I get distracted while reading - what should I do? How to learn to concentrate and not be distracted

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 I urgently want to choose a hotel for a 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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's 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Are you constantly distracted by all sorts of nonsense, and then you can’t get into a working rhythm for a long time? Let's talk about how to quickly immerse yourself in the process so that nothing gets in the way, and most importantly - there is no desire to break away from the task.

Divide a big task into smaller ones

“Sometimes you procrastinate just because you don’t know how to approach a huge mammoth. You cut it into pieces - it becomes clear how to "swallow" them. It's cool to have some kind of tool like Wunderlist to divide a big task into small ones, solve quickly, and put ticks, ”advises Danil Brenner, architect of the web-development department of the System Technologies Group.

Delegate the Uninteresting

“It’s better not to do those tasks that you don’t like in advance - otherwise, very soon even the walls will seem interesting. If possible, it is better to immediately delegate such tasks to others, ”recommends Anton Borzenko, CTO CourseBurg.

If there is no opportunity to delegate, think about how solving this problem can be useful for you. Or maybe it’s worth automating the solution or optimizing something from above in order to completely miss the task?

Try Pomodoro

The method helps to concentrate better, keep the “freshness” of the mind and not be distracted by external stimuli. The classic Pomodoro use case:

1. Select a specific task.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on it all the time.
3. Take a break for 5 minutes. Return to point 1.
4. Every four such iterations, take a break for 25 minutes.

Denis Vorotnikov, lead web programmer at Mercaux Inc. emphasizes the need to completely isolate oneself from the outside world:

• put on headphones, telling colleagues to disturb only on very important issues and better in a corporate chat
• disable notifications of mail, instant messengers, social networks and similar distracting programs
• fully concentrate on the task at hand, without thinking about anything but it

Difficulties arise when urgent tasks suddenly appear. “At the same time, you should not give in to panic, immediately abandon the solution of the previous problem. Try to complete it first and only then move on to the next one, ”advises Boris Shestakov, BSS practice expert at AT Consulting.

If the standard rhythm of the technique doesn't suit you, don't worry. The main thing is to adapt it so that it benefits you. “This technique helps me get into a working rhythm. When those 25 minutes are up, I most often continue on with the same task. But such a mental kick in the ass to yourself is a good thing, ”shares Danil Brenner.

Switch context

Remove all unnecessary. Probably, the simpler and more effective the advice, the more often it is neglected. But this banality really works.

In addition, it is not difficult to protect yourself from irritants. For example, Windows 10 introduced many desktops that you can switch between. “I have an area where all chats hang. And when I start writing code, I don't look there. Context switching is very important,” says Danil Brenner.

Use the right soundtrack

When it comes to music, this is a controversial topic. Whether it will help or hinder depends on the mood, the noise around, the level of complexity of the task, and personal preferences. “I tried a lot, settled on special music for coding - Music to code by. Such good music, relaxed, it really costs money. The creator of this music says that he specifically analyzed what beat should be in order for you to concentrate as much as possible. Sometimes, however, you want something more energetic, like The Offspring, ”says Danil Brenner. To increase concentration, it is also recommended to listen to music from video games.

But moderate noise is useful for immersion in the workflow and solving creative problems. There's even a Noisli app that will help you combine different sounds to create the perfect background for you.

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 will immediately scream to yourself: what is the role in this?!!! And so it is 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 discussion).

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 make it clear to colleagues 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 in the best way contributes to concentration. It may be difficult at first not to be distracted for an entire 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 my 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!

It might also come in handy.

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 graph: 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

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 work 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 is sharply reduced, 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

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, start 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)

- At home. Ask loved ones not to come into 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 are quickly broken down 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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Look around. What's next to you? Mobile phone, laptop, computer, some books, folders with papers, radio or TV. Guessed? And all this insistently requires your attention.

It is difficult to maintain concentration when the information is gushing like from a hose. And that is exactly what is happening in our world. In this post, we will tell you how not to waste your time on trifles and focus on the important.

Theory. Find the zone of concentration

Attention wanes when we are either under-excited or over-excited. At work, the former is more common: we are not overly excited by the need to write a report or call clients. And now he is already falling asleep, I want to drink tea or look at social networks - to be distracted by something more pleasant.

To overcome the desire to be distracted, you need to find your zone of concentration - that state when the ratio of excitement and attention is in the "golden mean".

Why am I distracted

In the zone of concentration, we feel confident, quickly do things, make reasonable decisions. We are collected, attentive and productive. It would be nice to always be here!

We hasten to please you: it is possible. Anyone can stay focused for as long as they want, even when performing boring, routine tasks. Special techniques will help.

Practice. Attention attention!

1. Do one thing. The myth of multitasking has long been debunked: the brain spends so many resources on switching between tasks that none of the tasks is performed well enough and quickly. Don't let yourself get stuck between tasks.

Do one thing at one time. Then take on something else. One after the other, but not at the same time.

2. Set a timer. Working in a few short visits is more efficient than sitting at the computer from morning to evening, every minute being distracted by instant messengers and social networks. Larisa Parfentyeva, author of 100 Ways to Change Your Life, uses the Forest app to organize her working hours. It performs two tasks at once - it works like a timer and helps not to be distracted by new notifications.


Jedi Techniques

When you set a timer for, say, 30 minutes, a tree starts growing on your phone screen. If you minimize the app to read a text message or check Instagram, the tree will die. Agree, you can’t kill a tree for the sake of Instagram. Therefore, you will have to do work until the tree grows.

Gradually, you will have a whole forest - a forest of completed tasks.

3. Manage distraction. Sometimes distraction is useful - if you need to find an original idea, take a break or switch from one project to another. But switching to social networks will only add to the fatigue. But pictures of nature, on the contrary, will help to quickly restore strength.


Simply space

Imagine a sunset or a seashore, stay there for a few minutes. And then return to the zone of concentration.