Concentration: 2 techniques for protecting against mental influences!

The attention factor in our lives

If there is one thing I would like you to take away from the article, the first thing is to understand how important attention is in our lives and how undervalued it is as a concept among the masses. It is attention that determines how we cope with any work; attention is a concept that underlies other mental activities:

• Understanding
• Education
• Playback
• Memory

This is a kind of invisible efficiency factor. The main thing is that attention is not some ephemeral process in our heads, it is a real thing that research scientists can see using various devices such as MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) or tomography. Scientists can see the neural state of the brain, and many have described attention in their studies.

Concentration, attention and memory begin to shape our daily lives very early. In the 60-70s, scientists began to do research on attention in younger children. Statistically, it turned out that the more a child’s ability to concentrate is developed, the greater success he will subsequently have. This applies to both financial and all other areas of our lives.

Improving memory and increasing concentration

Many people around the world suffer from attention disorders and poor memory. If you are reading this article, you are definitely looking for a solution for yourself or your loved ones.

Do not think that poor memory and absent-minded attention are an irreparable problem. Training will not take much time, but it must be productive and regular, only in this case you will be able to correct the situation.

Games for concentration and memory

Exercise is good! But you don’t always want to carry them out; you need self-discipline and a strong desire. However, there is a very simple and exciting way out - educational games for brain fitness. These games will not only help solve the issue of motivation, but also perfectly train memory, concentration, attention and many other qualities. And the most interesting thing is that these games keep statistics of achievements, you can beat not only your own records, but also compete with other players :)

Anagrams

Anagrams develop thinking, attention, concentration, speed of thought, and speed reading. In this game you have to choose 1 option out of 4, in which only those letters that are part of the given word are mixed. Each round a new word is given. Remember that time is limited! The faster you look for the answer, the more points you will get at the end of the game.

Tag

Tag is a great way to develop your thinking! You need to place the numbers of the dominoes one after another from top to bottom, from left to right, therefore, the empty square should be at the bottom right. The game will help you develop logical thinking, attention, and memory. You will also be able to develop the ability to calculate moves ahead without making mistakes. Shall we play?

Game "Space"

The game "Space" will be a good trainer of your attention. A rocket will be drawn in the picture, and you will need to indicate where it is flying. The game is limited in time, this is the point, because you will have to answer as quickly as possible in order to score the most points! Can you train your attention and become one of the top players?

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Game "Flank task"

The game "Flank Task" is similar to "Space", but it will be a little more difficult. The picture shows a flock of birds, and you will be required to indicate the direction of flight of the central bird. At first, you may be confused, but then it will be better, because this is already the beginning of the development of attention. Here we go?

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Game "Number Reach: Revolution"

An interesting and useful game “Numeric Span: Revolution”, which will help you improve and develop your memory . The essence of the game is that the monitor will display numbers in order, one at a time, which you should remember and then reproduce. Such chains will consist of 4, 5 and even 6 digits. Time is limited. How many points can you score in this game?

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Game "2 back"

To develop memory, I recommend an exercise like the “2 Back” game. A sequence of numbers will be displayed on the screen that you will need to remember, and then compare the number of the last card with the previous one. This is a powerful memory and brain training , this is an exercise that is available after registration, are you ready? Then go ahead!

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How does focus affect your work?

A good example. A magnifying glass can burn a field, cause a forest fire, or save someone's life. You ask how? It is very simple, it is capable of concentrating the sun's rays at one point.

Some statistics. People who go to work to work actually work only ¼ of the time. If a shift lasts 8 hours, then a person works for only 2 hours. He spends the remaining 6 hours on unproductive temporary expenses. When a person begins to work with concentration, in 30-40 minutes he completes a volume of work that would normally take a full working day. In 8 hours you will do the amount of work that you previously did in a week. This happens due to the fact that there are no distractions, right down to the deepest thoughts.

It should be noted that any switching of attention completely destroys immersion in the work process, and restoration of the work process in the nervous system of an adult takes at least 15 minutes.

Deep Concentration Concepts

Roland Geisselhart mentions the concept of Deep-work in one of his books. It is a process of work where you are completely absorbed in your task and work very efficiently to the limit of your cognitive, mental and intellectual abilities. As a result, you work quickly and produce very high-quality results. Most of us spend a huge part of our time in superficial work, being in a state of semi-abstraction. We can be distracted by even minor factors, for example:

• baby crying outside the window,
• someone else's computer is making too much noise,
• the phone vibrated
• or for example, drivers on the street honk their horn all the time.

In this state, it is impossible to immerse ourselves in work, it goes much slower and we make more mistakes. But mainly, the conclusions or quality of work that we produce are not as high as our potential allows us.

