How To Concentrate

Increase the intensity of your concentration. Feel that you can center your attention on anything
you wish.

There are two main ways that you use for training yourself how to concentrate. The first is through the use of focusing exercises.

Focusing exercises are simple exercises that you can do to consciously improve your powers of concentration. They are similar to visualization and meditation practices in that the main objectives are to relax the body and quiet the mind so that you can hold onto the thought that you are wishing to concentrate on.

Here's an example of a relaxation exercise that you can use when you find yourself in a stressful environment. I've been using this one myself this week as the landlord is doing renovations in the commercial spaces on the floor below me. It been working great to keep me focused on writing while the construction crew is drilling into the concrete under my floor!

The Mini Relaxation Exercise

Step 1:

Take in three deep breaths.

With each breath, visualize that you are inhaling feelings of calm and peace. If you like using affirmations, you can also affirm to yourself: "I am at peace in this moment."

Step 2:

As you exhale, breathe out any feelings of pressure or stress you have been hanging onto. You can also affirm to yourself: "I am releasing all negative energy."

Step 3:

Allow your shoulders and jaw to completely relax.
Visualize any tension in your body as water in a pitcher.

Step 4:

Now see the water being poured from the pitcher, taking all your tension with it.

You should begin to feel lighter and more weightless.

Step 5:

Choose a peaceful thought to focus on for a few moments. If you have a peaceful memory use that, but if not thoughts of beaches, water, clouds, etc. work well.

Hold onto this thought for as long as you can. When you feel peaceful and relaxed, return to the task you were working on and you should be able to focus more easily.

(This exercise is adapted from one of the relaxation exercises included in How To Concentrate: Simple, Practical Exercises to Improve Your Powers of Concentration.)

This falls into the realm of taking a break. Too much concentrating all at once can give you a whopper of a headache, so why not take a break and check out the cool crossword puzzle I just made :)

There are times when all it takes to be able to increase your ability to concentrate is to make changes to your environment. This is especially true when it comes to studying. I can tell you from my own experiences as a single mom trying to research, write essays, and study for exams, having an environment that is conducive to retaining what you read is essential to being able to concentrate while you study.

Here's three tips that you can use to create concentration-friendly environment for studying:

1. Create a routine for your study sessions. Try to study at the same time every day so that your mind and body become accustomed to knowing what to expect.

2. Limit your distractions. If you have children at home, or live in a dorm with roommates, it's not always possible to have a distraction-free area to study in. Take yourself off to the library if you have to to get things done. Or if you can't do that, try putting on some headphones and listening to quiet classical music to drown out the background noise.

3. Take lots of breaks. If you're pulling an all-night session especially, take a ten-minute break every hour. Get a drink of water, do some stretches and let your mind absorb what it's just taken in. The surest way to dull your concentration is to end up with a case of information-overload.

By creating a good study environment you also create good study habits, and both of these will make it easier to concentrate while you're working.

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