How to concentrate on one thing without distraction. What helps and what prevents you from concentrating. What is the role of the ability to focus

Did you happen to come somewhere and then forget what you wanted to do there? Or, while reading, suddenly realize that you have not perceived the text for some time? These problems are common among humans, but not inevitable. Our tips will help you focus your attention.

Modern technologies

The onset of digital technologies and their constant presence in a person's life leads to a more pronounced "diffusion" of thoughts, a violation of the ability to concentrate on important things. Deep concentration without technological (and other) interruptions seems so impossible that no one will be surprised to send SMS or emails in the middle of a workshop or corporate presentation.

The ubiquitous need for multitasking (multitasting) requires a division of attention. This leads to the fact that a person cannot focus on something properly, the ability to concentrate is alien to him.

Some people try to improve their condition with medications, but most of them do not suffer from pathological hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder (ADHD). If you also find it impossible to focus without interruptions and distractions, but don't want poor concentration to get in the way of your work, brain training to improve your ability to focus can help.

Disable mobile notifications

The mobile phone accompanies a person everywhere. Often, a smartphone is the first thing people check in the morning after waking up. But it's also about the biggest attention trap and concentration killer. Of course, abandoning a mobile phone is impossible, but you can sometimes disconnect it.

One study with a group of people found that when notifications were turned off on a mobile device, they were less anxious, more productive. The reason is that by tracking notifications, a person tries to immediately respond to most of them, and some SMS can cause unnecessary stress.

Doing only one thing at a time

Active people can boast of the ability to do several things at the same time, considering this property an enviable honor. While multitasking can help you achieve career heights, it makes a person prone to making unintended mistakes. When it comes to attention span, multitasting also has major disadvantages. The main negative factor is constant distraction.

In solving the problem of how to learn not to be distracted, and to concentrate attention, it is necessary to do tasks one by one, step by step, to set priorities. The habit of starting with simple tasks, ending with difficult things, will have to be canceled. Tasks that require a lot of attention, creativity, should be solved first, ideally, in the first half of the day, when the brain is still fresh.

At the same time, one should not leave important, priority tasks at the stage when they become urgent. Otherwise, their implementation puts a lot of pressure, the person is in a state of stress, in which it becomes several times harder to focus attention.

Relaxation for the brain

It is difficult for a person who does not get enough sleep on a regular basis to concentrate. The first thing that doctors study in ADHD patients is sleep hygiene and daily habits. An inability to concentrate is often associated with a lack of delta sleep.

Delta sleep is the phase preceding the REM phase. It is with the delta that the brain is abstracted, the cognitive function is fixed. If you regularly sleep less than 7 hours, it is likely that the delta phase is disrupted, which in turn affects concentration while awake. Therefore, in case of difficulties with focusing attention, memorization, it is advisable to provide the body with 2 weeks of 7-9 hours of sleep daily. In most cases, problems are eliminated or significantly reduced.

Motivation and positive thinking

Of all the external distractions, the brain can be a significant destructive factor. In particular, a small part of it in the temporal lobe is the amygdala (amygdala), which significantly affects behavior during emotions (sadness, anxiety, anger). MRI scans show that with an expressive reaction to negative emotions, the amygdala weakens the brain's ability to concentrate, solve problems, and maintain attention. Positive emotions have the exact opposite effect.

Positive emotions are also associated with motivation. If you manage to maintain the focus of your attention for an extended period of time, reward yourself. It is one of the best ways to train your brain, the purpose of which is to improve your concentration. Whenever faced with a difficult task that requires unconditional attention, think about the reward that you will receive after solving it. For example, going to the movies with friends after work is done is a very powerful motivation.

Less caffeine, more physical activity and more water

It may seem paradoxical, but avoiding coffee will help to learn how to concentrate. When relying on a triple latte, you may find it even harder to focus after the caffeine is over than before drinking coffee. The brain begins to work with the awareness of the need for a dose of caffeine.

A much better stimulant is exercise. Studies have shown that physical activity improves concentration and helps people with attention disorders, in particular those with ADHD. This is partly due to the release of certain chemicals in the brain that affect memory, learning, and the ability to concentrate.

While coffee is not suitable as a concentration stimulant, the liquid must be supplemented. Nothing benefits the brain more than regular water.

A 2012 US study found that even mild dehydration (so mild that a person doesn't feel it) can lead to inattention. The ability of test women who did not drink enough water to pay attention to questions on multiple tests was significantly weakened. So drink the water to keep you mindful.

