HOW TO CONCENTRATE WELL

Treat Yourself Like A Child

What do you do when your little child has accomplished a task? Well, you praise the little
fellow and give him/her a reward. Treat yourself in the same manner by offering yourself
incentives when ever youve completed a task. This will improve your motivation which in
turn improves your concentration. For more information on increasing your motivation,
please refer to this post on our blog entitled; improve your study motivation.
Why wait? Do it Now! resources
Procrastination is without doubt one of the biggest enemies you will face as a student. The
temptation to delay your studies will always be strong, to counter this your will to succeed
must be stronger. Why procrastinate and do something tomorrow if the same task can be done
today?
Remove All Possible Distractions
The sad thing is that we dont always notice when we are being distracted! There are really
two kinds of distractions:
Those that are visible, such as someone who is having a lengthy (and boring) discussion with
you during your official study time. Each and every cell in your body tells you that this is
very disturbing.
The kind of distractions that are not picked up by our radar. This type is actually worse than
the previous one. You can always tell your annoying friend that youre busy but how on earth
will you rid yourself from something that youre not even aware of in the first place?
Examples of such distractions are (in no particular order); talking with someone on a topic
that interests you, watching a movie while studying/working, listening to music and so forth.
All of these things are distracting you from your studies even though youre not thinking
about it. The best way to avoid these types of distractions is by avoiding them from the start.
If you continue to have trouble concentrating once all distractions have been eliminated, you
may be working yourself too hard. Exercise or take a walk to get rid of nervous energy. A
lack of concentration is also a symptom of eye strain, so visit your eye doctor if you
consistently have blurred vision or itchy, watery eyes. If a simple adjustment is in order, you
can get contact lenses and be back to your old self in no time.
Make A Task List
I wrote about this in an article entitled how to do a to do list. A to do list is basically a task list
that makes it easier to concentrate on your subject. It does this by making you think only
about one issue at a time. Task lists are in some ways the opposite of mind mapping, since the
latter involves scattering ones thoughts instead of collecting them. Although thats a good

way to initiate a project, its not very useful when it comes to actually doing the task in
question.
The 6 Steps To Focused Study:
1. Get Rid of Obvious Distractions
It's not smart to study with your cell phone on, even if it's set to vibrate. As soon as
you get a text, you're going to look. You're human! You can't focus on studying if
you're chatting with someone else, too. So the cell phone is off limits.
Turn off the home phone, too, along with the computer (unless you're prepping on it)
and any music with vocals. Study music should be lyric-free! Post a sign on your door
for people to stay away. If you have kids, find a babysitter for an hour. If you have
roommates, head out of the house to the least popular spot in the library. For that one
study session, make yourself inaccessible to people and other external study
distractions, so you don't lose focus when someone wants to chat.
1. Anticipate Your Physical Needs
If you're studying intently, you're going to get thirsty. Grab a beverage before you
open the book. You may even need a power snack while you're working, so grab some
brain food, too. Use the bathroom, put on comfortable clothes (but not cozy), set the
air/heat to best suit you. If you anticipate your physical needs before you start
studying, you'll be less likely to need to get out of your seat and lose the focus you
worked hard to gain.
2. Choose an Appropriate Time
If you're a morning person, choose the a.m. for your study session; if you're a night
owl, choose the evening. You know yourself better than anyone else, so choose the
time when you're at the height of your brain power and the least tired. It'll be much
more difficult to focus if you're battling fatigue, too.
3. Answer Your Internal Questions
Sometimes the distractions aren't coming from the external they're invading from
within! We've all sat down to study and had worries and other internal distractions
invade our brains. "When is she going to call me? When am I going to get a raise?"
When these distracting questions invade, accept them, then push them aside with a
logical answer:
1. "When am I going to get a raise?" Answer: "I don't know the answer to that
question right now, so I'm going to focus on what I do know right now."
2. "When is she going to call me?" Answer: "Who knows? Who cares. I need to
learn this material to get the best score I can right now. I will think about her
call only after I've learned this."

It seems silly, but if you answer your own internal questions, you'll focus your mind
back where you want it to go. If necessary, write the the worry down, solve it in a
simplistic manner and move on.
4. Get Physical
Some people are just antsy. They need to be doing something, and their bodies don't
make the connection that they are doing something during studying. Sound familiar?
If you're one of these kinesthetic learners, get out a few things to anticipate an "ants in
your pants" issue: a pen, a rubber band, and a ball.
1. Pen: Underline words when you read. Cross off incorrect answers when you're
taking a practice test. Moving just your hand may be enough to shake off the
jitters. If it's not...
2. Rubber band. Stretch it. Wrap it around your pen. Play with the rubber band
while you're answering questions. Still feeling jumpy?
3. Ball. Read a question sitting down, and then stand and bounce the ball against
the floor as you think of an answer. Still can't focus?
4. Jump. Read a question sitting down, then stand and do ten jumping jacks. Sit
back down and answer the question.

Instructions
1.

