And don't be distracted in time. How to concentrate on studying and not be distracted. Use the right soundtrack

Attention is the concentration of thoughts on something meaningful. Keeping interest in one thing for a long time is not so easy. In order not to be distracted by meaningless things, you need to learn to concentrate your attention. To do this, it needs to be trained like muscles in the gym.

Concentration can be learned by anyone, it just needs to be done constantly. Distractedness and inattention can lead to problems at work, in the family and in relationships.

What is concentration

Concentration of attention is a kind of immersion in a process or situation. For example, when you read an interesting book, you are completely immersed in it, you do not notice the time and what is happening around.

Interest is needed for high-quality concentration of attention. There are situations in life when you don’t want to do something, but you need to. For example, in school or at work. You just need to learn the entire course of lectures for the semester on the night before the exam, complete monthly reports at work right on time. But attention is scattered on a movie on TV, on telephone conversations, and you urgently want to choose a hotel for your vacation or a new blouse in an online store. In order not to be distracted by extraneous things, you need to learn to control your attention.

What makes it difficult to concentrate

If a person has absolutely no interest and motivation for the lesson, then he will postpone the task as much as possible. And also laziness and idleness can interfere with concentration. The longer a person puts off the task for later, the more difficult it is for him to even begin to complete the task. You need to learn to motivate yourself and control yourself. Self-control will help to do everything on time, not to postpone urgent tasks until the last moment.

At work, distractions can be colleagues, social networks, pop-up ads on all sites. At home, the husband, children, chores around the house often distract. Laundry, cleaning, ironing, cooking - all this greatly interferes with focusing on one thing.

You need to learn to abstract from external factors and immerse yourself in the task that you are doing. Silence helps a lot, but in the modern world it is extremely difficult to find a quiet place where no one would touch you. It is better to learn to work in the conditions that are given, to adapt to the environment.

Take small breaks. To make the brain more active and work better, you need to give it a little rest between tasks or even in the process of performing one task. A short shift of attention will help to fill up with energy. For example, if you don’t see a way to solve a problem, you don’t have the strength to study a boring subject anymore, the numbers in the reports don’t agree, no matter how many times you count, then it’s better to take a short break and let your brain rest. But only a few minutes, so as not to switch attention completely from an urgent task.
Performing several tasks at the same time does not bring the desired result. Unfortunately, few of us are a descendant of Julius Caesar, who supposedly could do several things at the same time. Multitasking is now very popular, but it does not lead to a quality performance of each task. The more different information enters the brain, the more facts are lost from memory and attention. To do a good job, it is better to do one task. You also need to plan your day. A clear schedule will help keep attention on each task for a certain time.
Sometimes idleness is useful. To work quickly and efficiently, you need to allow yourself to rest. Everyone relaxes differently. It can be a hot bath after a hard day at work, reading a book, watching a movie, relaxing in nature on a day off, meeting friends, meditating. In order for attention to work efficiently and for a long time, the brain definitely needs to reboot.
Also it is important to take care of your health. It is extremely difficult to concentrate on work if you feel unwell or tired. Poor health can be psychosomatic. The body through illness can say that the body needs rest. It is very important to listen to your own feelings and not overwork. Feeling good is the first step to developing attention. If something is disturbing in the body, then the brain will automatically switch attention to the disease, and not to urgent work.
Abstract and get rid of external stimuli. If it is difficult to concentrate on the task, then you need to rid yourself of distractions as much as possible. Close your social media tabs, turn off the sound on your phone, ask co-workers not to touch you for a while, ask your husband to help with household chores. If you eliminate distracting details yourself in advance, you can complete the task faster and better.

Exercises for the development of attention

Take a close look at your office or room at home. Choose one subject and turn your full attention to it. Within a couple of minutes you need to consider it. For example, a flower in a pot. Without touching it, you need to try to understand what kind of surface the pot has (smooth, ribbed, rough), what color and shape the leaves of the flower are, how the shadow falls. By doing this simple exercise every day, you can learn to gradually focus on more important things.
You can use the children's game "Find the Differences". Find special pictures with multiple differences. The more of them, the better. Compare two images and find different details that are different. This exercise is great for developing attention to detail.
A fairy tale can also be an excellent exercise for developing concentration. You can do the exercise with the children or just mentally compose a fairy tale with the participation of surrounding objects. It's quite fun and helps to keep attention longer.

Elena, you are not alone, most people have a problem with concentration, and now I will talk about 12 ways to focus.

How our brain works

Our brain cannot work in parallel, so the main problem when you can’t concentrate is other thoughts that wander in your head. It is because of these distracting thoughts that it is so difficult to get down to business.

Let's delve into the theory, the brain consists of neurons that form various connections with each other. Neurons are constantly changing connections with each other as we think. Starting a new task, new connections of neurons are created in the head. The more unfamiliar the case, the more difficult the process of creating new connections.

Making new connections is much more difficult and costly than using existing ones. Therefore, at the very beginning of work, the brain has to create new connections of neurons. But after a few minutes, most of the necessary connections of neurons are created and it is easier to concentrate in the middle of work or study than at the beginning. Remember when it is easier to concentrate - at the beginning or after 10-20 minutes. work, study?

Thus, Every business has 3 steps:

-inclusion in work (0–15 min.), productivity increases. The most difficult and time-consuming stage, because the brain needs to create new neuron connections. Lasts for the first few minutes.

-productive mode (from 20 minutes to several hours). Neuronal connections are mostly built, so this stage is the simplest.

- fatigue, decreased productivity. Our brain, like muscles, gets tired, so when you feel that you are starting to think slowly, work inefficiently, it's time to take a break or do something different that would involve other neural connections.

Let's depict the stages on the chart: On the x-axis - time, on the y - focus on work or study. When we start a new business, concentration grows, namely at the beginning (the first 10–15 minutes). Then concentration levels off and begins to fall.

