Focus
Content
Top 5 Tips to Improve Your Concentration
From Sam Horn Updated: February 02, 2005 About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
When TV newscaster Diane Sawyer was asked the secret to her success, she said, "I think the one lesson I've learned is there is no substitute for paying attention." Are you thinking, "I agree, but HOW do we improve our ability to focus and maintain attention - no matter what?" These five FOCUS tips can help you concentrate better -- whether you're working in a busy office, studying at school, sitting in a meeting, or trying to finish a project. F = Five More Rule There are two kinds of people -- those who have learned how to work through frustration, and those who wish they had. From now on, if you're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up -- just do FIVE MORE. Read FIVE MORE pages. Finish FIVE MORE math problems. Work FIVE MORE minutes. Just as athletes build physical stamina by pushing past the point of exhaustion, you can build mental stamina by pushing past the point of frustration. Just as runners get their second wind by not giving up when their body initially protests, you can get your "second mind" by not giving up when your willpower initially protests. Continuing to concentrate when your brain is tired is the key to S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G your attention span and building mental endurance. O = One Think At a Time Samuel Goldwyn said, "If I look confused, it's because I'm thinking." Feeling scatter-brained? Overcome perpetual preoccupation with the Godfather Plan -- make your mind a deal it can't refuse. Yes, the mind takes bribes. Instead of telling it NOT to worry about another, lesser priority (which will cause your mind to think about the very thing it's not supposed to think about!), assign it a single task with start-stop time parameters. For example, "I will think about how to pay off that credit card debt when I get home tonight and have a chance to add up my bills. For now, for the next thirty minutes from 1-1:30 pm, I will
give my complete focus to practicing this presentation so I am eloquent and articulate when pitching this proposal to our VIP clients." Still can't get other concerns out of your head? Write them down on your to-do list so you're free to forget them. Recording worrisome obligations means you don't have to use your brain as a "reminder" bulletin board, which means you can give your undivided attention to your top priority task. C = Conquer Procrastination Don't feel like concentrating? Are you putting off a task or project you're supposed to be working on? That's a form of procrastination. R. D. Clyde said, "It's amazing how long it takes to complete something we're not working on." Next time you're about to postpone a responsibility ask yourself, "Do I have to do this? Do I want it done so it's not on my mind? Will it be any easier later?" Those three questions can give you the incentive to mentally apply yourself because they bring you face to face with the fact this task isn't going away, and delaying will only add to your guilt and make this onerous task occupy more of your mind and time. U = Use Your Hands as Blinkers Picture your mind as a camera and your eyes as its aperture. Most of the time, our eyes are "taking it all in" and our brain is in "wide-angle focus." We can actually think about many things at once and operate quite efficiently this way (e.g., imagine driving down a crowded highway while talking to a friend, fiddling with the radio, keeping an eye on the cars beside you, and watching for your exit sign.) What if you want to switch to telephoto focus? What if you have to prepare for a test and you need 100% concentration? Cup your hands around your eyes so you have "tunnel vision" and are looking solely at your text book. Placing your hands on the side of your face blocks out surroundings so they are literally "out of sight, out of mind." Think about the importance of those words. Want even better news? Does the name Pavlov r-r-r-ring a bell? If you cup your hands around your eyes every time you want to switch from wide-angle to telephoto focus, that physical ritual becomes a Pavlovian trigger. Remember? Pavlov rang the bell, fed the dog, rang the bell and fed the dog, until the dog started salivating as soon as he heard the sound of the bell. Similarly, using your hands as blinkers every time you want to narrow your focus teaches your brain to switch to "one track" mind and concentrate on your command. S = See As If For the First or Last Time Want to know how to be "here and now" and fully present instead of mindlessly rushing here,