Pick a spot to study. If you find the right place and keep coming back
to it, you will condition your brain to focus when the time comes to
crack the books. Find a place where you can spread out your materials.
Think about whether you concentrate best in complete seclusion or with
some background activity. Any location you pick should be well lighted
and ventilated.

2.

Choose a time to study. Everybody has points in the day when they
are sharpest, whether be in the calm morning hours or after a workout.
To develop good study habits, start at the same time each day and plan
your other activities around this period.

3.

Begin at the beginning, and make a plan if you're not sure where
that is. Especially around finals or when approaching a term paper, just
thinking about work involved can literally induce panic. Start your study
session by making a list of what you need to get done. Break large
projects up into easily digestible chunks, and give yourself plenty of
time to complete each one.

4.

Minimize distractions, including cell phones, email and social

networking sites. Noise is okay if you need the sound of music or
television in the background; if you need total silence, invest in ear
plugs. If you are distracted by shiny objects, keep your head down so
you see only the page in front of you. Just think, the better your
concentration, the sooner you'll be done.

5.

Use active reading techniques to keep your brain from wandering

off. Reading is only as effective as the information you remember, so
challenge yourself by asking questions as you go. Try looking away from
the page and summarizing out loud what you just read. Make notes on
what you don't understand and follow up with the instructor.

6.

Mix it up. Study one subject for an hour, take a break, and then
continue with another subject. It's natural to want variety so that you
stay interested in what you are trying to learn. If you find a particular
subject boring, sandwich it between two subjects you enjoy.

7.

Give yourself incentives to finish. This is an important part of

developing good study habits. Deep down we are all five year olds who
just want a candy bar. Let your treat be a chat with friends, a healthy
snack, or even a night on the town if you finish a big project

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2077089_concentratestudying.html

I am specially writing this article for students who are not able to concentrate on studies.
With some experiences and knowledge ,I will try to help you and tell you how to concentrate
on studies better.
Now when we hear the word concentration the first thing that comes to our mind is books
but its power is much beyond that. There are very few things that you can do nicely without
good concentration. Even in sports that seems to require lots of physical labor also needs a
strong concentration power.

10 Tips to improve concentration for studies

1. Meditation Practice
You must have seen in many Chinese movies how monks are using concentration to do
something which we even might call supernatural and they give the credits of their power to
meditation. So, I think if meditation can help them do such amazing things then it surely can
help us to do work that require a level of concentration.
I have done meditation for sometime myself and what I have noticed is that it calms your
mind. When your mind is completely calm it provides a great control over your body. Those
people who have to study a lot should meditate before studying and if possible even in the
small breaks that you take.
Since past few years the Chinese people are making a mark in practically every field even in
Olympics. I truly believe that meditation plays a strong part behind it.

2. Avoid multi-tasking
I have seen people bragging about how they can do so many things at a single time and to be
really honest I also use to get impressed by it until I read an article about a research
conducted on a group of people. It showed, people who did multitasking had problems in
concentrating. When I say multitasking, it means, watching TV while studying or listening to
music while doing some work. This is very true. I myself had problems in concentrating
when I did multitasking.
When you do multitasking what actually happens is the speed of you performing a task, falls.
So, I think taking one task at a time is better then taking a lot at once. It ensures a task taking
place at a good pace and it also increases the quality of work.
The logic behind it is very simple. I read it many-many years in a book. It was something like
this. A professor is explaining his student how if the light of sun is focused at a point with the
help of a lens then it can produce so much heat energy that it can even burn a piece of paper.
His point behind this was if we concentrate our whole energy to do a single task then we can
do it much better and I completely agree with him. You can try it to because it wont cost you
to try it once but if you learn something from it then it is worth it.

3. Avoid Listening music for long time

Listening to music for a very long time leads to decrement of your concentration level. Few
years back I went to a psychiatrist regarding the same problem. When he asked me about my
music love he was amazed when I told him that I listened to music for about 8 hours in a day.
Initially, I thought what he was asking was irrelevant . But when he explained about the
chemical changes that music brings to our brain I understood his point of view.
So, I reduced the time of my music love to a minimum level and the results that I got were
astonishing. Now, I could concentrate better and for long. And since now days pretty much
everyone have an i-pod or MP3 player, even mobile phone can provide quite a good level of
music.

Everyone is kind of addicted to music which I have told is not good for your concentration. I
am not saying to completely ban it from your life but just try to control the amount of time
you spend in it to a basic level.

4. Sexual tension
It has been observed that people with sexual tension building up inside them has low
concentration power. Their mind are always preoccupied with unresolved issues. There is no
place left to think anything else. People in this category are generally the once who dont
have a partner or dont have enough time to dissolve this tension. This makes them irritated
all the time. Due to which they cant concentrate in anything else.

5. To achieve you must believe

If you keep telling yourself that you can do something then youll sure be able to do it. I saw
a movie in which a boy was told to repeat a sentence as many times as he can. The sentence
was To achieve you must believe.
When you tell yourself that you can concentrate then you probably will be able to do it. It is
all about thinking positive. I think this is applicable to everything in life. If you think you
cant do something then no matter how talented you are or how hard you work, you wont be
able to do it. You lose before even beginning the race and if you think positive then you are
one step ahead.

