The human brain is designed in such a way that it cannot concentrate even on two things at the same time - at one time we are able to do only one thing. Many are looking for ways to improve attention, since high concentration helps to quickly solve a problem and move on to solving the next one. The ability to solve one problem at a time is explained by the limited capabilities of the brain, and when attention is scattered, even simple solutions are difficult to come by. However, with the ability to focus on a problem, we quickly get what we need and move on to the next thing.
How to create order in your daily schedule
There are several planning rules. By following them, it is easier to maintain focus on things and complete them as planned, and not as it turns out.
After every 45 minutes break
It was not for nothing that lessons lasted 45 minutes at school and were separated by short breaks. This routine helps you avoid overloading your head and stay focused for a long time. Yes, you can torture yourself, sit and try to do something for several hours. But you won’t be able to continue like this for long - attention will begin to switch on its own to other tasks.
The daily routine should include tasks of different types
It is difficult to do a job all day that requires perseverance and thoughtfulness. It’s the same with being active – it’s difficult to focus on doing something physical all day long. Therefore, to keep your attention fresh, you need to alternate between different types of tasks.
Plan your vacation
Rest is not something when there is simply nothing to do. This is the time when you have every right not to even think about goals, work, etc. You just relax and do something distracted from important tasks. You need to rest for several hours every day, plus 1-2 days a week should be free. If you don’t give yourself such time, then your attention will be taken away during work.
Medications
You can increase concentration and improve the general condition of the body with the help of a number of medications:
- Glycine. Relieves stress, calms, increases brain performance and attention.
- Vitrum memory. Medicine based on herbal ingredients. Enhances alertness, normalizes blood circulation and, as a result, brain nutrition.
- Undevit. Vitamins A, B, C, E, P. Has a general strengthening effect.
- Aminalon. Helps remove toxins accumulated in the body and restore the functioning of the nervous system, thereby improving performance and concentration.
- Bilobil. Improves sleep and mental activity, eliminates anxiety.
- Intellan. Helps cope with depression and eliminates forgetfulness.
- Ginkgo biloba. Improves memory and the ability to maintain attention, eliminates insomnia and dizziness.
The listed drugs have virtually no contraindications or side effects. However, it is recommended to consult a doctor before using them.
Recommendations on how to improve concentration in general
Here are some tricks and tips to help you become more focused overall. That is, if you want to get ready right now, they will not have a strong effect. But if you apply these recommendations over a period of weeks and months, then you will notice that focusing on things has become very easy.
Meditation
You don't have to learn all the ins and outs of meditation to gain mental clarity and improve concentration. It is enough to sit with your eyes closed every day for 10 minutes, trying to imitate the lotus position, and monitor your breathing. After a week, you will already notice that your mind has become calmer and it is easier to focus on tasks.
Walks
Walking without any purpose (that is, not to a store or cafe, but just a walk for the sake of walking) is also a kind of meditation, only active. Go out every day for half an hour to an hour, walking and observing your breathing. This calms and allows the second type of attention to relax. The result will also be noticeable in about a week.
Plan
Create a daily routine. You shouldn't do the same thing every day - it will turn into a routine and get boring. But if every evening you write down what you will do tomorrow, constantly adding something new, then it will be easier to stay focused. The mind will be ready for tasks when the next day arrives.
Make time for unimportant things
Many people have a desire to surf social networks, watch videos on YouTube, and entertainment sites. Especially during work. Due to frequent work interruptions, the ability to focus on business is lost. Therefore, give yourself a special time when you can do this - 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening, for example. After a few weeks, you will notice that being on social networks and watching videos brings more pleasure and does not harm your concentration when working.
Play sports
It seems unclear – what does sport have to do with concentration? But in fact, eating right, exercising and otherwise taking care of your body helps calm your mind and become more focused. In order to increase concentration, you need to do some kind of physical exercise every day. The minimum is charging every day. And ideally, go to the gym several times a week, or as a substitute – jogging and exercise at home.
Do what you like
Another way to stay focused on important things longer is to do what you enjoy. By choosing an area of activity that brings you pleasure, it is easier to stay focused on your tasks.
In the long run, you will benefit even if you quit what you are doing right now (if you don’t like this type of work) and find something you like. After all, the more an activity brings pleasure, the more time and effort we put into it. And we avoid what we don’t like and save effort in every possible way.
Set your priorities
Decide what is important to you in life and what is secondary. Write down all the values that you consider important: 10-15 points. And then select the 3 most significant among them and work on those. Shut off from everything unimportant - devote time to it only when you have done everything possible for priority goals.
Setting priorities on paper helps you finally decide what is worth doing and what can be put off or completely thrown out of your life. And this frees up a huge part of your attention.
Act not at a certain time, but when you have energy
You've probably heard that there are people who are "night owls" - those who like to do things late and wake up at lunchtime, and there are people who are "larks" - those who have more energy to work in the morning. Observe yourself throughout the day and see what type you are. And then arrange your work so that it corresponds not to time, but to when you have the energy. It's hard to stay focused when you're not emotionally ready for work.
Remove anything that could potentially be a distraction.
Make sure in advance that there is no phone or anything nearby that could potentially distract you while working. Mobile is one of the main irritants. Constantly being distracted by calls and notifications, we worsen our concentration.