The most important

At the moment when you get involved in work and are at the peak of concentration - do not interrupt, otherwise the graph will be something like this.

You just focused, you are distracted, you have to concentrate again on the matter, you are distracted again and you will not be able to concentrate well on work.

To keep an efficient state, ideally, accumulate all incoming tasks, for example, if you get a call - say that you are busy now, but call back after a while. In general, accumulate things until you start to get tired, and then immediately do all the accumulated tasks. such.

At first, concentration grows, then it is at its maximum, because you do not answer calls, you are not distracted by trifles. When there is a fall due to fatigue, it's time to do all the accumulated things in a crowd. Then you also start the planned business and again accumulate new tasks...

And now consider 12 ways to focus on work.

1. Don't get distracted

Imagine you started working on a project, and then the phone rings, they ask you to answer by e-mail, etc. We are constantly knocked down, because of this, the duration of the productive mode decreases dramatically, you have to spend more time to get involved in work, and this is very unproductive. It's like driving a car, constantly stopping and accelerating. There will be high fuel consumption and low average speed. Also at work, if you are distracted every 10 minutes, then you will not be able to achieve maximum productivity and the results will be appropriate. As a result, we get tired and do much less than we can.

How to be? Say no to multitasking

When you start work: Ask colleagues or loved ones not to distract you, explain that you will be free after a while, for example, in an hour and you can discuss the situation, but now you are busy. Turn off your phone, don't check your email, avoid chatter, don't surf the internet, don't get distracted. In general, try not to do anything other than your project to be as efficient as possible, as long as you feel like your productivity isn't dropping. When you feel tired and productivity drops, it's time to switch - answer missed calls, check mail, chat with colleagues, make necessary calls and you can start a new circle.

The less distractions you have, the easier it is to focus on the task..

2. Remove everything from the table

Extra things on the table are always bad because they distract the brain from what is important. Any extra item is an extra thought. And if the whole table is littered with something? Extra items create an information house in the head and it is harder for us to get involved in the work, because our brain can only think about one thing. We have a single-core processor in our head. As soon as you pay attention to some thing on the table, as soon as the thought process is interrupted and you start thinking about this thing. Make the table completely empty and you will feel how much easier it will be for you to concentrate.

3. Timer operation

Agree that until the time runs out you will work without being distracted. You can set a timer or an alarm clock, it's not so important. Working on a timer strengthens self-discipline. The time of high productivity for each task, repeated from day to day, remains almost the same. If you do the same thing every day, the time to peak efficiency will be about the same and you can already know approximately how long it will take to get tired. Fix this time on the timer, it will be very convenient.

We often get carried away and become less receptive to our feelings, so a timer or an alarm clock will help you realize in time that productivity is falling and now you should change your field of activity in order to continue later with high efficiency. For example, I know that the time of maximum productivity in writing articles ends in about 30 minutes. So I set a stopwatch for 30 minutes. and after this time I interrupt myself and start doing something else in order to maintain maximum efficiency.

You can focus on the sensations and not use the timer, but then it will be more difficult for us to understand how tired we are. It is very easy to confuse reluctance to do anything and fatigue. Sometimes you can work 10 minutes. and feel as if all 30 minutes have passed. and it's time to rest, but in fact it's not tired, but just unwillingness to work. You can’t fool the timer, if you see that you worked for 10 minutes, then you understand that during this time you could not get tired and you can overpower yourself. Conversely, when you know that you have worked productively for 1 hour, it is better to take a break or switch to another task than to squeeze the last juice out of yourself. Therefore, turning on the timer is so important, it is like a fuel indicator in a car.

How long to set on the timer?

As much as you can work effectively without distractions. The time depends on the type of task and your abilities. If the timer rang, and there are forces, then evaluate how much you still have enough of them and set a new timer. If you feel good when you get tired, you can use a regular stopwatch. There are a huge number of timer programs on the Internet for installation on a phone, tablet or computer.

4. Get up early

Everyone knows that morning is the most productive time for work. And now in more detail why it is easier to concentrate in the morning:

A. You have a lot of strength, because the brain rests and recovers in a dream.
B. Before the start of the working day, i.e. before 8–9 am minimum calls, requests and other distractions.
B. Sleep well inhibits all obsessive thoughts., which are very distracting at work.

If you have difficulty concentrating, then try to go to bed and wake up early, for example, at 5 am and during this period proceed to the most difficult task, because it is easiest to concentrate at this time.

5. Work first, fun later

Don't start your work day by watching the news on social media. networks, useless communication, etc. It's like eating sweets, after which the main dish is no longer wanted, because it begins to seem less attractive.

When you sit down at your desk, work until you get tired, and then you can already relax by changing the field of activity, communicating with colleagues, watching interesting news, etc. But remember that there is time for business, and there is an hour for fun, otherwise it will be difficult to concentrate.

6. Warm up with a plan

Many people know that before the main workout, athletes warm up by making light movements. Warm-up exercises improve blood circulation and tone muscles. After warming up, the athlete has more strength than without it, and it is easier for him to start the main part of the workout. Warming up is a preparatory stage, an intermediate state that provides a smoother transition between rest and exercise.

The situation is approximately the same with the brain, as mentioned above, when we are just starting a new business, then at the initial stage, our brain needs to rebuild the connections of neurons to this task, and this process is laborious. Therefore, it is difficult to concentrate at first. But if you warm up, i.e., start rebuilding connections not of all neurons, but of some part, then it will be much easier to concentrate.

How can we warm up our brain? Very simple: draw up an action plan, write in detail on a piece of paper what you will do in the next few minutes, hours. If there is one thing, then break it into several stages and write these stages on a piece of paper. Write at least 5-10 points on a regular piece of paper and you will feel how much easier it will be for you to get started.

There is another addition - you can warm up by imagining the workflow in your mind. Think about how you will work for a couple of minutes and it will be much easier to concentrate.