6. Make a habit
When I was in High School I attended a seminar of a priest. He was telling us about how he
turned his body into an alarm clock, i.e, he would wake up exactly at 5 A.M without the use
of any alarm. He said, He trained his body in such a way that he is able to do that. That
made me think that our body is like a machine, so, we can make it work the way we want it to
work by putting in the right input.
If you study at a particular time everyday then your body takes it as an input and will work
with you in perfect synchronization at that time. Youll find that you can concentrate more
and your grasping power will also increase at the time of the day.

7. Scheduled work
There are two kinds of people, one who work according to a schedule and other who dont
work with a schedule. From what I know the people in first category are always in advantage.
The reason behind this is very simple. When you work using a schedule your mind doesnt
waver around. Therefore, this increases your concentration power.
On the other hand, if you dont follow a schedule instead of choosing a path you keep
wandering around. This leads to your concentration suffering.

8. Pressure

There are 2 kinds of pressure; active and passive. In this article, we will be discussing about
active pressure because it is something that we can have a solution of. And as we have no
control over passive pressure we wont be discussing about it.
Active Pressure
I read an article which said that people take tension upon themselves. I call this Active
pressure. How people take pressure? It is like people think about their destination so much
that they forget about the path in which they are walking. Due to this they lack focus.
So, it is better to do what you have to do instead of worrying about things that can happen.
There is a saying among Hindus that says, You should do your work without thinking about
what you can get back from it. If you do this a great load will be removed from your back,
hence, you can concentrate better.

9. Yoga Practice
It is believed that few positions of yoga can really help you increase your concentration.
One of them is head stand. When you do a head stand the circulation of blood moves to
your brain and maximizes concentration. Apart from that it is also good for your eyes and
hairs.
But some people also say that if you have weak hair, then, head stand can destroy them
further. There is a solution to this too. We just need an exercise which directs the flow of
blood to your head.
One simple Yoga exercise for improving concentration.
STEP 1 - Sit on a standard yoga position (legs folded)
STEP 2 - Move your hands back and hold each other around the area of hip.
STEP 3 Now move your forehead to your left knee while exhaling and move back to your
position, inhaling.
STEP 4 - Do the same for right knee.
STEP 5 - Repeat this for at least 10 times.
This exercise does the same things what head stand does but good thing about it is that it
doesnt cause any physical damage to hair.

10. Be Comfortable
There can be many things that you may find irksome which works as a hurdle to your
concentration.

Clothes If you are not comfortable with what you are wearing then it will be difficult for
you to concentrate because it will work as a great distraction. So, key here is to wear loose
clothes and get perfectly comfortable before you even get started with your work.
Surrounding Your surrounding also plays a vital role in you getting that perfect
concentration. If it is very cold or hot or humid you wont be able to concentrate well.
Posture A correct posture, especially, while studying is very important. If you study lying
down you feel sleepy and will lack concentration.

Instructions
1.

Restructure your diet to include certain foods and drinks that are
known to improve mental abilities. Take in a source of caffeine daily,
such as tea or coffee, which stimulates and wakes up the mind, allowing
easier focus.

2.

Eat breakfast always. Consume a variety of fruit-based foods at

breakfast and throughout the day so your body has sufficient glucose to
power your brain cells and improve your concentration. Eat whole-grain
cereals to fortify your body with the essential nutrients needed for your
body to function properly.

3.

Eat a portion of oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring or fresh

tuna for dinner at least three times a week. Oily fish contain omega-3
fatty acids, which give a power boost to the brain and are vital for a
healthy brain.

4.

Get plenty of sleep. Get at least seven or eight hours of sleep every
night. Sleep deprivation can affect your concentration and memory

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7626937_focus-concentratebetter.html

How many times have you sat at your desk and tried to focus on a
task, only to find that your mind is wandering? Despite your best
intentions, you just can't concentrate. We've all been in this
familiar, frustrating situation, and it's something that can really
undermine your performance.

In this article, we'll review strategies to improve your

concentration and reduce your daily distractions.

Tips
Sleep well and have your day scheduled. Knowing that you have can
have a break after an hour, or maybe two hours can motivate yourself
to work hard. Working hard makes the time seem to go faster.
Don't think negative. Think about how happy everyone will be with
your result.
Always study at a quiet room.
Never wallow in panic! Instead, focus on the step in front of you, and
complete that task. And then go on to the next step. Think positively,
and be determined to score a good grade.
Have healthy brain foods to help you focus.
Make notes. Read a paragraph and either blindly or understand and
write down the essential stuff in that para. This will help you to boost
memory
Studying in a closed room boosts your productivity and eases any
distractions.
Do not worry too much. If you're feeling panicky while studying, take
a deep breathe, read the notes and try to process & understand the
information.
Try thinking about your parents' happiness after getting a good result.
Set yourself a timetable for your studies and time slots for each subject
(e.g. math @ 6:30; English @ 7:30; etc.)