What to do to concentrate. How to learn to concentrate attention, focus on one thing and not be distracted

A couple of years ago, I could not even think that I would be worried about the question of how to focus on myself. I definitely considered myself an independent person. And although I am a fairly sociable person, I am interested in the lives of many of my friends and relatives, but still, I used to focus more on myself, on my own life, and not on the lives of other people. I was constantly moving forward and trying to figure out how I could improve myself and my future. In short, earlier I was completely focused on my life and I was little bothered by what was happening around.

But just a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that I was starting to change. I began to become more interested in the activities of other people, and something revived in me the desire to start focusing again on my social life. However, I immediately experienced a negative change in my personal life and found that all my attention was focused on the lives of my friends, and not on my own problems, goals and desires.

I wouldn't say that I had any serious problems because of this change in focus. But I can definitely say that I'm not in my place. This realization had a strong influence on me, and I had to look for ways out of this situation. So if you are also too focused on other people's lives and not your own, I have prepared some tips on how you can break free from dependence on other people and shift the focus back to yourself.

1. Spend less time with other people

You need to start taking more time for yourself if you want to change the way you interact with other people. When you create a certain distance between yourself and another person, you create more opportunities to focus on your emotions, thoughts and desires. You give yourself more time to think about what you want out of life. But this does not mean that you need to completely distance yourself from these people. This means you need to spend less time with people and eliminate possible unhealthy patterns in how you interact with them. When you begin to move away from them a little, clarity and understanding of your desires will come to you, and changes will come after clarity.

2. Become more mindful

Remove various gadgets and distractions more often so that you can focus on your own life, on your own plans and goals. Mindfulness and concentration will help you better assess the situation you are in. And you will be able to better understand how to focus on yourself.

3. Come up with a list of personal goals

When you realize that you have stopped paying enough attention to your life. You have a desire to catch up. You want to get back on track and move forward. So first of all, sit down and think about yours and what you need to do to achieve this. Depending on how much time you have spent on other people's lives, it will take you a certain amount of time to catch up. But no matter what goals you set for yourself, start putting them into action if you want to focus on yourself and your life.

4. Take action

Once you have developed a list of goals and written a plan to achieve them, start taking action. It doesn't matter how small steps you take now. What matters is that you are moving forward. When you begin to understand that you have control over your life. And that you can make a huge breakthrough in life, you will be unstoppable. You will find that it is much more interesting and rewarding to get involved in your own life and pursue your own goals than it is to take care of other people's lives.

5. Be persistent

The most important thing about change is that it's difficult. If it were so easy to change your life, then there would be no need for self-improvement. So no matter how difficult the changes are, don't give up. If you allow yourself to give up, then it will be more difficult for you to give up your old habits, and you will return to them again. So keep moving forward, achieve your goals, and the result will not be long in coming.

6. Learn to speak "No"

The next way to focus on yourself is to learn to refuse people. You will not be able to do everything that you will be asked. And you can't get back the time you spend on other people's lives. Therefore, it is useful to sometimes refuse people, and prioritize personal tasks. Thus, you will have more free time and you can focus on yourself. Which will benefit your own life and health.

7. Do something for yourself

Whether it's walking, going on vacation, playing sports, or going shopping. In any case, do what you like more often. It may not be necessary to go abroad to take a break. You can go and see the sights in your city or surroundings. Even driving through the countryside and soaking up the fresh air and colors from environment, can become and focus on their own thoughts.

8. Be positive

In order to focus on yourself, you need to try to find the positive in everything. Whether it's your job, some problems, finances, your children and so on. There is always something good in what you have and what you are working on. So try everything. This is not only a good way to be more grateful. But it will make you feel a significant change in relation to yourself. And if something bad happens in your life, try to look at it differently. After all, it is the perception of the situation that upsets us, and not the situation itself.

9. Write down everything you are grateful for.

Robert Emmons is professor of psychology at the University of California. I found that people who wrote down five things they were grateful for weekly reported an increase in optimism and. Try and do the same. When you focus on what you have, you set yourself up to be positive and work on yourself.

10. Find happiness in your own success

For me personally, achieving success in some area brings

The modern rhythm of life forces many of us to multitask. But in fact, the human brain is ill-equipped to handle multiple tasks at once. Much more productive is to focus on one task at a time. Today we will talk about what helps to focus and what hinders it.

