Concentration is an important thing in both our personal and our professional lives. Without it, how would you accomplish anything? You probably wouldn’t. Some people have a lot of difficulty concentrating these days. Whether it be due to a mental disability or just due to being lazy, there are many ways to improve concentration. They are all quite easy for you to perform so don’t be discouraged by the number of them. Also remember that different techniques work for different people. So if one doesn’t work for you, just try another. For maximum results I would recommend trying all of these following techniques. Here are 10 ways to improve concentration.
10: Fix Eyesight On Objects
The hardest part of this one is the physical element. What you do is hold any kind of small object up into the air and focus your eyesight on that object. Try and keep your arm as steady as possible and don’t look away from the object. Try to do it once per day, and for a longer period each time. The longer you can do it for, the better your concentration will be. It’s like push ups. The more push ups you can do, the stronger you get.
9: Exercise Regularly
To exercise regularly is to provide your body with a large number of benefits. One of such benefits is an improvement to concentration. The way you workout effects everything about you from your posture to your voice. For whatever reason, studies show that regular exercise does improve a person’s ability to controversial. I’m sure there are many reasons for this, one of which being that exercise improves your sleep. Getting the right amount of sleep, for obvious reasons, is one of the best ways to improve concentration.
8: Drink Coffee
This one may sound strange as we tell our children not to drink coffee, because it would make them too hyper and therefore distract from their school work. However, many studies have shown that consumption of Coffee can improve concentration. It can even improve the concentration of children with ADHD and of athletes who are already focused people. The effects vary from person to person and it’s just a short term fix, but it really can work. Remember that caffeine is still less effective than any prescribed ADHD medication, and coffee probably isn’t the best thing for young kids.
7: Listen To Classical Music
The music we listen to effects the way our brain functions. Some types of music are thought to make you more easily angry if you listen to them regularly. But some have been absolutely proven to improve concentration. In what is now known as the ‘Mozart Effect’, listening to classical music really does help your focus. It also helps children with certain mental disorders carry out basic tasks. The Mozart Effect is so concrete at this point that the Governor of Georgia wants to give a CD of classical music to every child in his state.
6: Keep To Deadlines
You’d be surprised at how much people improve when suddenly thrust into difficult situations. When you have a clear goal, you’ll most likely find a way to reach it. With tight time constraints you won’t waste any time being distracted. So just set yourself clear goals and time periods in which to achieve them, and step up to the plate. Say, give yourself an hour to write an article, and you might just achieve it.
5: Work At Different Times
Different people are more productive at different times. For me, I can more easily concentrate towards the end of the night, that’s why I’m still writing this article at nearly 1 AM. If I work in the morning I find it more difficult to concentrate and I’m just less productive. You too will find that your brain struggles to concentrate during some times of the day, and finds it easier at some times of the day. So the trick is to recognize when you can most easily concentrate, and do the hardest part of your work then.
4: Supplement Fish Oil
Fish oil is very good for brain function. It contains vital vitamins and acids that aid brain function in more ways than one. It can help improve anxiety, eyesight, depression, and also concentration. It’s often given to children with ADHD as studies show they can help people focus on work. There is a very good reason why fish oil is good for brain function. The brain is around 60 percent fat, and fish oil contains a lot of fatty acids.
3: Never Work Where You Sleep
This is all to do with your subconscious mind. It knows that you sleep in your bedroom. So if you work in your bedroom, part of your brain will be telling you to go to sleep. This obviously makes it a lot more difficult to concentrate. I mean, you’re being constantly distracted by yourself. Just work somewhere else. This works in both ways, your sleep will improve as a result of it. Otherwise your brain will be telling you to get up and work while you’re trying to sleep. This is awkward because I’m typing this article in bed, but that’s just because I’m lazy.
2: Use Earplugs
This one is really simple. Most people have a hard time concentrating over annoying noises. It could be any noise: neighbors, traffic, animals outside, or whatever. Any distracting noises will make things harder for you. So use earplugs to simulate silence and just ignore the noises. Or better yet, listen to classical music with headphones.
1: Meditate
I really cannot stress enough the benefits of meditation. Other than improving your ability to control anger and it makes your more happy. Scientific research shows that it also increases the amount of grey matter in the brain. It decreases stress, anxiety, and depression. Science has also proven meditation to be among the best ways to improve concentration. So try out meditation for as short a time as 5 minutes per day and I promise you’ll notice positive results pretty soon.