Whenever you find it difficult to concentrate - use the warm-up technique, drawing up a detailed plan of action on a piece of paper or a few minutes imagining the process in your mind.

7. Turn on the logic

Everyone knows that we have 2 hemispheres of the brain: left and right. So the left hemisphere is responsible for logic, movements of the right side of the body and purposefulness. Right for imagination, feelings, passivity and movements of the left side of the body. To focus faster, you need to turn on the left hemisphere, which is responsible for purposefulness.

You can activate this hemisphere with the help of logical tasks, solving crossword puzzles, playing checkers, etc. The left hemisphere is also turned on by moving the opposite side of the body - you can pee with your right hand, move your right foot. That is why many turn the pen in their hand, this is how the logic is activated.

If it will be difficult to concentrate - twist the handle in your right hand, shake your right foot (this can be done quietly under the table) or solve a logical problem. This will activate the left hemisphere, which is responsible for purposefulness, and it will be easier for you to get started.

8. Remove moving objects

At the heart of the instinct of self-preservation is the concentration of attention on all moving objects. It is moving objects at the level of our subconscious that can pose the greatest danger. For example, we will not pay attention to the wall of the house, but we will carefully observe the car moving in our direction. That is why, when something happens behind us, we turn around, this is how the unconditioned reflex works to make sure we are safe.

Do this to reduce the number of moving objects near you:

- At work. If you have your own office, close the door so that you are less distracted by everyone who walks in the hallway. Hang a sign on the office door do not disturb until a certain time (for example, until 15-00)

- Houses. Ask loved ones not to enter your room, you can also hang a do not disturb sign. If you have active pets that like to run and jump, then remove them from the room for a while. An aquarium, a cage with birds are not so distracting because all movements are limited in a narrow space.

- When you can not remove the source of motion. It happens that the workplace is in a passageway and you cannot do anything about it. Then shift your area of attention, that is, think about how to turn your table around so that there is a stationary object in front of you. For example, if there is a passageway in front of your desktop, turn the table at least 90 degrees, in general, make sure that there are as few moving objects in your field of view as possible.

9. Control your arousal

Excitation is characterized by adrenaline. The higher it is, the more adrenaline in the blood. Conversely, the weaker the excitement, the lower the level of adrenaline. It happens that you are very excited and obsessive thoughts do not allow you to concentrate on business. And sometimes, on the contrary, you have a sleepy state and it’s hard for you to start doing anything at all.

So, in order to focus on work, you need to maintain an average level of adrenaline, because with a big thought they try, but with a small one you don’t want to do anything.

For clarity, let's draw a graph. The y-axis will be the degree of concentration, and the x-axis will be the level of adrenaline. The graph will be an inverted parabola. Zone from x1 to x2 - corresponds to maximum concentration. Our task is to prevent overexcitation and too much relaxation.

Now to practice, first you need to determine the current level of adrenaline. Let's take the scale as a basis: where 0 is the state of relaxation, and 10 is the most excited. Now let's calibrate our scale. Remember the most relaxed state, for example, you are lying on the beach, you feel good and do not want to do anything. Remember this state, it will correspond to 0. Now let's take another border, when some kind of incident happened, for example, you jumped from a parachute for the first time in your life or something like that. Remember your feeling, it will correspond to 10.

If you have physical work, then higher, about 6. The area of \u200b\u200bmaximum concentration will shift to the right.

For other tasks, you can get an idea of how much adrenaline is needed by remembering your state when you were easiest to focus.

To reduce arousal

- Listen to calm music, classical or nature sounds;

Take a walk in nature;

Remember the moments of life when you felt good, calm, you rested;

Imagine an image of calm water, nature, calm animals;

Reduce muscle tone, i.e. take a position in which fewer muscles are involved. If you are standing, then sit down. If you were sitting, then sit with your elbows on your back, you can lie down. The more body area in contact with the surface, the less muscle is involved and the lower your muscle tone, and with it the level of arousal. Therefore, it is easier for us to relax and fall asleep lying down, rather than standing or sitting.

Do things slowly. Our physical state is strongly connected with the mental state, since a single nervous system is responsible for both of them. When we consciously begin to slow down all our actions and breathing, then the excitement falls.

To increase arousal

Listen to energetic music;

Remember the most vivid impressions, from which the heart literally jumped out of the chest;

Imagine overcoming dangers (just imagine, there is no need to repeat), for example, walking on burning coals, climbing Mount Everest, etc.

Imagine how you compete with someone in a sport or other business;

Dance or do a warm-up;

- Increase muscle tone. If you worked, leaning on the back, straighten up and do not lean on. If you work sitting, work standing. The smaller the area of contact of the body with the surface, the more muscles are involved. And the work of the muscles increases the level of adrenaline and excitement. Working standing is much easier to concentrate than sitting, unless, of course, there are health contraindications.

Get things done faster. The nervous system controls both the physical and mental state. Therefore, if we move faster and do daily activities, we activate the nervous system, as a result, arousal will increase.

By controlling the level of adrenaline, it will be much easier for you to focus and get to work faster.

10. Remove unwanted sounds

Just like moving objects, unexpected and unpleasant sounds distract us greatly. Sounds, as well as moving objects, are a clear indicator of possible danger. Therefore, whether we like it or not, the sounds will distract us and prevent us from concentrating.

If you work in a team, you can wear earplugs (earplugs) or headphones (you can even without music). Another way to remove unwanted sounds is to listen to your music on headphones, but one that doesn’t excite you too much and doesn’t slow you down too much.

11. Stand up

In many offices, to increase efficiency, they work at the computer while standing. Everything is explained simply: The larger the area of contact of the body with the surface, the less muscles are in good shape, and we relax more. Conversely, the less the body is in contact with the surface, the more muscles are involved and it is easier to focus. An example - we are lying on the bed, almost half of the body is in contact with the bed, the muscles do not work and it is extremely difficult to concentrate. If you sit down, then the contact area decreases and more muscles turn on, it becomes easier to concentrate. And if you stand up, then even more muscles work, the overall tone and mental abilities increase. Restriction in standing work is a state of health.

