Specialists who need to focus separately. How to focus: effective techniques and exercises. Leave the fun for later
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People with a high concentration of attention can quickly delve into the essence difficult topic, productively move towards the goal and bring it to the end, live every day more fully and consciously and get more pleasure from life in general. According to Bill Gates, the ability to concentrate for a long time and keep the focus of attention is the very important quality, which distinguishes a successful person from an unsuccessful one, smart from stupid.
In this article website I have compiled a whole list of useful exercises and techniques that will allow even the most absent-minded people to improve their ability to concentrate, effectively deal with interruptions and significantly increase your productivity.
- Second hand. Take an ordinary watch and watch the second hand move for 5 minutes. You need to think only about this arrow and about nothing else. If you get distracted - put yourself a minus and start over.
- Check. Exercise perfectly calms, helps to concentrate before an important speech, negotiations. You need to sit down and silently, slowly, fully focusing on the numbers, count in your mind from 1 to 30. With closed eyes - a simpler option, with open ones - for advanced ones.
- Countdown. Choose some big number and start counting backwards: 7845, 7844, 7843... In the future, it will be possible to subtract not 1, but 3 or 5.
- Breath. Breathe a little deeper than usual, concentrating on the process of breathing. Mentally imagine how the air moves through the respiratory tract and enters your lungs, slowly filling and expanding them. And in the opposite direction - follow your exhalation.
- We count the words. Take a book or magazine, open any page and count the number of words on it. Then count the words again. To complicate the task, count the words on 2 or 3 pages. Important: you can count words only with your eyes, without touching the paper with your hands.
- One word. Choose a word that inspires you or just likes you, and for 5 minutes mentally repeat it without thinking about anything else. Over time, bring the time up to 10 minutes.
- Reflective reading. The choice of a book is very important here, it should be interesting literature worthy of your attention, and not some kind of tabloid reading. The meaning of the exercise lies in complete immersion in the readable text, you should be as focused as possible on it, read and see the full depth of what the author wrote about, think about all the nuances and meanings. No need to set records, read at a pace that you can manage to stay focused on what you have written. If you notice that you are distracted, gather your will into a fist and focus again on the main task - to read and understand the text as much as possible.
- The study of the subject. Absolutely any simple object will do: a pencil, a pen, a lighter, an eraser, a cup. Examine the subject as if you were seeing it for the first time, constantly being interested in the new details that this subject has. Try to find more and more questions about him. Why this particular form? What material? How it works? What's inside? How else can this be applied? What country is it made in?
- Focus on smell. Choose a natural, natural scent that you like, such as the smell of grass, fruits, flowers, pine needles. Relax and slowly inhale, then exhale the aroma, concentrating only on this process, without distraction. Think only about the smell, no outside thoughts should be allowed.
- Where is attention directed? From time to time during the day, ask yourself questions: what are you doing, why are you doing it, are you investing resources, what is it taking your time for, is it worth continuing, etc. For convenience, you can write these questions down on a piece of paper and hang it in the most prominent place, so as not to forget about this exercise.
- Associations. Develop associative thinking. To do this, take a few minutes to study the person in your field of vision. Think about what associations he evokes in you: who does he look like from your acquaintances or from celebrities; what animal do you associate it with; if this person were an object, what kind; whom he could work.
- Reflection. Straighten your back and stand in front of a mirror. Draw circles on the mirror at the level of your eyes and focus all your attention on them. Stand so that the drawn circles do not go beyond the outlines of your eyes. Exercise should be performed until you feel a slight fatigue in your back.
- Imagination game. Sit in a chair and close your eyes. Imagine a large jug and a ball, and then how this ball goes in and out of the jug. You need to repeat the exercise up to 10 times, observing the sequence. Helps unload the brain and pump the ability to concentrate.
- The words are the opposite. This game, familiar to many from childhood, is an excellent exercise in concentration. Take simple, short words and say them out loud backwards: cat - akshok, fish - abyr, etc. In the future, you can take longer words and complicate the task.
- Text upside down. Take any book, turn it upside down and read the text. For the entry level, one page is enough.
- Scout. Take a book you don't know and read one paragraph. Try to repeat what you read word for word. It is unlikely that you will be able to do it right away, but if you train, then everything will work out. But each time take a new paragraph, and not the same one, otherwise the meaning of the exercise will be lost.