Do yoga

If the inability to concentrate lowers productivity, now is the time for yoga. Yoga is an ancient Indian form of therapy aimed not only at improving physical fitness, but also at mental abilities, incl. to focus. Regular yoga practice reduces stress, distractions, and maximizes your ability to focus.

Mental pursuits

Attention is like a muscle that gets stronger through exercise. And, just as there are exercise machines for the body, there are exercises to increase attention. One way to learn concentration is a simple exercise in which, by comparing nearly identical images, you need to find some differences between them. If tasks seem easy, they can be made more difficult by setting a time limit.

The next option is mirror reading or writing. These exercises require constant concentration, provide instant feedback, because when the thought is rejected, the direction of the font immediately changes, you make a visible mistake.

Exercises

Adults can try different games to improve their concentration. There are many different challenging sudoku, crossword puzzles and other logic games. Sometimes it is advisable to set a time limit for solving problems, but it should not be too short, so as not to push you to make mistakes.

Workouts for adults:

• Print on a sheet of paper with numbers without spaces. Your task is to cross out, for example, all triples, even or odd numbers within a certain time.
• In your head, count from 100 to 1, then vice versa.
• The next lesson is to practice visual perception. Pick up any object, look at it for 2 minutes, trying to concentrate only on it, remember the smallest details. Then put the object aside, close your eyes, imagine it, recreate its appearance in memory (try to do this as carefully as possible).

Meditation

Meditation is a technique of deepening concentration, focusing on one stimulus or action, and ignoring all other stimuli.

Classical methods are based on the concentration of consciousness on the alternation of exhalation and inhalation.

Other methods use external stimuli as a subject for concentration. A simple exercise for beginners is meditation with a clock, where a person with closed eyes listens to the ticking of a clock counting the current seconds. To be sure that you are not distracted by other topics, you can count the ticks and, opening your eyes, check if the calculated time coincides with the time shown on the clock. Perhaps, focusing on the ticking won't work from the 1st or 2nd time; it is important to continue to learn concentration, to improve this skill.

A study in which participants meditated 5 days a week for 20 minutes a day found that people's attention, concentration, memory and stress control improved significantly. In addition, these people showed lower levels of depression, anxiety, anger, and significant improvement in mood.

If you want to use meditation to improve your concentration, follow a few simple steps. Do not meditate with a full stomach. Focus exclusively on your breathing. Proceed as follows:

• find a pleasant, quiet place;
• sit on the floor or on a chair, place your palms on your knees;
• close your eyes, take a deep breath;
• exhale slowly;
• repeat several times, open your eyes.

This technique will purify thoughts, spirit. After meditation, you will feel calmer, cleaner.

Concentration training for a child

The study of methods of improving concentration is necessary not only for an adult, but also for a child. This ability is especially important at school, when you need to quickly focus on the lesson, when doing homework. For younger children, focusing training is a good start in preparing for school life.

Exercises for the little ones:

• Read any story to your child - the child will receive instructions to clap their hands whenever they hear a specific name or item name.
• Together with your child, look for differences in similar images, train with him to accurately redraw in accordance with the original drawing.
• Together, create long, colorful, meaningful sentences that alternate as you recite — each one adds one word to the sentence and repeats what was said earlier.

Exercises for older children:

• Write a short text (2-3 paragraphs) in which you make various mistakes. Their complexity should be appropriate for the child's age. You can also practice spelling (assuming your child is familiar with it), including dashes and commas between sentences. The task of the game is to highlight errors and discrepancies in the text.
• The principle of the next method is similar to the first, slightly edited. But in the text the child is looking for erroneous letters and signs, but words. Use longer text, one page size. Double words in sentences. During the reading, the child should emphasize all meaningless doubling. For example: " I went to school and i met my friend. "
• Write the words in which you swap the letters. The child's task is to decipher the words. For training younger children, use only 3-4 letters (sat - forest, kovl - wolf), for older children you can use longer words (fortecal - potato). In the simpler version, you can save the beginning or end of the word to indicate a possible solution.
• Great for training games (checkers, chess). Any board game that requires patience and following the rules will do. From physical activity, juggling and other similar actions are suitable.

Concentration and mindfulness

The ways to learn to concentrate are not only about getting good at a lengthy lecture or interview. With the deepening of concentration, you will be able to focus as much as possible, abstract from memories of the past, plans for the future. Mindfulness, as the ability to be fully present in the moment, is closely related to mental well-being, a sense of happiness.

