourself to think about anything else. Make sure you do not fall asleep or go off into a daydream. If you do find your mind wandering onto something else, stop and start again. Once you are proficient, carry on with the same exercise but for a longer time and try to do two sessions in one day
•Never do too much to start with and certainly do not try and do all the exercises at once. Take it easy and don’t overdo it
•Don’t be disheartened if you do find it difficult to concentrate or are easily distracted. Nobody gets it first time around; all you need to do is persevere and never, ever give up. Remember this – even those who have powerful concentration skills had to start at the beginning and learn how to exercise their minds as well.
This is one of the simplest mind exercises ever. Take the newspaper, pick an article and start counting the number of word in the first paragraph of the article. Redo it once again to ensure the figure is correct. Go on to the next paragraph. In this fashion, cover the entire page. You can also use a book or magazine for this purpose. There is only thing that you should ensure; do not count with your fingers. The whole exercise should be done with the eyes alone.
Counting words with eyes is fun! I have never tried but I noticed it needs a lot of concentration!
This one may sound simple, but only deceptively so. In your mind, without saying the numbers out aloud, start counting backwards. Easy? Then try this, start counting again from 100, but skip the 4 digits in between, for example 100, 96, 92 etc.
I have always counted backwards - it helped me to sleep. But skipping 4 numbers in between is the trciks. I am messing the count down - but I think that is goinging to strengthen my concentration!
Sit down on a chair, pick a fruit of your choice, and hold it out in your palm. Now completely concentrate on the fruit. Run your eyes over it, think about its smell, visualize in your mind its taste, the texture, the sensation of biting into it etc. Do not think about the ancillary matters like the price, the store from which you bought it etc. The idea is to block out every other thought from your mind and think about the fruit at the most elementary level.
Take a medium sized glass of water and sit down on a chair. Extend an arm outwards and place the glass on the outstretched palm. Any tremors or shaking shall be visible by the ripples on the surface of the water. Now concentrate hard by looking at the glass. When you do this, your arms will steady themselves. Shift the glass into the other hand and repeat the procedure.
This is a slight variation of the "Fruity technique" given above. In this case, pick up a small object such as pen, pencil or paper clip and look at it, concentrating hard. But do not think about it. Just keep looking at the object without thinking anything about it. It may be a bit tough in the beginning, but you will improve with time. Keep doing again and again and it will work wonders to the level of concentration.
This exercise is on a higher level and will work out only if you have mastered the ones given above. What you have to do here is, draw a geometrical figure on a sheet of paper. It can be circle, triangle or rectangle. But whatever it is, make sure it is small and not overtly huge. Now fill the inside of the figure with a bright and contrasting color such as red or yellow or black. Then comes the tough part, look at the picture in front of you and visualize the figure alone. Ignore the color, ignore your surroundings and completely block out any thoughts from your mind. Simply look at the paper and imaging the figure or outline of the picture.
Okay, now here it is, just sit. That's all there is, just pick a straight back, comfortable chair and sit. Well a bit more actually, make sure that while sitting, you are not moving a muscle. Your body shouldn’t move a millimeter except your chest and nostrils, for breathing. This may sound effortless to you, but it is actually a tough one. You may not be able to do it for more than five minutes at a stretch, but practice hard and fix a target of fifteen minutes. It is a kind of compound exercise because if done properly, it can relax your complete body.
You may already know of this but its effectiveness warrants it a place in any list of mental exercises to improve concentration. Sit upright on a chair or on the ground, with your head and back in a straight line. Press your index finger against your right nostril and breathe in gently through your left, mentally ticking off ten seconds. Now remove your finger and exhale through your right nostril, again taking ten seconds to do so. Now repeat the whole procedure with the other finger and left nostril. This exercise should be done a minimum of 20 times at a stretch.
Noise is one of the biggest reasons why we cannot concentrate and focus properly. So let us tackle it head on. The ideal place to do this will be on a park next to the road. Close your eyes and take a stock of all the sounds around you. Now, pick a sound and concentrate on it, blocking out everything else. After two or three minutes, switch your focus to another sound and concentrate on it, ignoring everything else in turn.
We have kept the most difficult one for the last. Intentionally blank yourself out. Do not think of anything for a minute. Completely block out everything from your mind. This may prove to be extremely tough in the beginning, but don't give up. Keep working on it and gradually increase the time period to five minutes and from there to ten and so on. There is only one principle to this exercise, your mind should be completely free, and not even a single thought should invade your mind. The time of the day, where you are, what you are doing, what you have to do etc. are all thoughts that tend to barge into our mind when we try to blank out. But resist such thoughts by gaining mastery over your thought process.
This is all about pushing your limits. When you feel saturated and think that you cannot sustain your level of concentration for another minute, convince yourself to give in five more minutes. Force yourself to read a couple of more pages. Tackle two more problems and so on. Right when the temptation to give up hits you, push for another five minutes. Those five minutes count a lot. This is akin to athletes and bodybuilders who train to go past the point of exhaustion and develop their strength and stamina. Similarly, push your mind and heighten the concentration levels.
Prioritize your tasks. If faced with multiple problems, make a mental list and take up the problem that ranks the highest and leave the rest for the moment. For this you have to analyze the different problems and plan the execution. And while doing the task at hand, don't worry about the ones that you have kept aside. Just focus on the work on hand and concentrate on that alone.
You are reading a book and find that beyond a point, you can't concentrate? Here is a quick tip, cup your face with your hands in such a manner that your vision is restricted to just the book alone. Create a sort of tunnel vision in which you cannot see anything other than the page you are reading. This helps in focusing on the task on hand better, as this brings into your thought process under your command.
This tip comes in handy when you have to concentrate while looking at figures or patterns. Confront the pattern or figure as if it is the first and last time you will be looking at it. Create this sense of self urgency and your concentration will involuntarily go up in learning that fact. It is the normal human tendency to procrastinate and put off difficult things for later. This frame of mind is not conducive in improving your levels of concentration, even if you want to.
Do not doubt, even for a moment the efficacy of the methods, but you have to understand the simple fact that not everyone is alike and a method which may prove to work for one may not be fruitful for the other. And this is precisely the reason why we reckoned we should add this little tip - decide what is best for you. The human mind is an enigma, the intricacies of which have never been completely understood in its entirety. Hence instead of going by the textbook, try out and experiment the different methods and techniques that have been outlined and explained herein and ascertain which works for you the best.