- Colorblind. Despite the apparent simplicity, the exercise is quite difficult. Write the names of the colors in different inks that will not match the name of the color itself. For example, write the word “red” in yellow, the word “blue” in red, etc. When reading, you need to name the color of the word, and not what is written.
- Line. On a clean sheet of paper, draw a line very slowly and smoothly with a pencil. Your thoughts should be focused exclusively on this line. As soon as you catch yourself being distracted, immediately make a small peak on the line, as if on a cardiogram, and continue to draw the line further. The concentration level can be easily determined by the number of peaks on the line. Ideal - if in 3 minutes you do not form a single peak.
- Figure. Draw any shape on a piece of paper: a circle, a square, a triangle. Paint over with any color and concentrate all your attention only on this figure. All your thoughts should be only about this figure. It is important not to strain your eyes. Look at the figure for 2-3 minutes, then close your eyes and imagine it in great detail and detail.
- Film strip. The point of the exercise is to imagine one day of your life as a video that you are watching. You need to try to remember in great detail how your day went, from the moment you woke up to the moment you went to bed.
When working on a task, focus only on it, making sure that it is a priority in this moment. If the task is large, break it into several stages and work on each of them separately. If the number of tasks is unrealistic, unbearable, then no amount of concentration will help.
What exercise did you like the most? Maybe you have your own method to help you concentrate and implement your plans productively?
How to focus on work
The reason for which it is impossible to concentrate on work, most often lies in the task itself. Most likely this is a boring task or one that you are not good at. Yes, sometimes remote workers have to do such things even at their favorite job 🙂 But no matter how uninteresting the task is, you need to complete it. And in order to finally stop reading articles on Surfingbird or looking for inspiration on Pinterest, here are some proven ways to focus on work.
1. Get away from the computer
If you caught yourself thinking that an hour has passed, and you still haven’t sat down to work, just get up and leave from behind the computer (close all interesting tabs or the browser first). Take a break for 5-10 minutes for something completely different: wash the dishes, take out the trash, vacuum. Then get back to WORK!
2. Go in for sports
If I can't concentrate at work or I get distracted by different thoughts, I spread my mat and do sports or yoga for 15-20 minutes. After physical activity there is a charge of vivacity, a surge of energy, a kind of fuse, and that's when I return to work.
3. Change location
If you usually work at a desk in a room, move to the kitchen or the hall, you can even head to a nearby cafe or park! A change of scenery incites to work, as if it makes it possible to start everything from scratch and with renewed vigor. Just make sure that the new place will be comfortable for you to work, and there will be no new distractions.
4. Light an aroma lamp or incense
It has been scientifically proven that different smells can affect our brain and activity in different ways. To get in the working mood, use essential oils lemon, rosemary, ginger, lime, mint. Or light an aroma stick.
Interesting fact! If you use aromatherapy regularly, the brain will develop a reflex. That is, when you once again light a lamp with rosemary oil, the brain will understand that mental work is ahead and will be ready for it 🙂
5. Breathe
I have already written about meditation in an article. She will help us here too! If you can't concentrate on your work, close your eyes, sit in a comfortable position and start breathing slowly. Ideally, you should slow down your breathing to 4-6 breaths per minute. Do 3-5 repetitions of slow breathing, slowly open your eyes and calmly return to work.
It is important not to hold your breath, but to slow it down! Breathe deeply, exhale "small portions".
In order not to be distracted by unnecessary thoughts during the breathing exercise, repeat to yourself: “Inhale-exhale”. Imagine how the air, entering the nose, circulates throughout the body and exits through the nostrils.
If you want to take meditation more seriously, download the weekly meditation and yoga plan, which will improve 5 areas of your life for 10 minutes for 7 days.
6. Get up
I recently read that to improve your performance at a computer, you should work while standing! Of course, not all the time, but only at the beginning of work, in order to focus and get involved in the process. This is explained by the fact that in a standing position, more muscles of the body are involved than in a sitting one, thus increasing the overall tone of the body, it is more difficult for a person to relax, and the brain is more tuned to work.
Tell us in the comments, how do you concentrate on work and what do you do when you want to be distracted by something more interesting?
Sincerely, Kazakova Ekaterina
We all fight to keep the attention in our Everyday life. Constant distraction does not allow our brain to be concentrated on one thing. But what actually happens in our head when we lose focus? And more importantly, what do we do to induce this centered state in ourselves? Let's answer the question: "How to learn to concentrate?"