All people have problems with concentration. Sometimes our minds can pretend to be a little sly lizard, prowling somewhere in the dark corners of our workday, forcing us to do anything but what is needed. If you cannot focus on one thing and bring it to its logical conclusion, you are in the right hands. The ability to focus is a skill that we all need to develop. However, the process of developing the ability to remove obstacles, focus your efforts, and plan your daily routine should not be torture. However, with these abilities, you will be able to harness your overactive mind, optimize its performance, and become the best possible version of yourself. And this article will show you how to do it.

Steps

Practice active concentration

Take notes as you work. One of the most effective ways you can actively focus on what you are doing is by taking handwritten notes. Unlike printed text, handwritten notes force us to actually do what we need to do, allowing us to keep a clearer vision of our work in our mind and be more involved in it on a subconscious level.

• If you can't get yourself together and focus during a meeting or class, take notes more actively. Don't let your hand stop writing. Even if the notes are not useful to you in the future, in this way you will keep your consciousness from hovering in the clouds.

1. Scribble. Thoughtfulness is a sign that people are not paying attention. It turns out that some of the most active thinkers also tend to scribble actively. If you draw, even if it is just wavy lines or all sorts of nonsense, while trying to concentrate, then, as some studies show, by doing this you help yourself to engage your mind in the process and focus, keeping boredom at bay and keeping your brain active. and its receptivity to learning.

   Speak out loud as you work. Like drawing scribble and taking notes, speaking aloud while we work or study has been shown by research to actively help us internalize what we read and the ideas that come to our minds, although perhaps your roommates will think that you there are not enough screws in my head. But who cares? Like note-taking, verbalization allows us to better assimilate information, creating a two-step learning process and encouraging full involvement in the process, making it easier to refer to the information learned later.

   • If this confuses you, try to find a separate, very quiet place where you can practice, or wait until your roommates are gone to try this method alone. Or, just stop worrying about what they think of you. Talk to yourself! We all do this.

2. Look for only the right solutions. Professional drivers know that when a car skids, it's not the obstacles they want to avoid, but safe room to maneuver. Successful footballers move towards open space while playing, successful guitarists look for an empty space to successfully rehearse a part, and excellent players focus on the right direction.

   Make a plan

   1. Find the best time to work. Are you a morning person? Night owl? Or maybe your afternoon work is best for you? Determine the time of day when you are in your best shape and plan your active life based on this fact. There is no point in pretending. You should not make yourself a lark if in your soul you long for lessons not to start at 8 in the morning, but at 3 in the morning. Listen to your heart and do what really works.

   2. Plan every day in the morning. Having a plan can help you get rid of distracting thoughts and emotions. Draw a line between each thing you need to do on a given day, trying to predict how long it will take you to get it done. Try to leave some wiggle room in case you end up taking longer to finish your coursework or prepare for that presentation at work.

      • Do your best not to do several things at the same time. If this is the time for breakfast and reading the latest newspaper, try to exclusively have breakfast and read the newspaper during this period. You don’t have to worry about preparing for your English exam if your preparation is scheduled for 6:30 pm, after work, and before your dinner with friends.

   3. Work actively on both short-term and long-term goals. It's best if you find something that will remind you of why you do what you do. In this way, it will help you move in the right direction and remind you of what you will ultimately achieve. Remember your long-term goals and how small steps will lead you to great achievements.

      • When you, for example, try to sit down to study trigonometry, one of the most acute obstacles can be the thought: “Why am I doing this? Do I have to skip parties my whole life? " At times like these, it can be helpful to remind yourself why you are studying this subject: “I have to pass this subject to be able to get my master's degree, continue my doctoral studies and become the coolest pediatric neurosurgeon. My plan is in action. " Take some time for the villainous laugh and then get back to work.

   4. Create a habit and then make changes to it. The monotony itself can be very distracting. Understand when you get bored of the same, the same. Try to plan your day so that different daily activities alternate with each other and go on continuously. Try to organize your day so that you don't have to do one household chores after another. Alternate housework with school or workout. Don't answer all emails at once. Answer a few, then take a break to do something else. At the end of each such day, you will be able to see how much more productive your activity has become if it was correctly placed.

      • This method may not work the same for everyone. Understand for yourself what works best for you. If you feel that it will be more effective for you to go through all the papers first, go ahead, go for it. Pour a glass of wine and get to work.

   5. Rest as scheduled. Taking breaks is important, but the temptation to take a break can creep up at the most insidious moments, like when something doesn't work out and you'd rather take a nap than get through this difficult point or page. If you take regular breaks and try to stick to that schedule, then you won't get tired, but at the same time, it won't hurt your productivity.

