Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Practice Active Concentration
• Method 2 of 3: Make a plan
• Method 3 of 3: Eliminate interference
• Tips

Concentration problems are common to all people. Sometimes our minds can pretend to be a small, cunning lizard, prowling somewhere in the dark corners of our workday, forcing us to do anything but what is needed. If you can't focus on one thing and bring it to its logical conclusion, you are in the right hands. The ability to focus is a skill that we all need to develop. However, the process of developing the ability to remove obstacles, focus your efforts, and plan your daily routine should not be torture. However, with these abilities, you will be able to harness your overactive mind, optimize its performance, and become the best possible version of yourself. And this article will show you how to do it.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Practice Active Concentration

1. 1 Take notes as you work. One of the most effective ways you can actively focus on what you are doing is by taking handwritten notes.Unlike printed text, handwritten notes force us to actually do what we need to do, allowing us to keep in mind a clearer vision of our work and be more involved in it on a subconscious level.
   • If you can't get yourself together and focus during a meeting or class, take notes more actively. Don't let your hand stop writing. Even if the notes will not be useful to you in the future, in this way you will keep your consciousness from hovering in the clouds.
2. 2 Scribble. Thoughtfulness is a sign that people are not paying attention. It turns out that some of the most active thinkers also tend to actively scribble. If you draw, even if just wavy lines or all sorts of nonsense, while trying to concentrate, then, as some studies show, by doing so, you help yourself to engage your mind in the process and focus, keeping boredom at bay and keeping your brain active. and its receptivity to learning.
3. 3 Speak out loud as you work. Like drawing scribble and taking notes, speaking out loud as we work or study has been shown by research to actively help us internalize what we read and the ideas that come to our minds, although perhaps your roommates will think that you there are not enough screws in my head. But who cares? Like note-taking, verbalization allows us to better assimilate information, creating a two-step learning process and encouraging full involvement in the process, making it easier to refer to the learned information later.
   • If this confuses you, try to find a separate, very quiet place where you can practice, or wait until your roommates are gone to try this method alone. Or just stop worrying about what they think of you. Talk to yourself! We all do this.
4. 4 Look for only the right solutions. Professional drivers know that when a car is skidding, it’s not the obstacles they’d like to avoid, but safe room to maneuver. Successful footballers move towards open space while playing, successful guitarists look for an empty space to successfully rehearse a part, and excellent players focus on the right direction of action.
   • It may sound so obvious that it may seem silly, but if you feel like your thoughts are wandering elsewhere while practicing, imagine that you are doing everything right. Tell yourself to actively read and pay attention to what you read. Change your train of thought and look for options when the things you do are right. Then take action.

Method 2 of 3: Make a plan

1. 1 Find the best time to work. Are you a morning person? Night owl? Or maybe your afternoon work is best for you? Determine the time of day when you are in your best shape and plan your active life based on this fact. There is no point in pretending. You should not make yourself a lark if in your soul you yearn for lessons to start not at 8 in the morning, but at 3 in the morning. Listen to your heart and do what really works.
2. 2 Plan every day in the morning. Having a plan can help you get rid of distracting thoughts and emotions. Draw a line between each thing you need to do on a given day, trying to predict how long it will take you to get it done. Try to leave some wiggle room in case you end up taking longer to finish your coursework or prepare for that presentation at work.
   • Do your best not to do multiple things at the same time. If this is the time for breakfast and reading the latest newspaper, try to exclusively have breakfast and read the newspaper during this period.You don’t have to worry about preparing for your English exam if your preparation is scheduled for 6:30 pm, after work, and before your dinner with friends.
3. 3 Work actively on both short-term and long-term goals. It's best if you find something that will remind you of why you are doing what you are doing. In this way, it will help you move in the right direction and remind you of what you will ultimately achieve. Remember your long-term goals and how small steps will lead you to great achievements.
   • When you, for example, try to sit down to study trigonometry, one of the most acute obstacles can be the thought: “Why am I doing this? Do I have to skip parties my whole life? " At such times, it can be helpful to remind yourself why you are studying this subject: “I have to pass this subject to be able to get my master's degree, continue my doctoral studies and become the coolest pediatric neurosurgeon. My plan is in action. " Take some time for the villainous laugh and then get back to work.
4. 4 Create a habit and then make changes to it. Monotony in itself can be very distracting. Understand when you get bored of the same, the same. Try to plan your day so that different types of daily activities alternate with each other and go on continuously. Try to organize your day so that you don't have to do one household chores after another. Alternate between housework and study or exercise. Don't answer all emails at once. Answer a few, then take a break to do something else. At the end of each such day, you will be able to see how much more productive your activity has become, if it was correctly placed.
   • This method may not work the same for everyone. Understand for yourself what works best for you. If you feel that it will be more effective for you to go through all the papers first, go ahead, go for it. Pour a glass of wine and get to work.
5. 5 Get your rest as scheduled. Taking breaks is important, but the temptation to take a break can creep up at the most insidious moments, like when something doesn't work out and you'd rather take a nap than tackle this difficult point or page. If you take regular breaks and try to stick to that schedule, you won't get tired, but at the same time, it won't hurt your productivity.
   • If there is a long day ahead, some people find the 50-10 method effective. If you have a ton of work to redo, do the work for 50 minutes and then take a 10-minute break to do something relaxing. Get up from the table, take a walk, watch a video about a bulldog on a trampoline on YouTube. In general, do what you need to do first to get the break you need. Then get back to work again.