You can start work standing to make it easier to concentrate, and when you turn on, continue sitting. To make it easier to concentrate while working while sitting - try not to lean on the back, so it will be easier to get involved, especially in the first minutes.

12. Don't eat sweets (not just at night;)

Confectionery: buns, pastries, cookies, sugar, sweets and the like are called fast carbohydrates because they break down quickly in the stomach, unlike complex carbohydrates such as cereals. Confectionery is like paper, which burns quickly on a fire and gives a lot of heat, and cereals are like logs, which burn slowly and give heat for a long time. From confectionery appears fatigue, lack of energy. From fatigue, the tone decreases, the desire to do something and concentration drops to extremely low values.

That's why after confectionery weakness

1. Due to rapid splitting the body uses a lot of energy in order to use these carbohydrates and send the excess to the warehouse, i.e., to fat.

2. Soon, fast carbohydrates were broken down and there was no energy left for the body have to use internal reserves(until fat) supply from the liver to meet energy needs.

If you eat healthy food, such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, then there will be no stages of energy exchange described above, since food will immediately turn into energy. There will be no unnecessary loss of energy, you will have more strength. And if there are more forces, then it will be easier to concentrate.

Do not eat confectionery and you will find that it will be easier to concentrate.

P.S. If you have any difficulties or questions about the article you read, as well as on the topics: Psychology (bad habits, experiences, etc.), sales, business, time management, etc., ask me, I will try to help. Skype consultation is also possible.

P.P.S. You can also take an online training "How to get 1 hour extra time". Write comments, your additions;)

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In today's high-tech world with a high pace of life, it is increasingly difficult to focus on one thing and not be distracted. Thoughts, actions and appliances that are an important part of daily life can become a hindrance when trying to concentrate. If it is necessary not to be distracted from the task, then you should create an atmosphere in which your attention will not be scattered around. This may involve turning off your phone and many other electronic devices, scheduling work hours, and following your own schedule.

Steps

How to create the right environment

Turn off your phone and other devices. If you have work to do, cleaning, writing an essay, or doing something important, then put on silent mode or turn off your phone and other devices (TV, set-top box, etc.) that may be distracting you. Modern technology can rightfully be called the main distraction of our society, as the presence of constantly ringing, noisy and flickering devices really interferes with our concentration.

Pause the music. If you need to get down to business seriously, then work in silence and do not occupy your thoughts with anything else. Our consciousness is naturally fixated on melodies, rhythms and words. Music can inspire and speed up the passage of time, but due to the subconscious perception of the song, we limit our ability to focus, even if we ourselves do not realize it.

Listen to music after completing a project or while doing simple mechanical tasks.

Choose the best place to work. If you work from home or are creative, then choose a place where you feel comfortable spending a lot of time. It could be a corner table, a sunny room with good lighting, or your favorite coffee shop. It is important to create an atmosphere in which it is easier for you to do business.
- Beware of conditions that might dull your attention otherwise. People often associate spaces with a familiar use case, so it's not surprising to fall asleep while working in a quiet bedroom.
Make sure no one will distract you. Try to shield yourself from people when you need to complete an important project that requires concentration. Settle in a place where you will not be disturbed by other people. For example, if you work in an office, closed doors will tell employees not to disturb you. Sometimes this is not possible if you have to share a room with other employees, clients or children, but at least try to cut off all non-urgent interactions.
- Organize your duties in the most efficient and logical sequence so you don't get distracted from the task at hand.
- Try wearing headphones, even when there's nothing playing, to look busy and not in the mood for fleeting conversations.
How to Ignore Distractions
1. Notice when you are distracted. If you reach for your phone to read new messages or open a browser page that is not related to work, then stop such impulses in the bud. To deal with common distractions, you need to learn to notice them. Practice deliberately resisting distractions and silently repeat phrases like “focus” or “this is not the time for this” when your attention begins to wander. Follow the course of your thoughts so as not to be distracted from reality.
  
  Don't hesitate. Teach yourself to get started on time. Procrastination is a major distraction. We are able to convince ourselves that it is better to complete a task when we are better prepared for it. It's important to understand this: you can't do anything unless you start right now, so don't put it off until later.
  - Procrastination is an infantile way of thinking, our attempt to avoid responsibility for the sake of momentary pleasure.
  - Research shows that people who get started right away are more successful than those who keep putting it off.
2. Use intentional concentration. Sometimes you need to actively remind yourself of the need to focus. Often people do not know how to maintain concentration and think only about the upcoming business. Cut off all mental distractions that can divert attention to other tasks. It is not enough just to be aware of the need to concentrate; make an effort to think only about the current task.
  - You can remind yourself that the best way to get things done is to focus your efforts right now. Start seeing the process of completing a specific task from start to finish, then move on to the next task until you've completed everything for the day.
3. Move away from the source of distractions. Try to move away from the source of distractions that impair your mental abilities. Pack up all the things you need to work and move to a public library or a quiet cafe where you can continue to do business. Isolate yourself to literally get away from aspects that you can't ignore. If there is not enough strength to resist temptation, then sometimes you can escape.
How to improve work efficiency
1. Do the most important tasks first. It is important to have a clear idea of what needs to be done in order to start with the most difficult tasks. This approach allows you to cope with at least the most important cases. Competently prioritize to finish minor things with minimal effort and time. The anxiety caused by the mountain of unfinished business will soon go away.
  
  Determine the minimum list of tasks for the day. Set yourself one or two goals for each day, and do not look with fear at all the work ahead. Goals should be small and achievable. Sometimes it's hard to force yourself to go outside and start building a fence around your yard if you only think about how much time, effort and money it will take. If you decide that today you need to dig holes for supports, and tomorrow you need to install them, and so on, then the task ahead will not seem so daunting.
  