It is important to understand what goes on in our head when we are focused on something and what happens when we are distracted. Then we can minimize all distractions and train our brain to better focus. After all, focus is a skill and it takes practice to develop it.
What happens in your brain when you are focused and distracted.
First, let's look at what happens in the brain when you start focusing on something, and then what makes you break that focus. It turns out that both processes are interconnected.
The Two Step Process: What Happens When You Focus
The brain goes through two main stages when it focuses on a task. This system is under your control and asks a simple question: “What do you want to focus on?” When you choose to focus on something, the brain goes through two steps to make sense of and understand the information.
- Visually, you take in all the information and start processing it to find what you need to pay more attention to. This can be compared to a blurry photograph that slowly begins to come into focus.
- The second part involves focusing on one aspect. And which photo is in focus, attention starts to increase on one aspect that you want to pay attention to.
When you are fully focused, your perception of the world around you changes, time seems to stop and you stop noticing everything that is happening around you. This state is called "flow".
This is what happens in your brain when you break Focus.
Loss of focus and focus is an evolutionary system designed to keep you and me safe. You cannot control the peripheral attention that distracts you, as it has been hardwired into our brains for a very long time.
Two external events cause us to lose concentration: bright colors or lights and loud sounds. Your attention is primarily focused on what could be dangerous or beneficial to you, like the growl of an animal or the sound and lights of a police siren.
It takes about 25 minutes to restore concentration. Every time you get distracted, you need a lot of time and resources to get back to “flow”. Therefore, we need to remove all possible external factors that might distract you.
Determine what disrupts your concentration and remove those triggers
All people are unique. It's likely that at some point in your life you've met that one person who can enjoy reading with the TV in the background or who has no problem focusing on the task of listening to heavy metal. To help you focus, you need to identify your triggers that are constantly distracting you.
Minimize external distractions
Minimizing common distractions is a sure way to become more alert and focused.
There are many different ways to easily block outside influences. Here are a few simple tips, which will help you minimize the risk of external influences disturbing your attention.
- Wear headphones or ear plugs: If loud noises are the main cause of distraction, then the most logical approach would be to remove them from the equation. It's important to remember that it's not just loud noises directed at you that are distracting (someone shouting your name), but loud noises in general.
- Turn off various mail alerts, social networks and phone calls.
Creating a kind of small sound and noise isolation booth will be a great solution to remove external distractions. However, there are also internal distracting triggers.
Identify your internal distractions and stop them before they distract you.
We all get distracted by various inner things throughout the day. These thoughts could be about what you eat for dinner, why the girl in the cafe doesn't want to go on a date with you, or what a stupid thing you said to your boss.
To suppress distractions, you must be aware of your internal mental processes and catch the wrong impulses before they take over your brain.
Start thinking about and describing your own actions in words. By fixing the descriptions of your actions in your brain, you will increase the strength of your inhibition. Which will help you put the block on the simultaneous work with a large amount of information, spraying your attention and being distracted.
Learning to deal with distraction is great, but to be more resilient in long term you need to train your brain to be focused.
In search of an easy way, our brain is constantly trying to switch us from a productive mode to something less important: and now it seems that you are ready to do anything but work tasks. Thus, many get addicted to the drug of "urgency", when it is possible to work effectively only in the mode of burning deadlines. But attempts to do everything in a short time adversely affect the psyche, become sources of endless stress. How to focus on one thing, learn to concentrate on work and not be distracted, I will tell in this article.
How our brain works
The mind does not know how to function in several different directions in parallel. At the same time, thoughts wander in the head all the time, because of which there are difficulties with concentration.
When a new task appears, at the very beginning of its execution, brain activity is aimed at creating neural connections. The more complex the issue, the longer this process takes. After a few minutes, most of the necessary neurons are activated, so it becomes easier to concentrate.
How is concentration
Any business can be divided into 3 stages:
- Power on (0-15 min.). This is the most energy intensive stage.
- Productivity phase (20 minutes - several hours).
- Fatigue (decreased performance). Time to take a break.
So, every time you are distracted at the beginning of work, the brain needs to “turn on” again, spending a certain number of minutes on this - you will not be able to immediately focus on the goal.