there, and everywhere? Frederick Franck said, "When the eye wakes up to see again, it suddenly stops taking anything for granted." Evelyn Underhill said, "For lack of attention, a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day." I constantly relearn this lesson. One time I was giving my sons their nightly back rub. Although I was sitting right next to them, I might as well have been in the next country because I was thinking of the early morning flight I needed to take the next day and wondering if I had packed my hand-outs, if my ticket was in my purse, etc. Suddenly, my unfocused eyes fell upon my sons and I truly SAW Tom and Andrew as if I was looking at them for the first time. I was immediately flooded with a sense of gratitude for these two healthy, thriving boys. I felt so blessed to have been gifted with such wonderful sons. In an instant, I went from being absent-minded to being filled with a sense of awe and appreciation for their presence in my life. Next time your mind is a million miles away, simply look around you and really SEE your surroundings. Study that exquisite flower in the vase. Get up close to the picture on the wall and marvel at the artist's craftmanship. Lean in and really look at a loved one you tend to take for granted. This will "Velveteen Rabbit" your world and make it come alive in your mind's eye. What people have said about concentration
y y y y y y
"I used to think the human brain was the most fascinating part of the body, and then I realized, 'What is telling me that?'" - Emo Phillips "I'm getting so absent-minded and forgetful. Sometimes in the middle of a sentence, I . . . " - Milton Berle "Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind." Leonardo da Vinci "Tell me to what you pay attention, and I will tell you who you are." - Jose Ortega y Gasset I would go without shirt or shoe sooner than lose for a minute the two separate sides of my head." - Rudyard Kipling "It's not that I don't want to listen to people. I very much want to listen to people. I jut can't hear them over my talking." - Paula Poundstone
About Sam Horn Sam Horn is the author of ConZentrate. Sam's four books from St. Martin's Press have received critical acclaim from Investors Business Daily, Publishers' Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Readers Digest, and Washington Post, and have been published in more than twenty countries including China, Japan, France, Canada, Israel, and Germany. Foreign Service Journal said, "If you use the strategies outlined by Horn, it will change your attitude, the attitude of others, and the way
others treat you." Sam has had the opportunity to speak to more than a half million people in more than 35 states since 1981. Her keynotes, training workshops, and conference presentations consistently receive excellent evaluations for being full of fun, real-life ideas participants are motivated to use immediately at work, at home, and in their community. She was the top-rated speaker at both the 1996 and 1998 International Platform Association conventions in Washington DC, and won the 2003-2004 Outstanding Capital Speaker Award. www.SamHorn.com . . . California office: 805-528-4351 . . . Virginia office 703-456-0870
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your thoughts then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed". A course in miracles.
You have about 50 000 thoughts per day. What are you thinking to create the world you live in? Be aware of your thoughts. This will give you the power to create the environment you want. You are in control whether you like it or not. Accept it!
If you have been practicing what you have learnt in this series of articles you will have discovered a world of thoughts. Your very own unique, internal world. You may like or dislike these these thoughts, either way you have complete control. You can control the thoughts that enter your mind by changing the way you view the world. You can decide which thoughts you give energy to and which thoughts you discard. You do not have to follow every line of thought. The thoughts that you follow and give energy to become more dominant than the thoughts you discard. Your subconscious mind records these as your dominant picture on the issue at hand. You move towards your dominant picture because your creative subconscious is tasked with making your outside world fit the picture that you have stored internally. This is a very powerful way of changing your reality, if your mind is on the appropriate subject. Your mind should be on whatever you want. This does not mean that you should spend all day thinking about your goals. What it means is that when it is appropriate to think of a subject the picture you evoke is of a certain kind. The picture you need to have is a positive vision. A picture of you already having achieved your goal.