Journalistic and rhythmic approaches

Journalistic approach

Many of us are turning to a style of work that Geisselhart calls the “journalistic approach.” This is when you think that when you have an hour or two of free time, at that moment you will sit down and work on the tasks that you have. However, this approach is absolutely inapplicable for most people, both for beginners in this and for those who have not yet professionally succeeded in the tasks they perform.

For example, a writer who has already written many books is able to work in this mode. And if he has an hour and a half time out between meetings, then he can sit down, concentrate and write a couple of pages from his book. A writer who is writing his first book will not be able to enter such a state of flow at the first need.

We, like a novice writer, do not yet have the level of competence of professionals. This is why this approach does not work for us.

Rhythmic approach

Most often in books on self-motivation they write that successful people get up at 5-6 o’clock in the morning and work in complete silence. This lasts from 2 to 4 hours until children, family or other colleagues begin to lead them astray with the daily routine. This is their main time of work, then there are meetings, organizational or other issues. But they do all the main work during this quiet time of the morning hours.

The rhythmic approach is to allocate from 1 to 4 hours in each working day in which you will work in the Deep-work style.

What is the advantageous difference between the rhythmic technique of concentration and the journalistic one?

In reducing the time spent concentrating. With the rhythmic approach, you create your own routine. You know that at certain hours you must do a specific activity and you know how much time you have for this activity. The time to get ready for work is significantly reduced and, as a rule, is not interrupted by anything.

However, in order to successfully apply the rhythmic approach technique, you will have to answer such fundamental questions as:

• What will you do;
• How long will you do this;
• Where will you do it;
• How will you support your work (for example, will there be a break for breakfast, coffee or exercise);
• How the work process will be structured (do you have the right to access the Internet, how many times to drink coffee, and others).

Answering these questions while working takes too much time and energy, which subsequently leads to procrastination and poor attentiveness. Try to accept this model for yourself at least for a while . Agree with yourself that you work according to this model for at least a month, and you are guaranteed to see results.

Exercises to develop concentration

After checking the level of attentiveness, we will consider how to develop concentration. An effective method for enhancing concentration is exercise. The following exercises do not require much time and effort; they are performed daily, at every opportunity.

• Awareness of what is happening.

While at home, on the street, or at work, do not be in prostration. Try to concentrate your attention on what is happening around you. Focus on what you are doing, who is nearby, what people are doing, what the weather is like.

This exercise will help you easily increase your level of concentration.

• Performing conscious actions.

Learn to perform your usual actions consciously and carefully. Take every moment of your life seriously, as if a lot depends on how you move your feet when walking, wipe off the dust, and put on clothes.

This kind of exercise will teach you to focus on business. The activity will help increase the power of attention.

• The ability to see the hidden.

While doing the exercise, look at the objects around you and notice new properties, qualities of things, and the appearance of objects. Try to see something you didn't notice before.

The exercise will develop the skill of switching concentration from one subject to another without losing concentration.

• "Line".

To complete the activity, prepare a white sheet of paper, pen or pencil. The line must be drawn smoothly and slowly. Concentrate on the line you are drawing. As soon as you realize that you are distracted, draw a line up. It should look like a cardiogram. The exercise lasts 3 minutes.

The result is positive only if the line remains straight.

• Music.

Classical music for concentration is a way to increase your level of concentration. Improved attentiveness while listening to music occurs due to the impact of the melody and harmony of the classical genre on the right hemisphere of the brain . When completing a task, you need to relax and distract yourself from extraneous thoughts. The music of Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky is suitable for this exercise.

Automatic and voluntary attention

There are two types of attention: automatic and voluntary.

Automatic attention is the oldest. It is very fast, impulsive, multitasking. We don't notice it.

Voluntary attention is what helps us analyze, teach, understand, and reflect. This is attention that we control and for which we require effort.

It is important to know that when we learn, we use voluntary attention. After all, the learning process itself is simply an expansion of our neural network of understanding something. That is, our brain takes a small piece of information and attaches it to existing information. We learn only when we are in the process of voluntary attention.

Naturally, the biggest problem for us today is that we are not able to maintain concentrated attention on something for a long period of time, since we are constantly distracted by something.

The good news is that attention is like a muscle in the brain, and if we spend many years in divided attention, then this muscle has atrophied. But there are exercises that will lead us back to strengthening this muscle and attention in general.

For training of attention and concentration to lead to results, you should make it a regular ritual of your day.

How to improve your concentration

There are various methodologies to improve concentration. They use special techniques. But before we talk about concentration techniques, we need to consider the factors that negatively affect the mind and its ability to concentrate.