      • If there is a long day ahead, some people find the 50-10 method effective. If you have a ton of work to redo, do the work for 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break to do something relaxing. Get up from the table, take a walk, watch a video about a bulldog on a trampoline on YouTube. In general, do what you need to do first to get the break you need. Then get back to work again.

   Eliminate interference

3. Try not to react to interference that you cannot control. Sometimes there is simply nowhere to go from them: something distracts from work. Sometimes it happens that you will find what it may seem like, the ideal place in the far quiet corner of the library, a place where you hope to do all your work, and suddenly some guy next to you, reading old newspapers, starts coughing so hard, as if he is now coughing up your lungs. What to do in this case? There are two options:

   • Go away... If the interference is unbearable, you don't need to overreact, but you also shouldn't sit there wasting time aimlessly. Get up, pack your things, and find a quieter place in the library.
   • Ignore it... Put on your headphones and play some sweet song to drown out the distracting voices of other people, or just focus on your reading to the point where you stop noticing them. People don't try to annoy you on purpose. Deal with it.

4. Try to go offline for as long as possible. Sometimes it seems like the browser window is meant to ruin our lives. A single tab separates you from the rabbit hole with old boxing video matches and messages from your girlfriend. You don't even need to close your job! If possible, do without the Internet while you work. Put your phone aside, turn off Wi-Fi, and get to work.

   • If you need a computer and the Internet to work, secure yourself from the very beginning. Use programs such as Anti-Social to block the websites that distract you the most, or download time limiting software that will only allow you to use the Internet within a specified time frame. You can take breaks during which you can watch YouTube videos, for example.
   • Concentration is essential in any endeavor. It needs to be cultivated as a habit. Make it a rule to do no more than one thing at a time with all your heart.

Improving your concentration can help you succeed at work and school and be a happier and more organized person. If you want to become more mindful, you need to learn how to avoid distractions and clearly develop a specific strategy of actions to complete the task. If you want to learn how to become hyper-focused, follow our tips.

Steps

Part 1

How to get organized

Write a list of tasks. If you want to become more focused, make a to-do list every day so that it lies in front of you so that you can check what you have already completed. This list will help you point out how to achieve your goals. Instead of wasting time, go through the to-do list and you can feel proud after completing them.

• Write down at least three tasks you need to complete today; three tasks to complete tomorrow and three tasks to be completed next week. Start by doing the things you need to do today. Feeling satisfied with a job well done will help you get started on the rest of the assignments.
• Reward yourself with work breaks. Every time you finish a task on your list, give yourself a chance to rest a little.

1. Prioritize. Remember that the most difficult and creative tasks need to be done in the morning, when you are overwhelmed with energy and inspiration. Leave light tasks (scheduling appointments, filling out paperwork, cleaning the office) for lunch when you are most tired.

   • Don't put off your hardest task for the evening. You will see how it flows smoothly the next day.

2. Organize your workspace. Organization of the workspace is the key to focus. It is much easier to focus if you know what is where in your office; where the table is, your bag, which creates an overall picture of the workspace. Organizing your workspace will save you a lot of time and motivate you to complete tasks.

   • Remove anything from the workspace that is not work. An exception may be photographs on the table. Everything else should be work-related. It doesn't matter what it is: paper, stapler or a set of pens.
   • Put your cell phone aside if you need to do some serious work. You can check it every hour, but you cannot keep your phone on the table, otherwise you will feel an irresistible urge to look at it all the time.
   • Organize the process of filling out the documents. If you know exactly where all your documents are, you will save a lot of time throughout the day.

3. Time it right. Time management is the most important component of attention. When you start a new work day or write a list of tasks, write down how long you think it will take to complete each of them. You will have an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat your working day will look like. At the beginning of the list, indicate those tasks that take a long time to complete. You can cross them out along the way.

   • Set adequate goals for yourself - this rule can be applied to any task. You cannot allocate 20 minutes for something that will take an entire hour, otherwise failure to complete the assigned tasks will disappoint you.
   • If you completed the task earlier, take a short break. This method will give you motivation.

4. Incorporate breaks into your work schedule. Taking breaks is of the utmost importance, just like completing an assignment. If your schedule alternates with periods of maximum activity with short pauses, you will be more focused than if you spent an entire day at work without interruption.

   • Take breaks of 10-20 minutes every hour. This time can be used to make a phone call, answer a message from a friend, or have a cup of tea.
   • Think of breaks as a reward for your work. Use them as motivation. If you think like this, "Once I finish this document, I can have a delicious smoothie," you will have a lot more motivation. If nothing positive is on the horizon, interest in the result will diminish.
   • One of the breaks can be used to exercise. A 15-minute walk or run up five flights of stairs will help you feel energized and invigorated.
   • Take a break to get some fresh air. You can't spend the whole day without leaving your home or office. Go outside to enjoy the morning freshness or catch the sun on your face. After the walk, you will become more focused and ready to go.