To realise this vision or make your dominant picture as you want it, you need to focus and concentrate. Remember thoughts are real, tangible sources of energy. Concentration means intense mental application, complete attention. You may find this can be difficult if you have not practiced this before. Lets use a simple example. You want to achieve a goal of buying a new car. You need to imagine yourself already in possession of the car. You need to picture yourself driving it and owning it. Whilst this is going on be aware of the thoughts that occur in your mind. Alongside your positive thoughts in regard to your goal you have other negative thoughts that are not in line with what you want. Do you think that the car will be too expensive? Do you believe you are wasting money? Are you thinking, "how will I afford this"? Are you thinking...we can go on and on. These thoughts that are not aligned with your goal. You are not giving complete attention to what you want. Whilst you are dealing with these other lines of thought your attention is not on your goal. If you are aware of your thoughts you will suddenly realise that you have spent much more energy on counter productive thoughts than on creating a dominant picture of the goal you want. Of the 50 000 thoughts per day how many of them are in line with what you want? You will be familiar with the well known cliché in regard to a glass of water. The water level is at the half way mark. "Is the glass half full or half empty?" Think about it for a minute. What this actually shows you is that there are two distinct and very different ways of thinking. 1. You can look at the glass and conclude that it is half full. 2. You can look at the glass and conclude that it is half empty. How you answer this question depends on two things. 1. Your goal or what you deem as valuable. A full glass or an empty glass. 2. Your attitude, which is the way you lean towards something. Do you think something has been taken away from your goal or you have gained something?
You will probably feel that something in the glass is of value. If this is the case then how will you answer the question; is the glass half full or half empty? The glass being half full is a positive way of looking. The glass being half empty is the negative perspective.The answer to this question will show you, how you focus. Focus means the point to which your concentration is aimed at. In other words to focus and concentrate means you need to apply energy and attention to what you want. What you want must be the point of your focus. This can be applied to all area's of your life. There are two sides to everything this is the concept of duality. Without this concept nothing would exist. Opposites cause contrast. It is this contrast that defines everything that exists. Without light you could not have darkness, without there being an up there is no concept of down. There will always be a positive and negative way of looking at everything. You can make your focal point stronger by performing a ritual. A ritual is a ceremony that helps focus your attention on what you want. Witch's and Wizard's do this using symbols that help them link to their subconscious mind, unlocking it's power. This is called magic. In the modern world it is enough for you to perform the ritual of visiting the car dealer. Sit in the car of your choice and make the picture in your mind much more vivid. Every time you worry you are helping to reinforce the negative picture in your subconscious mind. You are focused on the glass being half empty. This happens for two reasons, 1. because you have not exercised your faculty of concentration. Practicing concentration can be as simple as staring at an object and keeping your thoughts from wandering. You might find that this is only possible for a matter of seconds before you mind moves from it's focal point. You need to practice. 2. You have not practice looking from the alternative, positive perspective. Practicing your positive perspective is a matter of becoming aware of what your mind is thinking. In other words, as we have discussed, watching your thoughts. You may have thoughts that you don't want. Smoking is an example of this. Your thought would be "I need a cigarette" the most common way to deal with this is to fight the thought. "No I don't want a cigarette." By fighting the thought you are giving it power because you can only fight something by giving it attention. Fighting the thought is similar to worry. You are actually just reinforcing the behavior by giving it attention.You will have more success trying the following; 1. Be aware of the thought that enters your mind. 2. Accept that this is only a thought that has entered your mind. It has as much power as you give it.
3. Realise that you have a choice. You can act on the thought, give it more attention or you can change what you think. In the case of smoking you need to constantly apply the affirmation "I am healthy" Do not use a negative such as "I do not smoke." Without concentration and focus, you are at the mercy of your environment. Whatever happens around you will distract you from what you want. Sometimes we go along with these distraction because it is easier. You need to sharpen your vision of what you want. Common distractions that prevent you from focusing on what you want are your work, television cleaning and social activity. This doesn't mean you should stop these activities. Simply look at how much time you devote to each. Can you sit quietly with your thoughts? Do you make time for this? If the answer is no, you need to examine the distractions in your life. There is no need to run from yourself. It is with internal contemplation that you will improve your life. You have the power. You can do anything you wish to do. All it takes is will. Will is developed by concentration and focus. Distractions are what keep you from realising your potential.