How to learn to focus on one thing
The best way to maintain an effective state is to postpone all incoming thoughts, tasks, calls, messages until the moment when you start to get tired. Then in the third stage you will be able to immediately complete all the additional tasks that have accumulated. So you get distracted from the main thing, take a break from it, switching to other little things.
How to practice active concentration
This technique consists of four useful techniques.
Take notes
If the format of the work allows it, write by hand. This is one of the most effective methods that allow you to constantly keep your brain in good shape, to be maximally involved in the process. As soon as you feel that during a business meeting or lecture you start to get distracted, create more notes. They may not be helpful, but they will help keep your focus.
Scribble
The crop pictures really help to concentrate. If you have to listen to a large amount of information for a long time, by drawing even the simplest elements, you will not let yourself get bored and distracted by extraneous thoughts, you will feel yourself here and now.
How to Become More Focused: Speak Out Loud
Sounding allows you to better understand what is read or written. Verbalization contributes to maximum involvement in activities, because by concentrating on pronouncing a sentence, the brain does not wander, but keeps one task in focus.
Look for the right solutions
When your thoughts start to take you the other way, consciously bring them back to work, telling yourself, "I'm doing everything right." At this point, start reading, writing or listening even more actively, think about each phrase, feel your actions.
How to Focus on a Goal: Tips for Planning and Focusing
Another technique is related to the development of time management.
Find the best time
Find out what part of the day you are most productive and complete the most important tasks in that time frame. If you are a night owl, you should not start the day with the most difficult things, give yourself time to swing on the little things. If you are a lark, do not put off work questions until the evening.
Make a plan in the morning
A clear schedule will allow you to track the implementation of current tasks and not be distracted by trifles. Set a strict time frame for each task that needs to be completed (with a little margin in case more time is suddenly needed). Make sure that you do not think about two things at the same time, but focus on only one.
Pay attention to both short-term and long-term goals
The focus should always be not only the current occupation, but also thoughts about why you are doing it. Find a way to remind yourself of the goal you are really striving for. Understanding that your current activity is one of the steps towards a dream will motivate and restore concentration.
How to learn to focus on one thing and not be distracted by extraneous thoughts: create a habit
If you can't work because of the monotony, understand how long your brain is able to focus on one activity. Based on this, plan your day so that different variants activities alternated. For example, take a break of 10 minutes every half hour. Make a list of small tasks that you can pay attention to during breaks. As soon as this format becomes familiar to you, you will notice how much you can get done in a short period of time.
Rest according to schedule
Rest is extremely important, but only if it is consciously planned by you. Resist the temptation to have a cup of tea right after opening a working paper. Agree to take a five-minute break after completing a small, specific task. You can also use the 50/10 or 40/10 technique - then every 40-50 minutes you can relax and consciously distract yourself, and then return to activity again.
Focus on one thing: removing obstacles
- Work in comfortable conditions. If you have the opportunity to choose your own place of work, make sure that there is not a single distraction around. Make a list of what distracts you the most and create a workspace where you won't have the option of checking social media, watching YouTube videos, or chatting with a friend.
- If it is impossible to eliminate the source of noise or movement that distracts you, you should not waste your strength, nerves and endure to the last. Also, do not switch to aggression mode. Just walk away, find a quieter place to organize your workspace, or take a walk. The second option is to put on headphones and turn on a calm, pleasant melody.
- Turn off the Internet, if possible. Close the browser window with intrusive ads, log out of social networks, let only the necessary materials for the project be in front of you.
- Set your priorities wisely. During the day, you probably fall down a huge number of tasks, each of which requires attention. Do what is of particular importance or urgency first. And only then proceed to issues of lesser prioritization.
- Take up meditation. Learn breathing exercises, which will help bring the body into a state of concentration during overload. Look for sources of energy and inspiration within yourself. To do this, you can sign up for my women's course "" right now, during which you will learn how to use internal resources to the fullest!
How to learn to keep your attention on one thing: 12 ways to focus on work
It is extremely important not to be interrupted when you are at the stage of inclusion in the workflow. To prevent this, use the methods below.
Do not be distructed
Constantly switching to other things when you first started the project activity is the same as driving a car, stopping and accelerating all the time. This takes a lot of energy, and productivity is reduced to a minimum. If multitasking isn't your thing, ask your loved ones and colleagues not to disturb you for a certain amount of time. Turn off social networks, mail and phone. Switch to other activities only when you feel that you have entered the phase of declining performance.
