3.2 How can we improve our concentration?
Awareness of the issue is the key first step towards addressing it. From there, our ‘will’ to concentrate can be built back up again. You can being this work by acknowledging the impact of thoughts and emotions on our concentration, and using techniques like positive self-talk, visualisation, concentration exercises, and mindfulness exercises. Consistent work to promote concentration will have a noticeable impact.
At the same time, it must be kept in mind how significant our lifestyle choices are. They have a huge impact on our concentration, and subsequently will impact academic/professional achievement. So try to make consistently healthy choices for peak performance.
Improve your focus to improve your performance
- Concentration is the ability to focus your attention on a single thought, idea, or action. As critical as this skill is, it is one of the most difficult to develop (Knight, 2019, p. 1).
- Concentration is a critical skill for any individual. Without it, you are not able to start, stick with, or finish a task or an assignment (Knight, 2019).
- Mindfulness can strengthen the focus area of your brain and therefore raise your performance.
- Individuals with dyslexia often suffer from lack of concentration, but they can often work more intensely than others between distracted periods.
- Short rests/naps can help to balance and reset concentration.
- Don’t compare yourself with others, because you have a unique learning strategy.
- Check your lifestyle: plenty of water to drink, green foods and protein included in a daily diet. Sleeping for 7-8 hours a night (as often as possible), and getting fresh air and doing regular exercise can be crucial for concentration and focus.
Work ethic and healthy lifestyle choices
- Sleep:
- improves energy levels, focus, motivation and mood
- sleep deprivation negatively affects short-term memory (used while studying)
- Exercise/play/activity:
- enhances working memory
- lowers stress and anxiety
- improves your mood as well as your self-esteem
- Nutrition:
- ‘you are what you eat’
- you need to eat right to work hard
- To do:
- manage your time
- create a routine
- prioritise your tasks
- manage interruptions
- stop procrastinating
- make use of schedules and plans
A wandering mind can be an unhappy mind
- Attention finds a focus point, and it absorbs what it rests on.
- What it repeatedly rests on can influence our intuitions, thoughts, and actions.
- Our minds do tend to wander towards negative content and negative experiences.
- Thoughts can overwhelm us and trigger emotions and further thoughts – for instance, remembering an argument or a difficult meeting can stir up emotions that distract us still further.
- We do not acknowledge the positive aspects of life as much, which leads us to more negative thoughts.
We can train our minds to recognise this trait, halt the process, and direct our thoughts in a more positive direction with self-talk.
Self-talk
- Self-talk is a form of concentration training – you have to focus on the words.
- Self-talk changes your mindset and identity – if you repeat certain words they will sink in further, and influence your brain to act out what the words describe.
- To do: make a statement in the present tense, as though it’s happening now or already true, e.g. ‘I am excellent at concentrating’, ‘I have a very good memory’. Your brain will start to find it easier to believe and work towards that outcome (Knight, 2019).