From Sam Horn Updated: February 02, 2005 About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
When TV newscaster Diane Sawyer was asked the secret to her success, she said, "I think the one lesson I've learned is there is no substitute for paying attention." Are you thinking, "I agree, but HOW do we improve our ability to focus and maintain attention - no matter what?" These five FOCUS tips can help you concentrate better -- whether you're working in a busy office, studying at school, sitting in a meeting, or trying to finish a project. F = Five More Rule There are two kinds of people -- those who have learned how to work through frustration, and those who wish they had. From now on, if you're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up -- just do FIVE MORE. Read FIVE MORE pages. Finish FIVE MORE math problems. Work FIVE MORE minutes. Just as athletes build physical stamina by pushing past the point of exhaustion, you can build mental stamina by pushing past the point of frustration. Just as runners get their second wind by not giving up when their body initially protests, you can get your "second mind" by not giving up when your willpower initially protests. Continuing to concentrate when your brain is tired is the key to S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G your attention span and building mental endurance. O = One Think At a Time Samuel Goldwyn said, "If I look confused, it's because I'm thinking." Feeling scatter-brained? Overcome perpetual preoccupation with the Godfather Plan -- make your mind a deal it can't refuse. Yes, the mind takes bribes. Instead of telling it NOT to worry about another, lesser priority (which will cause your mind to think about the very thing it's not supposed to think about!), assign it a single task with start-stop time parameters. For example, "I will think about how to pay off that credit card debt when I get home tonight and have a chance to add up my bills. For now, for the next thirty minutes from 1-1:30 pm, I will
give my complete focus to practicing this presentation so I am eloquent and articulate when pitching this proposal to our VIP clients." Still can't get other concerns out of your head? Write them down on your to-do list so you're free to forget them. Recording worrisome obligations means you don't have to use your brain as a "reminder" bulletin board, which means you can give your undivided attention to your top priority task. C = Conquer Procrastination Don't feel like concentrating? Are you putting off a task or project you're supposed to be working on? That's a form of procrastination. R. D. Clyde said, "It's amazing how long it takes to complete something we're not working on." Next time you're about to postpone a responsibility ask yourself, "Do I have to do this? Do I want it done so it's not on my mind? Will it be any easier later?" Those three questions can give you the incentive to mentally apply yourself because they bring you face to face with the fact this task isn't going away, and delaying will only add to your guilt and make this onerous task occupy more of your mind and time. U = Use Your Hands as Blinkers Picture your mind as a camera and your eyes as its aperture. Most of the time, our eyes are "taking it all in" and our brain is in "wide-angle focus." We can actually think about many things at once and operate quite efficiently this way (e.g., imagine driving down a crowded highway while talking to a friend, fiddling with the radio, keeping an eye on the cars beside you, and watching for your exit sign.) What if you want to switch to telephoto focus? What if you have to prepare for a test and you need 100% concentration? Cup your hands around your eyes so you have "tunnel vision" and are looking solely at your text book. Placing your hands on the side of your face blocks out surroundings so they are literally "out of sight, out of mind." Think about the importance of those words. Want even better news? Does the name Pavlov r-r-r-ring a bell? If you cup your hands around your eyes every time you want to switch from wide-angle to telephoto focus, that physical ritual becomes a Pavlovian trigger. Remember? Pavlov rang the bell, fed the dog, rang the bell and fed the dog, until the dog started salivating as soon as he heard the sound of the bell. Similarly, using your hands as blinkers every time you want to narrow your focus teaches your brain to switch to "one track" mind and concentrate on your command. S = See As If For the First or Last Time Want to know how to be "here and now" and fully present instead of mindlessly rushing here,