  Use breaks wisely. Take frequent short breaks to take care of your physical needs and get motivated. It is recommended to rest 12-15 minutes after each hour of work. During this time, you can go to the restroom, drink a glass of water, have a snack or rest your eyes. Resist the temptation to reply to messages or turn on the TV. The more your thoughts go to the side, the more difficult it will be for you to return to the current task.
2. Watch your nutrition. Maintain the right blood sugar levels to stay alert, increase self-organization, attention to detail and get energy for the current affairs. Remember to have breakfast in the morning and fortify yourself every few hours with nutritious foods and a variety of snacks.
3. Learn to change priorities if you have a lot of things to do.
4. Reward yourself for projects completed and goals achieved.
5. Do not forget that the tendency to get distracted to the sides depends on your level of mental concentration.
- Distractions are always present. Learn to ignore them, otherwise you will never be up to the task ahead.
- It is not always possible to turn off electronic devices. If you need to always answer calls, use a tablet or computer, you should work on personal discipline to use devices for their intended purpose.

PHOTOS Getty Images

The thinking of modern man has long been called "clip". American psychiatrist Edward Hallowell in 1994 introduced the concept of "situational attention deficit" (SADV). Here are some of its symptoms:

inability to focus on one thing,
frequent switching from one thing to another,
fear of missing something important, sometimes reaching panic,
a growing tendency to avoid all thinking and impulsive decision-making,
feeling of wasted time at the end of the working day.

From the well-known attention deficit disorder (ADD), ADHD differs in that it is not genetically determined, but is acquired by us under improper working conditions and is completely eliminated on vacation or on weekends. What do you need to change in your life to become more focused and do more at work? In his new book "Don't distract me" Edward Hallowell gives some practical advice.

Unload your brain

In order to learn how to concentrate on current problems, you first need to unload the brain from many other tasks that we keep in our heads all at the same time. Among them, there can be both global tasks like “compile an annual report” and small ones, for example, “buy coffee beans for a coffee machine”, “make an appointment with a doctor”, “find a good tutor for a child”. So, first of all, write down all your tasks on a piece of paper and clearly describe what and when you will do. You must completely free up the "working memory" of your brain in order to concentrate on the immediate goal.

Create a Structure

Imagine what would happen to our body if we didn't have a skeleton? It would have turned into a shapeless piece of flesh. It is the same with our thoughts and goals: if they do not have a precise structure, it becomes unbearable for us. That is why it is necessary to start a diary and plan everything. When we schedule our tasks and set priorities, we get the feeling that we can control our lives. Do you know what is the easiest way to create a structure? Do the cleaning. You are guaranteed to be easier to focus on your tasks if there is cleanliness and order around you.

Learn to say "no"

For those who do not know how or are afraid to refuse people, it is important to understand that with your resolute “no” you are actually doing a good deed to the petitioner. After all, if we help a person only because of the inability to refuse, then this help is unlikely to be 100% of high quality. If a colleague wants to put another extracurricular work on you, just tell him: “I will think about it” or: “I would gladly fulfill your request if I had time, but, unfortunately, the situation is such that I cannot do it. work is of high quality and quickly.

Get rid of electronic slavery

Set aside some time in your daily routine that you will be away from electronic devices and let co-workers know when you will be unavailable. Call more often than write to people you promised to contact: live communication gives more emotions. Make a list of not-so-big things that you can't get your hands on. For example, call an old friend, open a book that you bought 7 months ago, or get to the top shelf of the cabinet and sort it out. Check this list (not your phone) whenever you have a spare minute.

Focus on the here and now

Turn off all appliances and gadgets for the time you need to focus and think.
Trust yourself. We are best at something when we do it the way we see fit. If you don't know what you want, just listen to your intuition and your subconscious will most likely lead you in the right direction.
Take a break. If you feel like your thoughts are starting to get confused, stop and give yourself a break. Get up, walk around, drink a glass of water, stretch. For rest, sometimes 60 seconds can be enough.
Take on something difficult. People concentrate as much as possible, accepting a challenge when the matter is familiar, but it forces them to exert all their strength. Quite often, the impossible suddenly turns out to be quite real.
Ask for help. Don't take this as a sign of weakness. On the contrary, such a decision says that you still have enough strength not to get confused and try to find the right path.
Take care of your time. One of the truest rules of modern life says: if you do not manage your time properly, it will be taken from you. Guard your time jealously. Do not give it to anyone, and do not let anyone dispose of it unless it is very necessary.

Close your eyes. If you feel like you've lost focus, lean back in your chair and close your eyes. This simple action, surprisingly, allows you to restore clarity of vision.
Draw a picture. Visual images free thinking. Draw a diagram, make a table, cover the page with whimsical zigzags, write down some short phrases on it or draw arrows. It is best to use colored pencils or felt-tip pens for this. It is possible that soon you will imagine exactly what you were looking for in a state of heightened concentration.
Talk to yourself. If you suddenly missed the thread of thought and were confused, try to talk aloud about the subject you are working on. Loud speech involves in thinking new areas of the brain that are not involved in reasoning “to oneself”. Your voice will dispel the fog.
Do what helps you. Do not think about the strategies that are commonly used. Some people work well with music or in a noisy environment. Some focus better when walking and even running. Some think better early in the morning, others late at night. Some people prefer to meditate in the cold, while others - in the Finnish sauna. Someone thinks well on an empty stomach, someone - while eating. There are no right ways - there are ways that are best for you.

For more tips on how to stay mindful, focused, and achieve more, read the book. "Don't distract me!".

Edward M. Hallowell is a psychiatrist, world-renowned expert on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), author of several New York Times bestsellers. Graduate of Harvard College and Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans. Founder of The Hallowell Center for Mental and Emotional Health. He worked at Harvard Medical School from 1983 to 2004 and lectures around the world on attention deficit disorder and the modern pace of life. Since the release of his book Don't Distract Me! ("Driven to Distraction") sold over a million copies in 1994.

