http://www.oldandsold.com/articles06/memory-18.shtml"Concentration is the Most Important Intellectual Habit of Man."
Not one person in ten thousand can really concentrate. Some realize that they do not know how—others drift along the line of least resistance and let their minds vegetate, apparently never suspecting their weakness or realizing that they are an utter failure at concentration. To Cori-centre—bringing all your mental force and faculties to bear steadily on a given center with-out deviation from that exact point—whipping into line all wandering fancies—stray ideas or thoughts that go off on a tangent—to hold steadily all your power on the central thing under consideration without an instant of wavering—that is Concentration.
http://zenhabits.net/2007/10/5-tips-to-maximize-your-ability-to-concentrate/http://www.concentrate.co.nz/
5 Tips to Maximize Your Ability to Concentrate
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from John Wesley of the Pick the Brain blog.
The quality and quantity of work you can produce is dependent, not only on the effort you put in, but on your ability to concentrate. No matter how hard to you try, if your brain isn’t performing well, you won’t be as productive as you should be.
Although many of the factors affecting concentration are beyond your control, a large amount is determined by behavior. These 5 tips will help you get your mind functioning at peak performance so you can excel at highly creative activities like writing, brainstorming, and strategic thinking.
1. Get Your Rest. It might seem obvious, but the biggest factor affecting concentration is rest. If you aren’t well rested your mind will be scattered and lethargic. Avoid this by making sure you get the right amount of sleep at the right time. Set a regular bed time for yourself and use an evening routine to wind down so you don’t have trouble sleeping.
It’s also important not to sleep too much. Oversleeping disrupts your natural rhythm and leads to grogginess. Avoid this by having a set wake up time. If you have to choose, I’ve found that it’s better to get a little less sleep than too much. If you end up tired, your body will compensate by helping you get to sleep earlier the following night.
2. Make a Plan. When you sit down to work without a plan, it’s easy to get caught up in crutch activities like checking email and browsing the web. Without a purpose, your mind will be pulled in several different directions. Instead of devoting all your attention to one important task, you’ll find yourself distracted by a variety of nagging thoughts.
To avoid this, make a clear plan of action beforehand. If you need to check email, resolve to fire through it as quickly as possible, then close your inbox and move on to your most important task. I like to use a morning run or walk to form my action plan for the day, but another great time to do it is the night before. By making a plan, you decide where your mental energy is allocated instead of allowing to be dispersed randomly.
3. Eat Light and Healthy. Nothing slows down the mind and body like a big greasy meal. Overeating puts a huge load of digestion on the body, sapping strength from the mind. Maximize your ability to concentrate by eating light and healthy meals. As Thomas Jefferson said, we rarely regret eating too little. It’s likely you’ll find that you need less food to satisfy you than you think. If you run out of energy, keep some healthy snacks on hand to give yourself a quick boost.
4. Exercise. The body has pent up energy that needs to be used. If you don’t exercise regularly, this energy can manifest itself in the form of a distracted mind. The best way to improve your concentration all day long is by exercising first thing in the morning. This will clear your head, give you a chance to reflect on the day ahead, and allow your body to sweat out impurities. Afterwards you’ll feel rejuventated, cleansed, and ready to take on tough problems.
5. Take Breaks and Mix Up Your Environment. Stagnation and fatigue are other factors that can negatively affect concentration. When you’ve been working too long in the same place, you start to get stir crazy and lose focus. The best remedy for this is taking breaks and switching up your work environment. When you find yourself losing focus, get up and take a walk. This will get your heart rate up, increase your alertness, and give your mind a chance to work on the problem internally.
It can also be helpful to work in different places. Instead of being chained to your desk all day, make a point of moving around. In a typical day I might spend time working in my apartment, the local library, and at a nearby coffee shop. Each time I move to a new location the change in scenery refreshes me and increases my motivation to work.
Written for ZenHabits by John Wesley. He writes at PickTheBrain.com about self-improvement, self-motivation, and building healthy relationships.