   Part 2

   How to improve concentration

   1. Work on persistence of attention. Any of us can start with a certain level of concentration, but most believe that it needs to be improved over time. To improve steadfastness, give yourself a certain amount of time, such as half an hour, to do a specific task. When this time is up, track how much more you can work without being distracted from the task. It doesn't matter how much it is - 5 minutes or another half hour.

      • If you repeat this experiment, you will see that you are able to concentrate on one task for much longer than you expected. Continue to train your attention in this way until you feel the need to stop. The next day, try to concentrate longer.

   2. Meditate . Meditation helps not only to relax, but also to improve your concentration step by step, provided that you meditate for 10–20 minutes every day. When you meditate, you focus on clearing your thoughts and focusing on your physical condition and breathing. These skills can be easily applied when you need to get rid of bad thoughts and concentrate on work. You can meditate both in the morning and before bed. Both options can be used.

      • Find a location that is relatively calm and free from distractions.
      • Find a comfortable spot and place your hands on your lap.
      • Work to relax your body. This should be done step by step until all parts of the body relax.

      SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

      Meditation teacher

      James Brown is a teacher of Vedic meditation, a simple and accessible form of meditation of ancient origins. Lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. To become a teacher, he completed a rigorous two-year training program with Vedic masters, including 4 months of immersion in the Himalayas. Over the years, he has trained thousands of people from San Francisco to Oslo - individually, in companies and at events.

      Meditation teacher

      Meditation can improve your ability to focus and concentrate. James Brown, a meditation teacher, says: “We use the words 'focus' and 'concentrate' interchangeably, but they are really different things. To focus is to deliberately narrow attention, and to concentrate is to make an effort to keep it narrowed. "

      Less multitasking. Many people find that multitasking is a great way to get things done faster and complete two or three tasks at a time. Remember that multitasking hurts your ability to concentrate. When you do several tasks at the same time, you think that you have achieved more, but in fact you have not devoted all your attention and desire to any of them and damaged your focus.

      • Work to complete only one task at a time, and you will see that the pace of completion has increased.
      • If you are constantly chatting online with your friends while you get work done, you are drawn into one of the worst forms of multitasking. Chatting with a friend can cut your productivity in half.
      • If you work from home, avoid the temptation to do the housework while studying or working. You can wash the dishes, but this will significantly slow down the pace of the task.

   Part 3

   How to prepare

   1. Analyze. Have you ever had a day like this that you "worked" and then wondered why the results were insignificant? If this has happened to you, you need to analyze your mistakes before starting a new unsuccessful day. Before starting work, you need to write down everything that was successful and not successful during the working or school day to make sure that everything will work out in the future.

      • You were supposed to study, and you spent all day gossiping with your schoolmate? In this case, you need to do your homework alone.
      • Were you supposed to work in your office, and you spent the whole day solving your colleagues' problems, and did nothing for yourself? In this case, you need to help less and become a little more selfish.
      • Have you spent an entire day chaotic reading articles posted on Facebook, chatting with friends and discussing plans for the evening? Better to do this after the end of the working day.
      • Before starting your day, write down what prevents you from achieving your goals to reduce the likelihood of mistakes.

   2. Prepare well for the job. It doesn't matter if you go to the library or to the office for an 8-hour day, you need to be well prepared for the work ahead to start the day with a positive attitude. You need to find motivation to complete all the tasks.

      Choose the right time and place. Most likely, you do not have the prerogative to start and end the work day as you wish if you work in an office. If you have a flexible schedule, you can start work at a time when you are more alert and choose an environment that helps you to tune in to work.

      • Remember that each of us has different hours of greatest productivity. Some people are most productive in the morning, while others need to tune in to work during the day. Pick a time when your body is ready to say "Let's go!" instead of the phrase "I want to sleep."
      • Finding a suitable work environment is essential. Some people enjoy working outside the home and feel quite comfortable. Others are motivated by working in a coffee shop or library, where everyone is busy with their own business.

   3. Try to anticipate your needs. If you want to be as productive and focused as possible, you need to anticipate your needs before doing anything. You will not be able to concentrate if your body requires rest.