Method 3 of 3: Eliminate interference

1. 1 Find a place where you are most comfortable working. There is no ideal place to promote concentration. Some work and do the most effective among people, for example, sitting in a coffee shop or cafe. For others, such an environment can greatly distract from work and study. Likewise, the best place for you may be your living room, your desk, or the main criterion for an efficient workplace for you may be the absence of an Xbox console within 100 meters. Try to identify what distracts you the most and create an environment in which these things will not be present.
   • Take the day and make a list of all the things that distract you. If you notice that instead of studying, you are on social media, write it down. If you have to finish writing but you are playing guitar instead, write it down. If in class instead of listening, you dream of your boyfriend, write it down.
   • At the end of the day, take a look at your list of your parasitic habits. The next time you sit down to work, try to create a workplace for yourself where none of this list will be. Close your browser window while doing your homework or turn off the internet altogether. Hide your guitar in the basement or practice outside. Put your cell phone aside and stop texting your handsome guy for a while. All of this will not go anywhere, and you can continue when you have free time.
2. 2 Try not to react to interference that you cannot control. Sometimes there is simply nowhere to go from them: something distracts from work. Sometimes it happens that you will find what it may seem like, the ideal place in the far quiet corner of the library, a place where you hope to do all your work, and suddenly some guy next to you, reading old newspapers, starts coughing so hard, as if he is now coughing up your lungs. What to do in this case? There are two options:
   • Go away... If the interference is unbearable, you don't need to react harshly, but you also shouldn't sit there wasting time aimlessly. Get up, pack your things, and find a quieter place in the library.
   • Ignore it... Put on your headphones and play a sweet song to drown out the distracting voices of other people, or just focus on your reading to the point where you stop noticing them. People don't try to annoy you on purpose. Deal with it.
3. 3 Try to go offline for as long as possible. Sometimes it seems like the browser window is meant to ruin our lives. A single tab separates you from the rabbit hole with old boxing video matches and messages from your girlfriend. You don't even need to close your job! If possible, do without the Internet while you work. Put your phone aside, turn off Wi-Fi, and get to work.
   • If you need a computer and the Internet to work, secure yourself from the very beginning. Use programs such as Anti-Social to block the websites that distract you the most, or download time limiting software that will only allow you to use the Internet within a specified time frame. You can take breaks during which you can watch, for example, YouTube videos.
4. 4 Prioritize. Your biggest distraction can be when you try to pay attention to whatever comes your way, be it work, school, or relationships. You must be able to prioritize! When you do things according to their priority, you can manage the situation by completing each task on the list one by one in order of importance and due date.
   • Learn to make a to-do list and stick to it as closely as possible. Do not work on several tasks at the same time, choose one thing and keep working until you bring the matter to its logical conclusion.
   • We can't do two things at the same time, or can we? See what you can do on your list at the same time to make your day more efficient. Do you need to study for your math exam and do your laundry? Study your notes in the laundry and cross both of these tasks off your to-do list at the end of your household and school chores.
5. 5 Get yourself to work. The most debilitating interference has nothing to do with YouTube, Facebook, or a couple in love chatting in a cafe at a table next to you; sometimes it's all about ourselves. Sometimes our minds can resemble a tense lizard jumping on a trampoline. The only thing that can help us in this case is to pull ourselves together, sit down to work and do it until we finish. No matter where you work, what happened to you today and what you need to work on, you are the person who makes the decision to do it or not. Calm down, focus and hit the road.There is nothing that distracts us more than ourselves.
   • Try doing morning meditation or some breathing exercises to help you focus when you feel overwhelmed. People who have trouble concentrating tend to distract themselves even more when trying to concentrate, which makes the situation worse, rather than helping to get out of it. Realize this and relax.

Tips

• If you want to focus, try closing your eyes and breathing deeply. Thus, your mind will focus on only one feeling.
• The secret of concentration is in healthy sleep. Sleep more than 15 hours a day at least 4 times a week for better concentration. Even recent research has shown that sleep increases IQ levels.
• Concentration is essential in any endeavor. It needs to be cultivated as a habit. Make it a rule to do no more than one thing at a time with all your heart.