Agree that if our mind were not constantly distracted by external stimuli and were more focused, then we would not be looking for ways to increase the efficiency of attention.

Often we study ways to improve attention not because we want to develop it, but because we notice how it has decreased. The length of time during which we are accustomed to concentrating on something has rapidly decreased, and we know the reason for this deterioration.

Human dependence on means of communication

The development of the Internet, mobile technologies, social networks, fragmented communication, and the habit of working in multi-task mode lead to a decrease in attention span and subsequently even to attention deficit disorder.

Separately, I would like to highlight the so-called multi-task ability - performing several tasks at the same time. The new concept of efficiency, which is still almost extolled to the skies and considered one of the characteristics of effective work, in fact leads to the opposite - to disorganization, lack of focus, increased stress and a drop in the quality of task performance.

Mobile devices and endless chatting seem like cute and fun entertainment or a common means of communication in professional activities. However, they bring little benefit to the human psyche. The negative impact of new technologies has long been scientifically proven. But who cares, when a large number of modern people cannot live without checking messages on social networks and instant messengers every hour.

It has already become a kind of addiction. But it is precisely the dependence on technology that creates the appearance of action, the illusion of the fullness of life. If we exclude this component, what will remain? Emptiness, when a person is finally left alone with himself, then he does not know what to do with himself. Thoughts are spinning in your head, you need to come up with something again, another action, what to do, where to go, what music or movie to entertain yourself with again.

Man has already forgotten what silence is. In real external life it does not exist and never existed. What about the inner world? Is there silence there? It would seem a strange question - we don’t talk to ourselves. This is where we are wrong. We're still talking. And all without exception. Listen to your thoughts at this moment. What are you thinking about? What is your mind telling itself? This is how the endless dialogue with ourselves continues, and we don’t even notice it, deafened by the outside world and the noise of its entertainment.

Methods for training attention and memory

We present to you exercises and tests for training attention and memory, taking no more than 30 minutes a day. Repeat these exercises regularly and you will notice significant improvements in your thinking and memory skills. If you have a child, be sure to show him these exercises, they will help with his studies and have a beneficial effect on his psychological health.

Quiet sitting in a chair

This exercise is much more difficult than it seems at first glance.

Sit in a comfortable chair and try to relax as much as possible. Sit so that your body is completely relaxed and not a single muscle moves. Try to completely relax and concentrate on sitting quietly.

It is suggested to start this exercise with 5 minutes. Once you notice that sitting is much easier for you, start extending the time to 10-15 minutes.

By practicing it every time, you will be convinced that you can sit quietly for 15 minutes without straining a single muscle. This exercise is very important because relaxation also plays an important role in your movement.

Fixing your gaze on your fingertips

This exercise can also be done while sitting on a cushion or in a chair. Having chosen a place, make yourself comfortable in it: straighten your shoulders and keep your head level. Now raise your right hand and hold it at shoulder level. Turning only your neck, turn your head to the right and concentrate your gaze on your fingertips. Try to focus on keeping your hand as relaxed as possible and your gaze completely focused on your fingers. It is recommended to start with 1 minute, as in the beginning it will be difficult for you to hold your hand without shaking it.

Once you start holding for 1 minute, increase the time to 5 minutes. If you continue to practice for several days, you will feel an influx of awareness, fluidity and wisdom.

Fixing your gaze on a glass of water

This exercise is quite similar to the first and second. Start by filling a clear glass with water. After this, you should take a glass and hold it in front of your face. You need to fully focus on the water in the glass. Imagine and think about how calm she is. Your task is to make sure that the water in the glass does not worry, but is as calm as possible.

In the same way, start with a minute and extend the time to 5 minutes. This will help you concentrate better and direct your attention where you need it.

Clenching and unclenching fists

Sit as close to the table as possible and place your hands backside down. After that, squeeze them into a fist. Let your thumbs be on top of your other fingers. Your task is to concentrate as much as possible on how you will unclench your fingers. Start with your index finger. Watch it as if it were the most important event in your life. You will start the exercise with your index finger, then do the same with the rest of your fingers.

After you have unclenched your fist, you need to do the same in reverse order. This exercise should be practiced 5 times a day on each hand. With regular training you can increase the number of repetitions up to 10 times. This process may tire you, as it is quite monotonous, but you need to practice it every day to strengthen your attention. This directly affects how hard you can concentrate on a particular task.

Enhanced sense of smell

This exercise is recommended to be done outdoors, walking alone or with friends. When passing by a flower bed, pause for a couple of minutes. Concentrate your attention completely on the scent of the flowers. Make it stand out from all other scents. Remove absolutely all thoughts, you should only think about this scent. There should not be any unnecessary thoughts about extraneous matters, tasks, or even other aromas. You only need to feel this aroma. Make it stand out from the rest in a very clear and concentrated way. Perform the exercise for 5 minutes, then concentrate your attention on another aroma and do the same actions.

