Concentration is termed imperative for getting good results in schools and colleges, but it is not only confined to study, rather successes in every field could be achieved by high concentration. Concentration is an art, practice and habit, and like other habits it could be adopted, cultivated and excelled.
There are many benefits of improved concentration level. You will be more conscious of the choices being made in life, more self-determined rather than one's life being determined by other forces. You will be able to determine all aspects and implications of a situation, to resolve problems more easily and create valuable ideas. You can focus your attention to be able to complete tasks more quickly and effectively, and to do better in studying and exams and also in getting promotion at work.
We all have the ability to concentrate sometimes. Think of the times when you were lost in something you enjoy such as a sport, playing music, a good game, a movie.
But at other times, your mind wanders from one thing to another. Your worries distract you. Outside distractions take you away before you know it.
Often, when we put our mind on something, we think of something else and this, in turn, reminds us of something else. The mind wanders from one thing to another by associations, until the original thing is forgotten.
Here are 10 tips to raise your concentration level:
1. Do one thing at a time, set aside specific time period: It helps concentration if you just do one thing at a time giving it your complete undivided attention. Multitasking (doing many things simultaneously) will make you distracted and it is an ineffective way of doing things contrary to what many people believe. Do one thing at a time in order to develop concentration. If you are trying to think of giving presentation at office, or studying for your exam - for the next 30 minutes or so, just think of that alone. Focus your mind on the details of the task and how you plan to do it. Let not your attention wander to other things during this time.
2. Do something as if for its for the first or last time: We take a lot of everyday things for granted and do not observe as intently as we should. In order to develop focus and observation, try to look at tasks, which you do everyday as if you are doing or seeing them for the first or the last time. This will encourage you to observe details, which you may have missed before, thus improving
your observation, concentration and also in gaining new insights.
3. The 5 more rule: From now on, if you're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up-just do five more. Read five more pages, finish five more math problems, work five more minutes.
By implementing this strategy, you are stretching your mind past the point of frustration and building up mental endurance just as good athletes push past the point of exhaustion by not giving up when their body initially protests of tiredness. This way they build up the stamina.
4. Unclutter your mind by writing down: While doing something important, if other worries are invading your mind thus affecting your concentration then an effective way to overcome this problem is to write down any concern you might be having on a piece of paper, next to it write down a date or time when you want to deal with this problem. Writing it down this way will help in uncluttering your mind so that it is free to concentrate on the task at hand.
5. Reward yourself: Decide before starting your work how you would like to reward yourself when you finish. The reward can be anything that makes you happy and relaxed - like having your favourite food, going out for a walk, meeting your best friend etc. It doesn't have to be something big, any activity that gives you pleasure and takes your mind off work for sometime will do. This system of rewarding yourself will increase motivation for doing things.
6. Be project specific: Before you start any work, be clear in your mind as to what you want to accomplish. Before sitting down to study for exams, be clear what chapter you want to study now, how much time do you intend to study etc. Be as specific as possible and move on to some other task only after you complete this.
7.Use a concentration scoresheet: Whenever doing some important work, use a concentration scoresheet. Each time you find your mind wandering, make a mark on the sheet. If you do this on consistent basis, you may find that you have far fewer check marks and far greater concentration.
8. Break tasks into smaller parts: Breaking a task into smaller parts will make it seem less daunting and help you approach it with more positively. If you are trying to study a textbook for exam, then you can make a goal of finishing one chapter at a time.
9. Concentration exercises: Concentration exercises help in training your mind to concentrate more and for longer periods of time. There are many books and websites available to learn about concentration exercises.
10. Do a task wholeheartedly: If you approach something half-heartedly, it will show in the quality of the work. In order to do things better, do them with interest. Whatever you are doing, try to find some aspect of it that interests you. If you can find something interesting in each thing you do, you can enjoy even the most mundane and boring tasks.