   Part 4

   How to avoid sources of distraction

   1. Avoid the internet. It is filled with interesting and valuable information, but when it comes time to get going, the internet can be very distracting. If you really want to get the job done, you need to avoid Facebook and chatting with friends during the day. If the need arises, you can check your mail several times a day.

      • If you spot an interesting article, tell yourself that you will read it during the break, but not before.
      • Avoid personal correspondence while working. This is distracting and you will spend more time completing assignments than you intended.
      • If you don't need the Internet for work, pull out the cable. You can access the Internet every two hours.
      • Online sources of distraction consume all of your work time. If you go to Facebok or check your email every 15 minutes, try to increase this interval to half an hour. You will see if you can check your mail 2-3 times a day and completely stop using Facebook at work.
      • If you need the Internet for work, try not to open more than five tabs at the same time. Concentrate on what needs to be done and carry on with the task. If you have twice as many bookmarks open than you need to, your brain will automatically tune in to multitask.

   2. Don't let other people distract you from your work. People are the main source of distraction if you work in an office or library. Don't let them distract you from your goals. You may be tempted to chat with colleagues while you work. In this case, the pace of work will slow down and you will spend more time doing it.

      • Let your people know that it is very important for you to get the job done. It doesn't matter if you work at home or in the office. Your colleagues won't interfere when they see how committed you are to your work.
      • Do not accept personal calls or messages unless absolutely necessary. Ask your family and friends to call you only when needed, and you will receive fewer messages.
      • If you have a school or university buddy working with you, make sure you both are at work. You can even clap your hands if your colleagues are distracted to remind them of the importance of staying focused.

   3. Don't let your surroundings distract you. Any work environment can be distracting if you're not paying attention. But if you're in the mood for work, you can use the environment to your advantage. Here's how to do it:

      • If you work in a noisy public space, get noise-canceling headphones or listen to music without words to concentrate on your work.
      • If you are sitting next to someone on the phone, or next to a couple of friends who are actively discussing something, you will move away from them, even if you are attached to your workplace.
      • If you work in a room where the TV is working, do not look up at it more than once an hour, otherwise you will get carried away by watching.

   4. Stay motivated. If you want to avoid sources of distraction and become more focused, it is best to find motivation to complete the task. You need to write down what motivates you to work, and refer to this reason several times a day to remind yourself how important it is to focus and not be distracted by extraneous things.

      • Consider the importance of your job. Reassure yourself that when you give grades to students, it is very important to provide them with feedback. If you complete a project, you are doing it for the company's success.
      • Consider your position. What is the benefit to you if the job gets done? If you are preparing for a test, you can get a good grade or improve your GPA. If you are contracted with a client, you can qualify for a promotion.
      • Think about what kind of reward you will receive for your work. Remind yourself of interesting things to do after work ends. This could be a yoga class, meeting an old friend over ice cream, or a great dinner with your lover.
   • Exercise helps improve concentration. A 20 minute run won't take up a lot of your time, but it can work wonders.
   • Try to relax as much as possible so as not to reflect or worry about extraneous things.

   Warnings

   • Failure to focus is not always the result of a lack of motivation or laziness. Certain medical conditions, such as ADHD, can make it difficult to concentrate. If you are trying to focus but are constantly distracted by something, you most likely need to consult a doctor.

Many young people come to the doctor with strange complaints that, it would seem, should bother the elderly. I can't concentrate on anything. It is impossible to read serious books: while you reach the end of a paragraph, you lose your thought. The names of new acquaintances are forgotten, and sometimes important matters fly out of my head. All this greatly impairs the quality of life and makes one turn to a neurologist with complaints of "memory impairment". However, this problem has nothing to do with memorization. Attention deficit, which is very common among adults today, is often confused with "poor memory."

Internet surfing - thoughtlessly looking at pictures, reading other people's verbal battles and absorbing a huge amount of unnecessary information - leads to the fact that the "attention muscle" atrophies. The habit of not focusing on anything, switching attention from one to another, leaving it scattered at the same time, leads to the fact that problems arise with the perception of really important and necessary information.

It would seem that the ability to quickly switch from one to another is a useful skill? However, with Internet surfing, the opposite is true, because a person does not delve into the details and does not delve into the essence of the information, but thoughtlessly moves from one page to another. This is the basis of the curious phenomenon of ridiculous comments like "I have not read, but I condemn", which is well known to popular bloggers. Out of a hundred opinions, only one or two will come from people who were able to read the text to the end and grasp its essence; the rest of the commentators will pour out free associations that have arisen from one phrase captured in the text out of the corner of the eye.