Even if you are very good at self-control, it can be very difficult for you to focus on work. Especially if you really don't want to. Unfortunately, even the smallest distraction can completely derail productivity. Here are ten tips to help you get started, especially when it's vital.

1. Plan your day

Each of us has certain hours when everything is given to us a little easier. Schedule the most important tasks so that they fall just at this time. I've also found that scheduling the day helps me get everything done and never forget anything. Whether it's a meeting reminder, deadline, or lunch.

2. Go full screen

We are not as versatile as we would like. And since it so happened that you have to work tirelessly, remove all possible distractions. Remove all unnecessary icons from the desktop and open in full screen, for example, a text document in which you are working. After all, the less superfluous you have in front of your eyes, the less likely it is that you will be distracted by something unnecessary.

3. Block or hide all distracting websites and apps

Parental controls are useful not only for naughty children. It will also come in handy for us, perpetually distracted adults. Is it difficult to be offline on Facebook while working? Remove links from your browser. Or even uninstall the app from your phone. You can also create a separate browser profile to work with. Or, if you need more drastic measures, you can use extensions like (Firefox) or (Chrome) to block distracting websites.

4. Turn off notifications on your smartphone

There are applications that cannot be uninstalled. For example, Gmail or corporate chat. For such applications, it is worth choosing a mode in the settings when all notifications are completely turned off. Try turning off email notifications. You don't have to check your mail when a new email arrives. At the very least, set a silent ringtone for these apps.

5. Track how you spend your time

Distraction can come in many forms. It's not always a waste of time on Facebook, playing games on your phone, or pictures of kittens, but the gist is always the same. Some tasks are less important than others. And if you spend more time on them than you should, they should be treated as distractions too. If you can't figure out where all your time is being spent, use time counters. Such as. It will show which sites you have visited, which applications you have used and how much time you have lost on each of them.

6. Keep distracting colleagues at a distance

Of course, many stimuli arise in the real world. If you work in an office, you are probably aware of how distracting colleagues can be. Just chatting, a lot of questions that can actually wait, and more. can show that you are working hard right now. And if that doesn't help, you can say directly that you're busy. Or load them up so they don't have the idea of distracting you next time.

7. Save distractions for later

If you can't stop thinking about the things that distract you, then just put them aside for later. Keep "lazy" on a computer or phone. And write down things that distract you in this note. Then you can remember them and come back to them later.

8. Break down your tasks

It's very easy to get distracted or even avoid getting started when the task seems incredibly daunting. If you need to motivate yourself to work on a large project, then break the task into several smaller subtasks. It's much easier to force yourself to do a small, specific task. It's easier than jumping headfirst into one huge task. " " is great for this purpose if you have a handy timer.

9. Train your brain to focus

You can put in a huge amount of effort to get rid of distractions. But your brain can still be your worst enemy. So if your brain jumps from thought to thought while you work, you need to learn how to control it. The following advice may seem silly. But try it, it might help. Put on an elastic band around your wrist. Every time a distracting thought comes up, hit yourself with this rubber band. Let the brain develop a habit that you can not be distracted.

10. Don't overdo it: Distraction is a necessary part of being productive.

Distraction at the wrong time can be detrimental to the performance of a task. But that doesn't mean we have to be focused 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Distractions are vital to a healthy lifestyle. It also stimulates creative thinking. Research has shown that browsing the web at work can help you be more productive at work. But only if you did it at the right time.

So instead of allowing your brain to wander off while doing an important task, set a time in your daily plan for your brain to rest. This will give you not only the opportunity to relax, but also increase productivity. After all, your brain will rush to complete the task in order to get a rest as soon as possible.

Steps

How to create the right environment

Listen to music after completing a project or while doing simple mechanical tasks.

Choose the best place to work. If you work from home or are creative, then choose a place where you feel comfortable spending a lot of time. It could be a corner table, a sunny room with good lighting, or your favorite coffee shop. It is important to create an atmosphere in which it is easier for you to do business.

Beware of conditions that might dull your attention otherwise. People often associate spaces with a familiar use case, so it's not surprising to fall asleep while working in a quiet bedroom.

Make sure no one will distract you. Try to shield yourself from people when you need to complete an important project that requires concentration. Settle in a place where you will not be disturbed by other people. For example, if you work in an office, closed doors will tell employees not to disturb you. Sometimes this is not possible if you have to share a room with other employees, clients or children, but at least try to cut off all non-urgent interactions.

Organize your duties in the most efficient and logical sequence so you don't get distracted from the task at hand.
Try wearing headphones, even when there's nothing playing, to look busy and not in the mood for fleeting conversations.

How to Ignore Distractions

Notice when you are distracted. If you reach for your phone to read new messages or open a browser page that is not related to work, then stop such impulses in the bud. To deal with common distractions, you need to learn to notice them. Practice deliberately resisting distractions and silently repeat phrases like “focus” or “this is not the time for this” when your attention begins to wander. Follow the course of your thoughts so as not to be distracted from reality.

Don't hesitate. Teach yourself to get started on time. Procrastination is a major distraction. We are able to convince ourselves that it is better to complete a task when we are better prepared for it. It's important to understand this: you can't do anything unless you start right now, so don't put it off until later.
- Procrastination is an infantile way of thinking, our attempt to avoid responsibility for the sake of momentary pleasure.
- Research shows that people who get started right away are more successful than those who keep putting it off.
Use intentional concentration. Sometimes you need to actively remind yourself of the need to focus. Often people do not know how to maintain concentration and think only about the upcoming business. Cut off all mental distractions that can divert attention to other tasks. It is not enough just to be aware of the need to concentrate; make an effort to think only about the current task.
- You can remind yourself that the best way to get things done is to focus your efforts right now. Start seeing the process of completing a specific task from start to finish, then move on to the next task until you've completed everything for the day.
Move away from the source of distractions. Try to move away from the source of distractions that impair your mental abilities. Pack up all the things you need to work and move to a public library or a quiet cafe where you can continue to do business. Isolate yourself to literally get away from aspects that you can't ignore. If there is not enough strength to resist temptation, then sometimes you can escape.