The ability to concentrate hard work on one task is a very important character trait that will help you achieve high success in any kind of activity. If you look objectively, it is far from always that people at work can concentrate on only one task and not be distracted by extraneous irritations. It's about concentration skills. In the West, children are often given attention deficit disorder, because modern electronic gadgets do not help children, say, listen to their teacher during the entire lesson.

At the same time, almost 8 out of 10 students or office workers can be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. As David Rock writes in The Brain: Instructions for Use, our brains can't do two things at the same time. He quickly switches between them. Therefore, our attentiveness, accuracy decreases, the number of errors increases. That is why in many places in the world it is forbidden to talk on the phone while driving.

How to focus on work

First of all, it is important that your work motivates you. When you love your job and you are interested in doing it, it is unlikely that something or someone will be able to seriously distract you from business. If you notice that you often become distracted, then perhaps the whole point is that you are tired of this particular job? that is why when you need to start not only from the mind, but also from what the soul lies to. If I was not interested in doing my dissertation, then no matter how hard I tried to focus on this large and complex task, I always found something more interesting. Remember that one of the functions of management is motivation. If the goal does not insert you, then how are you going to work on it for a long time and with concentration?

The target must also have other characteristics. It can be ambitious, but it is also realistic. I advise you to briefly familiarize yourself with the so-called SMART goals. These are the characteristics that a smart target must meet.

turn off your phone. Mobile gadgets are a strong irritant, as well as other devices: tablets, laptops, which beckon to check your mailbox or read the news as soon as possible. From time to time it is useful to set the silent mode on the smartphone, and during work you should not deliberately be distracted by extraneous matters. This is where the timing technique can help. This is when you write down when and what you did. If you spend a little time on this activity for several days, then almost immediately it will become clear what and how much time you are spending.

Take care of the first hours of work. In the morning, when you are just starting to work, the first couple of hours are very important. It is at this time that our brain works at its best and we are most productive and focused. At this time, it is better to refrain from routine and simple tasks. Of course, this is provided that you sleep well. If you do not get enough sleep, then there is no need to talk about high mental performance.

Make time for rest. No wonder there are changes in schools. And in universities there is time between couples. We all work according to certain rhythms, and at some point in continuous work, the concentration of attention will begin to fall rapidly if we do not take a break in time. Speaking of biorhythms. Consider your chronotype. Owls work better in the evening, and larks work better in the morning. By the way, from my own experience, I was convinced that it is quite possible to change your chronotype. And this is more of a habit, not a genetically determined factor.

Create good working conditions. A comfortable workplace, order on the table, a comfortable chair and suitable music - this will give a prerequisite for a good concentration of attention.

Food. The brain requires a lot of energy. And he consumes it very quickly. With a weight of 2% of body weight, the brain can consume up to a quarter of all energy. That is why in order to concentrate, in order to focus on the task, it is very important to feed the brain. Fruit, dark chocolate can really boost your productivity for a while. But be very careful with sugar (and derivatives) and caffeine. At some point, they can do more harm than good.

Helps to focus clear statement of tasks (planning) and constant monitoring of progress. How much we have already done, and how much is left before the completion of the project.

Try to be focused not only at work, but also during training. Going to the gym - do your program, and do not climb on the phone. Going to a cafe or cinema - do not take a laptop with you. Do not try to shove the unpushed.

Set your priorities. To focus on one task, you may have to give up on many other goals. So you need to be sensible to prioritize and work in this direction throughout the day.

What makes it difficult to concentrate

A mess on the desktop is a dubious help in business. Perhaps you do not want to sit down to work because you have a pile of dust and a bunch of obscure papers on your desktop? Take care of ergonomics. In particular, light, a comfortable chair, warm floors or shoes (if you work in an office).

A bad mood can become a real obstacle in business. Neuroscientists have long proven that optimism allows you to work more productively. Learn it.

Ignorance of time management techniques or their incorrect application can also be the root of all troubles. For example, you can not plan the whole day with business back to back. There are always unforeseen situations.

For myself, I’ll say that before I was prevented from concentrating by the fact that I went to bed very late and put off all things for later. As a result, you wake up at lunch broken, and more or less come to your senses closer to midnight. There is no need to talk about some kind of productivity for natural reasons. The body simply did not understand what was happening, maybe. .didn't see daylight.

Extraneous noise, co-working colleagues, friends on social networks - all this can become another hindrance to work.