Exercise to enhance your sense of smell will help you take control over your brain to a new level . By practicing it every time, you will see how precisely you can control your thoughts and actions, just as you control the movement of your arm or leg.

Concentration on sleep

This exercise is perfect for those people who suffer from insomnia or cannot sleep after a hard day at work. It's very simple, but really effective.

Fill a glass with water and place it on the nightstand next to your bed. Then sit on a chair and fully concentrate your attention on this glass. Feel how calm the water is there, imagine that you are entering a similar state. Your nerve cells will calm down and you will gradually begin to fall asleep. This allows you to immediately kill insomnia and the person falls asleep easily.

Another way to combat insomnia is to start imagining yourself sleepy. Imagine that you are gradually falling asleep, arouse in yourself the desire to fall asleep. This will help you fall asleep easily and sleep peacefully.

Concentration on the second hand

To complete this exercise you will need a watch with a second hand.

Place the watch in front of you and watch the second hand for 2 minutes. As soon as you feel and notice that you are distracted, start the exercise again. The good thing about this exercise is that you don’t get ahead of yourself, but you don’t fall behind either. You are here and now.

After successful completion, try modifying the exercise. Set the clock so that you can see the second hand and the TV in the background. If possible, turn on your favorite show. It could be news or some kind of entertainment program. Turn your attention to the clock and watch the second hand, trying not to turn your attention to the TV. As soon as you notice that you are distracted or switched attention, start the exercise from the beginning.

Concentration on breathing

This is a special mental exercise where you simply sit down, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. It is advisable to breathe through your nose. During this exercise, you should think only about the breathing process. About how, when you inhale, the air passes through your lungs and fills your lower abdomen, about how you exhale, which leaves a sensation in the area between your nose and lip. And again in a circle. Try it, you won’t last even a minute without distracted thoughts.

At these moments, your brain will run in all directions and remember a thousand and one things that you need not to forget, think about a quarrel with someone, why someone looked at you like that, and so on. The moment you caught your your brain is distracted, bring your attention back to your breathing. Start with 10 minutes and gradually increase the time.

The more often you do this exercise, the less intrusive thoughts become, the easier it is to discard them, and your concentration increases. The effectiveness of such exercises has been scientifically proven.

Try it and then share in the comments your experience of using the tips from this article and other techniques.

Courses for training concentration

In addition to games, we have interesting courses that will perfectly pump up your brain and improve memory and concentration:

Development of memory and attention in a child 5-10 years old

The purpose of the course: to develop the child’s memory and attention so that it is easier for him to study at school, so that he can remember better.

After completing the course, the child will be able to:

1. 2-5 times better to remember texts, faces, numbers, words
2. Learn to remember for a longer period of time
3. The speed of recalling the necessary information will increase

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Secrets of brain fitness, training memory, attention, thinking, counting

If you want to speed up your brain, improve its functioning, improve your memory, attention, concentration, develop more creativity, perform exciting exercises, train in a playful way and solve interesting problems, then sign up! 30 days of powerful brain fitness are guaranteed to you:)

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Super memory in 30 days

As soon as you sign up for this course, you will begin a powerful 30-day training in the development of super-memory and brain pumping. The course contains many exercises that require concentration, which is actively trained and developed as the course progresses.

Within 30 days after subscribing, you will receive interesting exercises and educational games in your email that you can apply in your life.

You will learn to remember everything that may be needed in work or personal life: learn to remember texts, sequences of words, numbers, images, events that happened during the day, week, month, and even road maps.

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How to improve memory and develop attention

Free practical lesson from advance.

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Speed ​​reading in 30 days

Would you like to quickly read books, articles, newsletters, etc. that interest you? If your answer is “yes,” then our course will help you develop speed reading and synchronize both hemispheres of the brain.

With synchronized, joint work of both hemispheres, the brain begins to work many times faster, which opens up much more possibilities. Attention , concentration , speed of perception are enhanced many times over! Using the speed reading techniques from our course you will be able to:

1. Learn to read very quickly
2. Improve attention and concentration, as they are extremely important when reading quickly
3. Read a book a day and finish your work faster

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We speed up mental arithmetic, NOT mental arithmetic

Secret and popular techniques and life hacks, suitable even for a child. From the course you will not only learn dozens of techniques for simplified and quick multiplication, addition, multiplication, division, and calculating percentages, but you will also practice them in special tasks and educational games! Mental arithmetic also requires a lot of attention and concentration, which are actively trained when solving interesting problems.

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