Physical training of attention
Absent-mindedness is very clearly visible to the naked eye. Remember the image of the “absent-minded man from Basseynaya Street”, the hero was constantly unlucky, and all because he could not concentrate. Now imagine the conductor of a symphony orchestra. His movements are refined and unfussy, he is focused on his activity.
Pay attention to your behavior - do you have unnecessary habits that negatively affect the properties of attention? It could be a slouched back, tense muscles, even the habit of scratching your head or other parts of the body can become a distraction that interferes with concentration. To improve concentration, remove distractions, set yourself comfortable conditions and start working only when you are completely relaxed and not distracted by other factors.
Tips on how to improve concentration here and now
If you need to do something today, but you just can’t get yourself together and focus on the task, here are some tips. They will help you get ready for a short time, but overall there will not be a strong effect.
- Imagine the worst outcome of events and accept it
Sometimes we are distracted from our work by the fear that everything will go wrong. It forces you to be distracted by social networks, YouTube and other unimportant matters. To eliminate it, stop for a minute and imagine the worst outcome that could happen and what you would do after that.
If you fail, you won't stop - and you'll even know what to do next - so it becomes easier to stay focused on the task.
- Switch to the opposite type of task: for 15-60 minutes
If you can't focus on a task, just switch to something else. If the task involves mental activity, do something that involves your body: cleaning, walking, exercising, etc. If it’s physical, read, chat, draw, etc.
If you force yourself to focus on something, nothing will come of it. Just give your brain a rest, and then, when it has recovered (15-60 minutes), proceed to what is important to do now.
- Read
Reading is also a great way to take your mind off things for a while and regain your concentration. You can read anything - fiction, something educational or interesting. Doesn't matter. Just sit down for half an hour or an hour and enjoy a book.
The main thing is that it is pleasant to read. That is, you don’t need to force yourself. To do this, choose something interesting for yourself.
- Music
Music also helps you concentrate. Play a collection of calm music in the background and do your homework at the same time. It’s bad to constantly use this technique, as it is a kind of “crutches” for attention. But as a way to concentrate on a task here and now and bring it to completion, it’s suitable.
- Write down everything that worries you right now
One technique from psychology helps to free your head from the unimportant and concentrate on the task: write down on paper all the thoughts that are bothering you now. Having done this, you will move away from problems and worries, you will begin to look at them as if from the outside. Thanks to this, the second type of attention will not be occupied with something extraneous and it will become easier to focus.
- Get some sleep
A short nap during the day also allows the second type of attention to rest. After 15-45 minutes of sleep, you can fully recover and continue doing business without distraction.
Establish control over your thoughts
Thoughts can appear independently of our will. However, it is quite possible to direct them in the right direction. Having noticed that the thought process has moved on to another topic, you should either take a break or discard thoughts that interfere with your work . Regular training will help you quickly direct your thoughts in the right direction.
Thus, the ability to concentrate helps to achieve the goal. It all depends on your mindset to win. Consistency, perseverance and patience will help you overcome the obstacles that arise in life and prevent the situation from getting out of control.
To test your level of concentration, do the “Line” exercise.
You will need a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. Start drawing the line slowly. All thoughts should be focused only on this process. As soon as an abstract thought appears, draw a small peak. This is reminiscent of a cardiogram. The number of peaks indicates the appearance of extraneous thoughts. It is considered that concentration of attention is good if not a single peak is recorded on the line within three minutes.
Training concentration - how to train a muscle
In order to better focus on tasks, you need to constantly work on it. It’s like you’re training a muscle: you won’t be able to make your body perfect in an instant, but by investing at least a little every day, you’ll get a good result in weeks or months.
Powerful exercises for developing attention
Use the information from the article to become emotionally involved in the task here and now. But in order to make a strong shift in this matter, you need to constantly use at least several recommendations from the first list.
Exercise for the brain
High concentration is the result of active brain function. Just as the body needs morning exercise, the human mind has the same need. When getting ready for work in the morning, or while on transport, do the following set of exercises:
- Count from one to 100 and back (over time, the task can be complicated by saying, for example, only even numbers, or those that are divisible by three).
- Select any letter from the alphabet at random and remember all the words that begin with it (if you speak a foreign language, you can take advantage of this when completing the task, and you can also introduce restrictions on parts of speech).
- Without hesitation, name 20 names (further complicate the task by choosing only male or female).
- Choose any letter of the alphabet for which you will need to name a male and female name, a place, an animal, a bird and a product (this is not just good mental gymnastics, but also a great idea for passing time with your child).
Please note that all of the above exercises must be performed as quickly as possible, without thinking too long.
Why technology itself doesn't interfere with concentration
We tend to blame them for attention problems. The notifications that constantly pile up on our smartphones and the fear of missing out on something important that they cause is what we usually attribute our difficulty concentrating to. But this is only the external side of the issue, and the root of the problem is deeper.
I realized this when I was trying to overcome my phone addiction. To begin with, I began to notice when I reach out to him without any reason. It turns out there is always a reason. Usually this is some kind of emotional discomfort from which you want to escape: boredom, awkwardness, anxiety.
In other words, phone use, and with it excessive consumption of media content and social networks, was a reaction to unpleasant experiences, and not a cause of distraction.