How to become more focused

I advise you to read David Rock's book "The Brain: Instructions for Use". I also advise you to read the book "Time Drive" by Gleb Arkhangelsky. And if that doesn't seem enough, there's also author Dan Kennedy with the books Tough Management and Tough Time Management. Read them - there is enough information to learn how to be more concentrated. In general, if you consciously follow your attention, this will already be a good step towards the goal.

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Concentration is the ability of a person to keep attention on the only object that is necessary at the moment for a long period of time. Usually, if a person is interested in an object, then concentration is not a problem.

A person focuses all his attention on one thing and at this time all the other objects surrounding him recede far into the background, thoughts connect with perception and are directed to a specific thing or work that requires concentration.

How does concentration work?

Not everyone is able to boast of the ability to concentrate, to control their consciousness and attention. But the problem is not that they do not have this quality, but that they do not develop these abilities in themselves.

Interesting and important things for a person - communication with the right people, as if transferring it to a special state. Here he is under a kind of "cap" and is completely fenced off from the surrounding things. In such cases, a person does not need to make an effort to concentrate his attention.

A person, without realizing it, can calmly concentrate if the object, work, hobby or phenomenon is of serious interest to him. It turns out that concentration is not the effort of a person, but the effort of his psyche, when an interested brain perceives and processes the necessary information with special attention and at an increased speed.

But there are situations where a person concentrates involuntarily. Circumstances force the human brain to adapt to conditions, focus attention and disconnect from the external environment. This happens in stressful situations or when pursuing their pragmatic goals. For example, when passing exams or a moment before a possible emergency. The brain connects all its resources and thanks to special concentration at such moments, a person gets out of a difficult situation without loss.

How to learn to concentrate?

The inability to concentrate makes a person uncomfortable. The inability to get together interferes with work, study, and, if necessary, focusing on the desired object. Function training is useful at any age.

We have already found out that if an object is interesting to a person, he concentrates on it without making any effort. But, unfortunately, study, work are routine and uninteresting things, in comparison with the same or reading a book. And the brain is constantly switching to something else, in order to somehow unwind from the depressing pastime.

You can change the current situation and learn to concentrate your attention even on boring things by pulling yourself together and understanding some of the features of brain activity.

Thanks to the research, it was possible to find out that in order to fully concentrate on a task, a person needs at least ten minutes for the brain to switch to one task. As soon as this phase is completed, the second one begins - active working capacity, lasts forty to fifty minutes, but this time is enough to clarify some details, to reveal some facts. Then a recession sets in - a person gets tired, he needs a break, and no motivation will help to achieve the set results.

Therefore, try at the initial stage not to give up all undertakings, thinking that nothing comes out of you. Keep working, you need to go through this stage, then there will be nowhere to go and the brain will be carried away by the process that is slipped to it. Without going through this stage, you will not be able to fully concentrate on what is important to you.

What prevents you from concentrating?

There are many distracting things around, especially if a person is not interested in what he is doing. Desk neighbors, colleagues at work, the desire to get some air, drink tea, and other situations unsettle and do not allow to concentrate.

No less distracting from important matters that require concentration, clutter in the workplace, a mess in the room, extraneous smells and sounds. Lack of sleep, poor health also affect. Also, a working TV, a turned on computer often become an interfering factor.

It is advisable to move away from annoying and distracting factors, but at the same time, you do not need to accustom yourself to complete silence. Life is so busy that a person must be able to abstract in any situation. Otherwise, having become accustomed to concentrating in some conditions, it will be difficult to concentrate in others.

How to learn to manage your attention at work?

To gain the ability to concentrate at work for a long time, learn to control your attention.

Self-discipline at work is the main factor that develops concentration, and it depends on the ability to manage oneself, one's thoughts and thoughts.

The first thing to do to develop self-discipline is:

Clean up where you work. Close the tabs on the computer, turn down or turn off the music. So that nothing distracts you from your work.
Do not overwork the body, give yourself a ten-minute break every hour. Breathe in fresh air at this time, do exercises or be distracted by some other object.
Communicate with people around you during breaks, and during working hours, ask them not to disturb you.
Tune in to the amount of work in advance, think over a plan of action. This way you will retain an understanding of the process itself and will be focused on maintaining your own set plan.

Perseverance, understanding why you need to focus - these qualities will lead you to the ability to concentrate your attention at the right time for this. Be persistent in your desires and aspirations.

March 2, 2014, 11:59

We all struggle to maintain focus in our daily lives. 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 can 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 email, social network and phone call alerts.

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 the long run, you need to train your brain to be focused.