there, and everywhere? Frederick Franck said, "When the eye wakes up to see again, it suddenly stops taking anything for granted." Evelyn Underhill said, "For lack of attention, a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day." I constantly relearn this lesson. One time I was giving my sons their nightly back rub. Although I was sitting right next to them, I might as well have been in the next country because I was thinking of the early morning flight I needed to take the next day and wondering if I had packed my hand-outs, if my ticket was in my purse, etc. Suddenly, my unfocused eyes fell upon my sons and I truly SAW Tom and Andrew as if I was looking at them for the first time. I was immediately flooded with a sense of gratitude for these two healthy, thriving boys. I felt so blessed to have been gifted with such wonderful sons. In an instant, I went from being absent-minded to being filled with a sense of awe and appreciation for their presence in my life. Next time your mind is a million miles away, simply look around you and really SEE your surroundings. Study that exquisite flower in the vase. Get up close to the picture on the wall and marvel at the artist's craftmanship. Lean in and really look at a loved one you tend to take for granted. This will "Velveteen Rabbit" your world and make it come alive in your mind's eye. What people have said about concentration
y y y y y y
"I used to think the human brain was the most fascinating part of the body, and then I realized, 'What is telling me that?'" - Emo Phillips "I'm getting so absent-minded and forgetful. Sometimes in the middle of a sentence, I . . . " - Milton Berle "Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind." Leonardo da Vinci "Tell me to what you pay attention, and I will tell you who you are." - Jose Ortega y Gasset I would go without shirt or shoe sooner than lose for a minute the two separate sides of my head." - Rudyard Kipling "It's not that I don't want to listen to people. I very much want to listen to people. I jut can't hear them over my talking." - Paula Poundstone
About Sam Horn Sam Horn is the author of ConZentrate. Sam's four books from St. Martin's Press have received critical acclaim from Investors Business Daily, Publishers' Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Readers Digest, and Washington Post, and have been published in more than twenty countries including China, Japan, France, Canada, Israel, and Germany. Foreign Service Journal said, "If you use the strategies outlined by Horn, it will change your attitude, the attitude of others, and the way
others treat you." Sam has had the opportunity to speak to more than a half million people in more than 35 states since 1981. Her keynotes, training workshops, and conference presentations consistently receive excellent evaluations for being full of fun, real-life ideas participants are motivated to use immediately at work, at home, and in their community. She was the top-rated speaker at both the 1996 and 1998 International Platform Association conventions in Washington DC, and won the 2003-2004 Outstanding Capital Speaker Award. www.SamHorn.com . . . California office: 805-528-4351 . . . Virginia office 703-456-0870
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your thoughts then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed". A course in miracles.
You have about 50 000 thoughts per day. What are you thinking to create the world you live in? Be aware of your thoughts. This will give you the power to create the environment you want. You are in control whether you like it or not. Accept it!
If you have been practicing what you have learnt in this series of articles you will have discovered a world of thoughts. Your very own unique, internal world. You may like or dislike these these thoughts, either way you have complete control. You can control the thoughts that enter your mind by changing the way you view the world. You can decide which thoughts you give energy to and which thoughts you discard. You do not have to follow every line of thought. The thoughts that you follow and give energy to become more dominant than the thoughts you discard. Your subconscious mind records these as your dominant picture on the issue at hand. You move towards your dominant picture because your creative subconscious is tasked with making your outside world fit the picture that you have stored internally. This is a very powerful way of changing your reality, if your mind is on the appropriate subject. Your mind should be on whatever you want. This does not mean that you should spend all day thinking about your goals. What it means is that when it is appropriate to think of a subject the picture you evoke is of a certain kind. The picture you need to have is a positive vision. A picture of you already having achieved your goal.