How to improve work efficiency

Set aside specific time to work. Determine when you are productive and start planning things for those times. If you are an early riser, then do things in the morning until you lose motivation. Owls can be divided between their usual work hours and free time at night when the rest are already asleep. In fact, most of us are only able to focus for a few hours a day, so make the most of that time.

Make it a habit to work at the same time every day.
If you have a non-standard or floating schedule, then let others know that you are busy.

Do the most important tasks first. It is important to have a clear idea of what needs to be done in order to start with the most difficult tasks. This approach allows you to cope with at least the most important cases. Competently prioritize to finish minor things with minimal effort and time. The anxiety caused by the mountain of unfinished business will soon go away.

Determine the minimum list of tasks for the day. Set yourself one or two goals for each day, and do not look with fear at all the work ahead. Goals should be small and achievable. Sometimes it's hard to force yourself to go outside and start building a fence around your yard if you only think about how much time, effort and money it will take. If you decide that today you need to dig holes for supports, and tomorrow you need to install them, and so on, then the task ahead will not seem so daunting.

Use a diary or notepad to plan your daily tasks and notice when you're most productive.
Set your own deadlines. For example, say to yourself, "I have to finish this project by the end of the week." Many people find it easier to force themselves to act when there is a specific deadline.
Watch your nutrition. Maintain the right blood sugar levels to stay alert, increase self-organization, attention to detail and get energy for the current affairs. Remember to have breakfast in the morning and fortify yourself every few hours with nutritious foods and a variety of snacks.
Learn to change priorities if you have a lot of things to do.
Reward yourself for projects completed and goals achieved.
Do not forget that the tendency to get distracted to the sides depends on your level of mental concentration.

Warnings

Distractions are always present. Learn to ignore them, otherwise you will never be up to the task ahead.
It is not always possible to turn off electronic devices. If you need to always answer calls, use a tablet or computer, you should work on personal discipline to use devices for their intended purpose.

The meaning of meditation is not to cling to thoughts and not to immerse yourself in their endless stream. Yes, thoughts come up during meditation, but just let them come and go, don't react to them emotionally or think about them.

Do you want to let go of thoughts freely and quickly? There are a few tips to help keep your mind from getting distracted while meditating.

Watch your breath

So that the brain is not immersed in the stream of thoughts, give it another task - let it count your inhalations and exhalations. The first breath, the second ... and so on up to 20 times. Once you get to 20, start again at 1. If you lose count and find yourself lost in thought again, it's okay, start again at 1.

Focus on one symbol

Another great option to keep the mind from wandering during meditation is to represent symbols, images, or objects. You can concentrate on the OM symbol, or imagine your favorite animal (a tiger, for example), or mentally draw a triangle or a square.

Use a meditation recording

There are no right or wrong methods for meditation. Choose the one that is closest to you! It may be easier for you to meditate using the voice from the recording. There are a huge number of videos and audio recordings of meditation on the Internet, choose any one you like and relax.

Visualize your thoughts

When, during meditation, thoughts come to you - do not resist them, but rather welcome them, let them be. You can imagine that your mind is like a blue sky and thoughts are clouds in it. You allow these thought-clouds to come and go freely, they do not affect you in any way, you are not dependent on them or attached to them.

Write down your thoughts

If you are going to meditate, and there are a lot of thoughts in your head that haunt you, write them all on a piece of paper. Write everything that comes to your mind, everything that disturbs, upsets and excites. Keep writing until you feel relieved. Then take a few calm breaths in and out, completely calm down and relax before meditation. Realize that your mind has become much clearer.

Regular practice

The more often you practice meditation, the easier it will be for you to stop the flow of thoughts. Try to meditate every day in the same place, at the same time - this will make it easier for you to immerse yourself in a meditative state.

Start with short periods of meditation and gradually lengthen it, remembering to treat yourself with kindness and patience. It is important to understand and remind yourself that meditation will be different each time, sometimes it will be easy to concentrate, and sometimes it will be difficult. In a 15-minute meditation, just a few minutes can be calm and clear, the rest of the time, thoughts can lead the mind. But that's okay, that's the point of meditation. We practice patience, we try to know ourselves and slowly but surely we give ourselves freedom from thoughts and attachments.

Have a great meditation practice!

Scientists are sounding the alarm: we have forgotten how to concentrate. Over the past decade, we have been under continuous all-round attack, the purpose of which is to snatch a particle of our attention. Sitting down and working calmly, without distraction, has become an almost impossible task.

American scientist and writer Cal Newport coined the term "deep work". In his opinion . , deep work is an activity that requires absolute attention, which forces us to do our best and, in turn, develops our skills. The better we focus on the case, the higher the quality of our work.

Why do we keep getting distracted

Full immersion in work means focusing on complex tasks for an extended period of time.

But we have internet. And as soon as we are faced with a really difficult task that needs to be tackled in earnest, it is immediately tempting to switch to another tab and see if we missed something interesting.

Despite the fact that we have had the Internet for a long time, we have not yet developed immunity to its distracting effects.

Social networks and applications use the same technique as slot machines - variable reinforcement. When we update our Twitter or Facebook feed, or check our email for the hundredth time, we don't know what we'll get: interesting news, a bunch of nonsense, or nothing at all. But the unpredictability of the result forces us to refresh the page again and again. Gradually, a habit is developed and arises.

How to be less distracted

How not to be distracted at home and on the street

Delete social networking apps from your phone. If necessary, they can be accessed through a mobile browser, but this is inconvenient, which means you will do it less often.
Don't take your phone to the toilet. Funny, but saves a lot of time.
Keep your phone away from the bed. If you already went to bed, then sleep, and do not check the mail.
Carry your phone not in your pocket, but in your bag or backpack. This will make it harder for you to get it.