Lack of attention can be safely called a sign of the times. And this problem has a global scale. Total inattention can become not only the cause of irritation for everyone around. Sometimes it leads to serious mistakes at work and even ruin in your personal life.

Many online entertainment resources are designed for people with attention deficit: studies show that a modern adult is, on average, able to hold attention on any new text for about 10 seconds - then he will most likely write a comment in the style of “Pasternak has not read, but I condemn ”and will start watching the video with cats, completely forgetting about the information that entered his brain two seconds ago.

The lack of attention leads to an amazing phenomenon: today, any person has access to the Cochrane library and Pabmed in one click, with their help you can independently understand the problem of a healthy lifestyle of interest; but most prefer to go down the simple path, type in a search engine for "gluten-free diet reviews" and absentmindedly glance at the unscientific delirium generated by the fevered brains of dietetic fanatics. All this comes not from a lack of intelligence, but from a weakness of attention, the inability to concentrate on the text and grasp its essence. Reading several articles in English and drawing some conclusion is an impossible task for people with attention deficit.

Publishers take advantage of this, releasing countless pseudoscientific books and magazines: they contain a lot of information that is not grounded in anything, except for the author's excessive self-confidence, but they are supplied with beautiful pictures of the pumped up press. All the wildly popular diets, whether raw food or avoiding gluten-containing foods, are gaining new adherents every day. This is not because such diets work, but because their creators caught the trend in time: tell about food in three phrases and five pictures, as if the reader has the intelligence of a preschooler, and the diet will be successful. For most readers will not be able to figure out where the facts are being rigged. Most of them have attention deficits that they are not aware of. But readers want a new diet-religion in five minutes, and then they will watch videos with funny raccoons, with breaks for the next holivar on the Web. True, in a month, the new style of eating will most likely be abandoned in favor of the next "revolutionary method", because low concentration of attention is often accompanied by increased distraction and suggestibility.

Attention is an important "screw" in the work of the psyche. Therefore, its deficiency is perceived as a feeling of a "cloudy head", difficulties with remembering, and even as a lowered mood or lack of motivation to do something. In other words, the work of the mind without attention is impossible, therefore its deficit is very noticeable, although it is difficult to recognize.

How well information is memorized depends on the acuity of attention, its volume and the ability to switch while maintaining concentration. Sharp attention is also needed for personal relationships - it provides empathy, the ability to compromise, peacefully and fairly resolve conflict situations.

How to improve attention?

1. Mindfulness practices. Mindfulness is a skill that helps to get out of the “autopilot” mode at least for a while. We are used to doing a lot of things automatically: washing our face, brushing our teeth, exercising on a treadmill, eating dinner while watching TV. At the same time, a person is not, as it were, present in the moment, but he also does not engage in useful mental work, because the mind at such moments produces an endless "mental gum", builds up disturbing thoughts and wanders aimlessly from one object to another. Meditation helps to cope with this - any of the many techniques that can be found today by the corresponding hashtags in social networks: breath meditation, movement meditation, and others. Yoga nidra gives an excellent effect - conscious relaxation with the movement of attention throughout the body. Mindfulness can be practiced while eating by turning off the TV and putting your smartphone aside. Focusing on flavor, texture, and other characteristics of food can help build relationships with the body, and sometimes reduce weight.
2. Adequate sleep. Another common cause of attention deficit disorder is lack of sleep or poor quality sleep. Frequent awakenings at night, anxiety and depressive disorders, and eating disorders can all lead to poor sleep quality. Simple sleep hygiene practices, such as airing the room, darkening the room enough, avoiding overeating at night, are sometimes enough to make you sleep well. If this does not help, you need to consult a specialist - a neurologist or psychiatrist.
3. Prevention of chronic diseases. In people with undiagnosed hypertension, diabetes mellitus, the very first symptom of the disease is often the same feeling of a “cloudy head”, difficulty concentrating and remembering. Sometimes such a seemingly insignificant symptom as the inability to concentrate on anything turns out to be the "first sign" of a serious neurological illness. Therefore, visiting a therapist once a year and getting some tests is a good idea in order to exclude certain diseases or to identify and start treating them in time.

Sharp attention is one of the secrets. It helps to consider objects and phenomena from different angles, to find non-standard solutions to problems. Therefore, it makes sense to train your attention, like a muscle, in order to become an interesting conversationalist, a good professional and a completely satisfied person with life.

The main property of attention is that it fluctuates all the time, is very mobile. It can be directed at several objects at once, instantly stop at one thing, then gradually weaken or just as quickly switch to something else. Attention - a spotlight that constantly changes its focus (now a narrow and strong band of light, now a wide and weak one), and it can turn at high speed on the tower.