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so i must go to vacation to have my space...renew my creative brain and thinking out from locked!!!
maybe it is technical of some in organization to isolate my sub division in noisy environment zone???
think too much???
language skill is the one of tough skill in many careers but everthing can learn in seriouse CONCENTRATE also.!!..developted nations give salary for high skill language level more than non skill langauge labour...so it is the reason of why this special in language skill still work in cross cultural or nations zone and organization in high income and incentive!!!!!!!!!!!
i have no idea about personel policy of civil centre routre of government ..if the paper communicate choise is still significant than language skill..really we have new office that close ICT ministry,,,but still get low welfare and income than new modern ministry like that!!!,,,and really maybe about communicate and change also...
sugarcane go to vacation day,,
http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-concentrate-on-writing
How to concentrate on writing
When I am up against a deadline and I absolutely, definitely have to get on with my work, I use a few tactics to force myself to concentrate:
- Switch off email. I don’t start Outlook (or if I do, I disable all the notifications that tell me I have new mail).
- Isolate myself. I use Bose noise-canceling headphones but don’t plug them into anything. The silence really is golden.
- Greed and guilt. I remind myself how much money I’m getting paid for a particular assignment and how ashamed I will be if I miss the deadline. This actually works sometimes.
- Stop with the blog already. When I’m pressed for time, distractions like blogging and hoovering become very compelling. Knowing this makes it easier to resist.
- Get up early. 6am is the most productive time of day for writing. No distractions. It also feels more virtuous than staying up late with work.
- Little treats. I bribe myself: ‘Matthew, if you write another 500 words, you can have a cup of tea and a biscuit.’
- Chunking. Setting a timer or alarm clock for 15, 20, 30, 50 minutes and doing nothing but writing until it goes off and then taking a break seems like a good way to make progress.
- Go full screen. Switching Word into full screen mode (from the view menu) eliminates all distractions but the piece I’m working on.
- Shitty first draft. Splitting the work into distinct writing and editing phases breaks the job down nicely and it takes off some of the pressure to ‘get it right first time’.
- Change location. Sometimes, if I’m really struggling to get started, taking a laptop or my notebook to a cafe and scribbling out something there - a fresh new location - is a good way to jolt-start an assignment.
Cartoon Copyright (c) The New Yorker, via CartoonBank.com.
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Comments (150) left to “How to concentrate on writing”
Dear Sukunya, Are there times you feel that you need some space? Actually, we all need some "space," some time to ourselves and some place to recharge our batteries and renew our spirit. In ancient times, such places were considered sacred and were often found in nature – a grove, a hill or valley, or a mountain. But you don't have to go outdoors to find a sacred space. You can create a sacred space right in your own home. It doesn't matter how small your living quarters are, even a corner of a room can do nicely, Sukunya. A sacred space is an area where you can sit and meditate, contemplate, or let your mind wander and relax, ponder, and dream. You can place a small table or a shelf in a corner on which you arrange images or photos or pieces of artwork that hold meaning for you. Bring in nature with perhaps some flowers or a small plant, or seashells, or perhaps a crystal. Lighting a candle or some incense, or an essential oil diffuser can add to the atmosphere of serenity. Place a comfortable chair there. A wind chime or some bells, or perhaps a CD of soothing music can also set the scene. Joseph Campbell, the famous American author who wrote about myths and incorporating them into our lives, understood the importance of a need for a sacred space. He says it best in his own words, "If you have a sacred space and take advantage of it and use it every day, something will happen… Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again." Now, take spend some time with your Health, Wealth and Happiness forecast to see what is in store for you this week. Until next week, P.S.: Please remember to add my email address Bethea@myhealthwealthandhappiness.com to your address book to ensure that you receive your forecasts on time. | |||||
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The Full Moon in Aries on the 14th could be a lively affair, especially if you've been bottling up your feelings, Sukunya. Mercury resumes direct motion on the 15th, which will ensure paperwork and routine journeys run more smoothly. On the 16th the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn all line up to form a graceful pattern in all the three earth signs. A practical yet inspired day, especially if you're thinking of moving house or redecorating or even just indulging in retail therapy! On the 18th Venus moves to flirtatious and friendly Sagittarius. Have fun! | |||||
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