How to learn to properly concentrate at work: remove all unnecessary
Things that are not related to the project distract the mind, generating an additional stream of thoughts. If a workplace littered, information noise, chaos arises in the head, which makes it much more difficult to immerse yourself in vigorous activity. Try working on a cluttered desk, and then leave it completely clean and compare the results.
Work or study on a timer
Promise yourself that until the time allotted for concentration on one task is over, you will not be distracted. Cut off these time intervals on an alarm clock. This way of organizing trains self-discipline. Determine how long your most productive moments last and take this into account when compiling your timing. Periodically change the objects of your attention, but only consciously, according to a schedule.
For example, knowing that you reach your maximum efficiency in work activities after 30 minutes, take a ten-minute break every half hour. Then the brain will always be in good shape. And if suddenly after 15 minutes. work you want to be distracted, remember that, most likely, the mind is trying to deceive you. Having overcome this desire, you will be able to remain at the peak of productivity for some time, and then relax with a clear conscience.
Get up earlier
In the morning, focusing on the task is much easier, since the mind has just recovered and is not yet overloaded with information. In addition, sleep itself greatly slows down the flow of thoughts that distract from business, so there will be much less reason to interrupt. That is why many prefer to wake up at 5-6 o'clock and go to bed early in order to be effective most of the day. In the meantime, be sure to get enough sleep! Lack of sleep reduces the reaction, mental activity, leads to exhaustion and weakening of the body.
Leave the fun for later
In no case should you start your working days by reading the news in in social networks, watching TV and other useless activities. Remember that after dessert, the main course is much more difficult to sit down - it simply does not seem so attractive. Work for so long until you feel tired, and only then switch to relaxation. No wonder there is a completely working expression: "Cause - time, fun - an hour."
How to learn to focus on a goal and be focused: warm up by making a plan
To set your mind in a productive way, before you start a task, make a detailed daily routine. If you have one big task to complete, break it into several parts and allocate a specific time period for each. Imagine how the workflow will go in a couple of minutes. After such a workout, you will feel that it will be noticeably easier to turn on.
Connect Logic
The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for logical thinking, purposefulness and rational activity. It can be launched by solving math problems, crossword puzzles and games. Activate the right side of your body: move your arm or leg.
Ask a question
Rule out moving objects
The subconscious will always pay attention to movement, which is the basic principle of the instinct of self-preservation. Activity is a danger, so reflexively you will be distracted by them.
If you can't focus on anything, control your adrenaline
When you are agitated, the flow of intrusive thoughts makes it difficult to concentrate on business. Like fatigue, drowsiness does not allow you to fully engage in the work process. To work effectively, you need to maintain an average level of arousal that does not feed mental activity, but also does not push everything to quit.
To reduce anxiety:
- turn on a calm instrumental melody or sounds of nature;
- take a walk;
- reproduce in your head the image of a quiet, beautiful area where you once visited;
- reduce muscle tone, take a relaxed position;
- act slowly;
- slow down your breathing.
To boost adrenaline:
How to correctly and quickly focus on the main thing and work: remove unnecessary sounds
Extraneous conversations inhibit brain activity, creating an additional stream of thoughts. Block out the noise with headphones or earplugs. Better yet, ask those who make you uncomfortable to be quieter.
Don't eat sweets
Although they say that chocolate stimulates brain activity, confectionery products are sources of fast carbohydrates, are instantly broken down in the stomach and do not provide enough energy. Sweets reduce efficiency, concentration, so often after eating them you can feel sluggish, relaxed. Instead, eat fruits and vegetables as often as possible, which will supply the body with vitamins and fill it with vitality.
Work standing
The larger the surface area with which the body is in contact, the less tone the muscles are. So, leaning on or lying down on the bed, we give the body a signal that we can relax, rest. It is extremely difficult to concentrate in this state. If you can't stand all the time while doing a project, sit down when you feel like you've passed the turn-on phase and entered the productive phase.
Help from psychologist Daria Milay
Conclusion
After trying each of these techniques, you can develop your own technique for focusing on a task. If you still don’t understand how to quickly focus on work, force yourself to focus on a goal, and you need to do this as quickly as possible, sign up for mine to find individual ways to increase concentration. Just an hour of our communication will help you get unique tools for finding inner harmony and balance. You will see how powerful a source of energy is hidden inside you, you will feel like an omnipotent and purposeful person.
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