Concentration
requires a great amount of effort and time. Even if you practice it for one
week or even a month, the result won't be productive if your brain isn’t
performing well. Still, there are fairly easy ways to improve your
concentration quickly and effectively. If you're having trouble with
concentration this article may come in handy.
Take rest. The biggest factor affecting
concentration is rest and this has been approved by research. Concentration
requires your mind to be calm. But your mind will be scattered if you are not
well rested. Make sure that you get the right amount of sleep at the right
time. Also have regular sleep time, and this can be the key step for
concentrating.
- Sleeping too much is also not ideal. Oversleeping disrupts your natural rhythm and can make you lazy. Avoid this by having an alarm clock to wake you up in time.
Make a Plan. Always have a plan for whatever you
are up to. When you sit down to work without a plan, you may easily get caught
in activities like checking mails, Instant messaging (chatting) and browsing
the web. Without a purpose, you are wasting your time. You’ll find yourself
distracted by a variety of nagging thoughts instead of devoting all your
attention to one important task.
- To avoid this, make a clear plan that meets your needs beforehand. Take 5 or 10 minutes break in between, and use this time to check email, and then close your inbox and move on to your most important task. When making a plan be sure to allocate enough time for entertainment, studies and sleep.
Meditate. The practice of meditation will definitely improve
our powers of concentration. Actually, when we try to meditate,
it is concentration that is the first thing we need to master. A daily period
of meditation gives us the chance to work specifically on concentration
techniques.
Choose a place of your choice for concentration.
Obviously some places are better than others. School libraries, study lounges
and private rooms are the best. Above all, the place that you choose should not
be distracting. Try to stay away from other people if you want to concentrate
on your work.
If you want to master the arts of concentration, develop a
controlled and balanced diet. Overeating creates a huge load of
digestion and can make you feel uncomfortable and sleepy. Eating light and
healthy meals can help you maximize your ability to concentrate. As Thomas
Jefferson said, we rarely regret eating too little. It’s likely you’ll find
that you need less food to satisfy yourself than you think.
Exercise frequently. The
ability to concentrate depends a lot upon our physical well-being. If we are
tired, unhealthy and afflicted by numerous minor ailments, concentration will
be more difficult. Of course, concentration is still possible, but it is just
more difficult. However, we have to try to make life easy for ourselves; we
need to give a high priority to our physical health:
- Getting sufficient sleep
- Staying physically fit
- Maintaining healthy weight
- Getting regular exercise
Take
breaks and mix up your environment.
Continuous work in the same place can drive anyone crazy. Taking constant
breaks can solve the problem. This will make you active and more interested in
your topic.
Know that practice makes perfect.
Concentration is an activity like any other. Clearly the more we practice the
better our concentration will become. We wouldn’t expect to be a strong runner
without doing some training. Similarly, concentration is like a muscle, the
more we exercise the stronger it becomes.