How not to be distracted at work

During the work on this material, not a single social network was opened. As a result, work on the article took a third less time than usual.

The ability to focus is an important part of the arsenal of a successful person. Having learned to concentrate, concentrate on a particular goal, a certain type of activity, you have a very good chance of achieving success in this.

In this article we:
A) Discuss why the ability to focus is so important.
B) Let's figure out what factors prevent us from focusing.
C) Let's think about how to eliminate factors that interfere with concentration.
D) Finally, we will develop a common strategy that will help us learn to focus.

What is the role of the ability to focus?

(Perhaps you immediately scream to yourself: what’s the role in this?!!! And so it’s clear!!! Let’s get down to business!!! Have a little patience: let’s deal with everything in order. We want to learn how to concentrate, right? So, no need to digress, you need to read in order. Well, sir, I’m finishing the protracted introduction.)

Scientists-physiologists have established that a person's working capacity changes in the process of work. The first ten to fifteen minutes is the so-called work-in period, the next 20-30 minutes is optimal performance, and after some time exhaustion sets in.

How is the performance and efficiency of work during these periods?

Working in: increased
Middle phase: highest
Exhaustion: Decreased

Given this, you should work for periods of about an hour, so that, firstly, a good working out occurs, then you work hard and practice a little to deal with slight fatigue. Then you need to pause, rest a little and start a new cycle.

I think there is no need to explain that by being distracted, we disrupt the natural course of this cycle. Distracting once every 15 minutes, we risk never reaching maximum performance - which means not seeing decent results. What an efficient job...

As you can see, a person purely physiologically (that is, if we consider him as a kind of "biorobot" :)))) must work with concentration, without being distracted.

And what about from the point of view of psychology? It's easy to guess. The business that captivates us, the business that captures us, occupies all our thoughts (that is, the one on which you are focused) is made much easier, the process of work itself gives you pleasure - it is interesting to work!
So, perhaps the first commandment of a person who wants to succeed in a particular business: productivity requires focusing on one subject!

What prevents us from concentrating?

1. External factors preventing concentration
- noise, music
- neighbors and colleagues climbing with questions
- ICQ and phone
- something else that requires your attention, competes for attention with a task that needs to be done.

2. Internal factors that interfere with concentration (ATTENTION!!!)
- general feeling unwell
- lack of a clear action plan
- unbalanced emotional state
- lack of interest in work

The lists can go on. By the way, if you really want to learn how to concentrate properly, I advise you to minimize the browser window here, open a Word or notepad sheet and write a short list under the heading "What prevents me from concentrating." I emphasize - it doesn’t interfere at all, but what prevents you from doing a specific thing, focusing on a specific job.

I got this list:
1. I have more interesting things to do (surf the Net, drive a fresh toy). I don't do it, but my thoughts keep coming back.
2. Work does not give me satisfaction.
3. I did it yesterday and it just gets bored - the routine drags on.

However, I understand that it needs to be done. Here we do not discuss how to force yourself to do this or that thing (victory over laziness and the acquisition of motivation is a topic for a separate conversation).

So, smoothly, we got to the main point.

How can you focus anyway?

How to learn not to be distracted, do your job effectively, focus on important things and not waste time in vain?

Now I'll try to be brief;))) Everything that is written above can be considered an introduction, but here is the essence.

1. We provide ourselves with a good workplace. Ask relatives and friends not to disturb you if you work at home, gently let colleagues know that you don’t really like it when you are torn off. Explain to them that you yourself are distracted every hour and are ready to discuss with them whatever they want. You can also casually explain to them why it is important (for you and for them) to focus on work.

2. We work in periods of an hour, with a break of 10 minutes. This organization of work is the best way to concentrate. It may be difficult at first not to be distracted for a whole hour - be patient, developing the ability to concentrate is not so easy.

3. We provide ourselves with the necessary psychological attitude. It is necessary to remove all internal factors that interfere with concentration. Feel that work is really important to you. Concentrate on the results that it brings (salary, promotion, position in society).

4. Always have a clear work plan: you must know how much, what and when you have to do. This will help you focus not just on work, but on the result and you will strive for it, because after reaching the goal for the day (not necessarily for the day), you will receive a reward. Did the job - go to ICQ boldly! =)))

5. Get started as soon as possible!!! Start your planned business in the morning or from the very arrival at work. Let there be no distractions between starting work and waking up. Don't let yourself check your email as soon as you sit down at your computer. Do not open ICQ or reader. How you start your day will be reflected throughout it. It is worth setting a working, businesslike tone - and it will become much easier to concentrate (For me, this item turned out to be the most effective. Perhaps the fact is that it came with experience, and was not deduced logically. Therefore, I advise you not only to read and apply mine or someone else's then still advice, but also try to find your own methods by observing yourself and setting up experiments).

6. Another secret from me personally, continuation of the previous one. You need to focus on important matters not when you sit down at the table, but even in bed. Think about your work, try to evoke positive emotions in yourself in relation to it. Tell yourself that you will do it with interest, with passion, with passion. That show creativity and a truly original approach that will be appreciated by colleagues and clients.

P.S. Notice that in this article we talked about how to learn to concentrate, about what prevents you from concentrating on work, etc. - it seems to be a narrow topic, a kind of life hack that fits into standard recommendations like “10 ways to unscrew an electric light bulb” (“10 tips on how to focus on work”)))), but in the end it turned out that this “narrow topic” is very closely associated with motivation, a healthy lifestyle (to concentrate you need to be in good health - see above), planning and time management.

Hence the main conclusion: if you want to be successful in general, and not just be able to screw light bulbs well, then you need to constantly see such relationships and, while optimizing one area of your life, casually clean up the rest. And, of course, do not rely only on someone else's advice. Even mine;))))) Think and experiment! And yes, still comment;)) If you have something to say about concentration and not only - welcome to the comments!

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