This ability to move the ray of attention is a saving property of a person. If attention was inactive, people would not notice the dangers threatening them from all sides, and, perhaps, would have died out even before they became intelligent people. When a person walks through the jungle, his attention should quickly be thrown in all directions - to respond to every rustle. Maybe a tiger? Maybe the snake is lurking? Not one absent-minded person has yet returned home from the jungle.

But in a class where there are no tigers and snakes, and at home lessons, where nothing threatens our lives, why such mobility of attention? It seems to be in the way. How convenient it would be to stare at the page and watch without distraction!

We try to do something like this and find it impossible. The ray of attention cannot be stopped!

But then the TV is turned on, they are talking in the kitchen, and even thunder is thundering outside the window, and a certain person is sitting, huddled awkwardly at the table, so that his leg is numb, but he does not notice it either. He went deep into the book. Well, did his attention stop?

Not. Attention cannot stop. The ray of attention is always mobile, it follows the movement of something outside us or inside us. If we are in the field and nothing moves in front of us, the ray of attention gradually scans the field, moves itself. If a hare runs across the field, we will follow the hare, its movement, until we are attracted by some other movement, for example, a hunter with a gun. Attention is always following some movement; it cannot stop. In one Indian tribe, children are taught to sit quietly and look when there is nothing to look at and listen when everything is quiet. But this is considered the most difficult test, it is like enduring terrible pain.

However, let's return to our man with a book in his hands: what is the movement in front of him? Very stormy: the movement of the author's thought, the movement of images, the movement of the heroes' destinies. And the more active these movements are, the easier it is to focus attention on them, the more the book captures. Therefore, young children do not like descriptions of nature - there is less movement in them, and the attention of the children is immediately scattered: there is nothing to follow. So far, they only know how to follow fast, energetic movement, as in adventure books and films. But the more a person develops, the higher his culture, the more diverse movements he begins to notice.

When a person sits without moving and listens to music, he follows the movement of the composer's thoughts and feelings. Anyone who does not understand music cannot notice this movement - the music seems to him monotonous, and therefore he is not able to listen, is not able to collect attention. His attention seems to fall asleep: the ear stops hearing, the eye stops seeing, and he focuses on his own thoughts, on their movement.

He can catch himself, but not for long. In a few moments, his attention will again dissipate.

Until a person is developed, he is able to perceive only external movement: racing, chases, adventures. But the more he learns, the more his knowledge of the world, the more hidden movements he begins to distinguish. It becomes easy for him to follow them, it is easy to be attentive to different aspects of life, and he sees much more of an undeveloped person.

To be attentive means to follow some movement; to develop means to learn to distinguish hidden movements in life, in art, in nature, in science, in people.

How to focus your attention

In the army, when the commander gives an order, the subordinates stand at attention. Why is this? Could people listen to the order, lounging around with their hands in their pockets? Why is it necessary to stretch your arms at the seams?

Posture, the condition of the muscles are very much related to attention. A man is picked up, does not move, is tense - and his attention is sharpened by itself. The more attentively, the more the person gathers, and the muscles on his face gather, the eyebrows move. We knit our eyebrows because we want to be attentive, and we become attentive if we take a certain position and a face takes a certain expression. In a word - at attention!

At a symphony concert, the command is not given: “Attention! Listen to music!" But look around - no one will throw a hand on their shoulder, they will not fall apart in a chair, everyone is sitting like first graders in their first lesson. Otherwise, it is impossible to listen to music with concentration.

This means that if we want to be attentive in the lesson, we will first do the simple thing that we were taught from the first grade: sit up straight, get together, tune in to listen ... And it will be much easier for us to concentrate on the teacher's story.

By the way (speaking of attention, it is also useful to be distracted), that is why sometimes people do not like symphonic music, that they were not at concerts, but listened to it only on the radio, on TV, from records - they listened at home, in relaxed poses. But having relaxed, reclining, you can only listen to light music, and symphonic music is difficult.

Let's try two or three times, being alone, to listen to serious music seriously - sitting upright, concentrating all our attention. If you come across good music with a lot of movement, you will immediately like it.

It is difficult to listen to music at home precisely because it is difficult to concentrate. On the other hand, nothing develops the ability for long and intense attention like listening to serious music, because sometimes you have to catch subtle movements. To fall in love with serious music, it is necessary to create an atmosphere at home, similar to that in the concert hall: so that no one speaks, does not walk, does not make sudden movements, does not look at each other - complete and absolute silence, complete and absolute attention!