To realise this vision or make your dominant picture as you want it, you need to focus and concentrate. Remember thoughts are real, tangible sources of energy. Concentration means intense mental application, complete attention. You may find this can be difficult if you have not practiced this before. Lets use a simple example. You want to achieve a goal of buying a new car. You need to imagine yourself already in possession of the car. You need to picture yourself driving it and owning it. Whilst this is going on be aware of the thoughts that occur in your mind. Alongside your positive thoughts in regard to your goal you have other negative thoughts that are not in line with what you want. Do you think that the car will be too expensive? Do you believe you are wasting money? Are you thinking, "how will I afford this"? Are you thinking...we can go on and on. These thoughts that are not aligned with your goal. You are not giving complete attention to what you want. Whilst you are dealing with these other lines of thought your attention is not on your goal. If you are aware of your thoughts you will suddenly realise that you have spent much more energy on counter productive thoughts than on creating a dominant picture of the goal you want. Of the 50 000 thoughts per day how many of them are in line with what you want? You will be familiar with the well known cliché in regard to a glass of water. The water level is at the half way mark. "Is the glass half full or half empty?" Think about it for a minute. What this actually shows you is that there are two distinct and very different ways of thinking. 1. You can look at the glass and conclude that it is half full. 2. You can look at the glass and conclude that it is half empty. How you answer this question depends on two things. 1. Your goal or what you deem as valuable. A full glass or an empty glass. 2. Your attitude, which is the way you lean towards something. Do you think something has been taken away from your goal or you have gained something?
You will probably feel that something in the glass is of value. If this is the case then how will you answer the question; is the glass half full or half empty? The glass being half full is a positive way of looking. The glass being half empty is the negative perspective.The answer to this question will show you, how you focus. Focus means the point to which your concentration is aimed at. In other words to focus and concentrate means you need to apply energy and attention to what you want. What you want must be the point of your focus. This can be applied to all area's of your life. There are two sides to everything this is the concept of duality. Without this concept nothing would exist. Opposites cause contrast. It is this contrast that defines everything that exists. Without light you could not have darkness, without there being an up there is no concept of down. There will always be a positive and negative way of looking at everything. You can make your focal point stronger by performing a ritual. A ritual is a ceremony that helps focus your attention on what you want. Witch's and Wizard's do this using symbols that help them link to their subconscious mind, unlocking it's power. This is called magic. In the modern world it is enough for you to perform the ritual of visiting the car dealer. Sit in the car of your choice and make the picture in your mind much more vivid. Every time you worry you are helping to reinforce the negative picture in your subconscious mind. You are focused on the glass being half empty. This happens for two reasons, 1. because you have not exercised your faculty of concentration. Practicing concentration can be as simple as staring at an object and keeping your thoughts from wandering. You might find that this is only possible for a matter of seconds before you mind moves from it's focal point. You need to practice. 2. You have not practice looking from the alternative, positive perspective. Practicing your positive perspective is a matter of becoming aware of what your mind is thinking. In other words, as we have discussed, watching your thoughts. You may have thoughts that you don't want. Smoking is an example of this. Your thought would be "I need a cigarette" the most common way to deal with this is to fight the thought. "No I don't want a cigarette." By fighting the thought you are giving it power because you can only fight something by giving it attention. Fighting the thought is similar to worry. You are actually just reinforcing the behavior by giving it attention.You will have more success trying the following; 1. Be aware of the thought that enters your mind. 2. Accept that this is only a thought that has entered your mind. It has as much power as you give it.
3. Realise that you have a choice. You can act on the thought, give it more attention or you can change what you think. In the case of smoking you need to constantly apply the affirmation "I am healthy" Do not use a negative such as "I do not smoke." Without concentration and focus, you are at the mercy of your environment. Whatever happens around you will distract you from what you want. Sometimes we go along with these distraction because it is easier. You need to sharpen your vision of what you want. Common distractions that prevent you from focusing on what you want are your work, television cleaning and social activity. This doesn't mean you should stop these activities. Simply look at how much time you devote to each. Can you sit quietly with your thoughts? Do you make time for this? If the answer is no, you need to examine the distractions in your life. There is no need to run from yourself. It is with internal contemplation that you will improve your life. You have the power. You can do anything you wish to do. All it takes is will. Will is developed by concentration and focus. Distractions are what keep you from realising your potential.
