食梦者同人小说:5 Tips to Improve Your Concentration

When TV newscaster Diane Sawyer was asked the secret to her success, shesaid, "I think the one lesson I've learned is there is no substitutefor paying attention."

Are you thinking, "I agree, but HOW do we improve our ability to focus and maintain attention -- no matter what?"

These five FOCUS tips can help you concentrate better -- whether you'reworking in a busy office, studying at school, sitting in a meeting, ortrying to finish a project.

F = Five More Rule
There are two kinds of people -- those who have learned how to workthrough frustration, and those who wish they had. From now on, ifyou're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up -- just do FIVEMORE.

Read FIVE MORE pages. Finish FIVE MORE math problems. Work FIVE MORE minutes.

Just as athletes build physical stamina by pushing past the point ofexhaustion, you can build mental stamina by pushing past the point offrustration.

Just as runners get their second wind by not giving up when their bodyinitially protests, you can get your "second mind" by not giving up whenyour willpower initially protests. Continuing to concentrate when yourbrain is tired is the key to S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G your attention spanand building mental endurance.

O = One Think At a Time
Samuel Goldwyn said, "If I look confused, it's because I'm thinking."Feeling scatter-brained? Overcome perpetual preoccupation with theGodfather Plan -- make your mind a deal it can't refuse. Yes, the mindtakes bribes. Instead of telling it NOT to worry about another, lesserpriority (which will cause your mind to think about the very thing it'snot supposed to think about!), assign it a single task with start-stoptime parameters.

For example, "I will think about how to pay off that credit card debtwhen I get home tonight and have a chance to add up my bills. For now,for the next thirty minutes from 1-1:30 pm, I will give my completefocus to practicing this presentation so I am eloquent and articulatewhen pitching this proposal to our VIP clients."

Still can't get other concerns out of your head? Write them down on yourto-do list so you're free to forget them. Recording worrisomeobligations means you don't have to use your brain as a "reminder"bulletin board, which means you can give your undivided attention toyour top priority task.

C = Conquer Procrastination
Don't feel like concentrating? Are you putting off a task or projectyou're supposed to be working on? That's a form of procrastination. R.D. Clyde said, "It's amazing how long it takes to complete somethingwe're not working on."

Next time you're about to postpone a responsibility ask yourself, "Do Ihave to do this? Do I want it done so it's not on my mind? Will it beany easier later?" Those three questions can give you the incentive tomentally apply yourself because they bring you face to face with thefact this task isn't going away, and delaying will only add to yourguilt and make this onerous task occupy more of your mind and time.

U = Use Your Hands as Blinkers
Picture your mind as a camera and your eyes as its aperture. Most ofthe time, our eyes are "taking it all in" and our brain is in"wide-angle focus." We can actually think about many thingsat once and operate quite efficiently this way (e.g., imagine drivingdown a crowded highway while talking to a friend, fiddling with theradio, keeping an eye on the cars beside you, and watching for your exitsign.)

What if you want to switch to telephoto focus? What if you have toprepare for a test and you need 100% concentration? Cup your handsaround your eyes so you have "tunnel vision" and are looking solely atyour text book. Placing your hands on the side of your face blocks outsurroundings so they are literally "out of sight, out of mind." Thinkabout the importance of those words.

Want even better news? Does the name Pavlov r-r-r-ring a bell? If youcup your hands around your eyes every time you want to switch fromwide-angle to telephoto focus, that physical ritual becomes a Pavloviantrigger.

Remember? Pavlov rang the bell, fed the dog, rang the bell and fed thedog, until the dog started salivating as soon as he heard the sound ofthe bell. Similarly, using your hands as blinkers every time you want tonarrow your focus teaches your brain to switch to "one track" mind andconcentrate on your command.

S = See As If For the First or Last Time
Want to know how to be "here and now" and fully present instead ofmindlessly rushing here, there, and everywhere? Frederick Franck said,"When the eye wakes up to see again, it suddenly stops taking anythingfor granted." Evelyn Underhill said, "For lack ofattention, a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day."

I constantly relearn this lesson. One time I was giving my sons theirnightly back rub. Although I was sitting right next to them, I might aswell have been in the next country because I was thinking of the earlymorning flight I needed to take the next day and wondering if I hadpacked my hand-outs, if my ticket was in my purse, etc.

Suddenly, my unfocused eyes fell upon my sons and I truly SAW Tom andAndrew as if I was looking at them for the first time. I wasimmediately flooded with a sense of gratitude for these two healthy,thriving boys. I felt so blessed to have been gifted with suchwonderful sons. In an instant, I went from being absent-minded tobeing filled with a sense of awe and appreciation for their presence inmy life.

Next time your mind is a million miles away, simply look around you andreally SEE your surroundings. Study that exquisite flower in the vase.Get up close to the picture on the wall and marvel at the artist'scraftmanship.

Lean in and really look at a loved one you tend to take for granted.This will "Velveteen Rabbit" your world and make it come alive in yourmind's eye.

What people have said about concentration

• "I used to think the human brain was the most fascinating part of the body, and then I realized, 'What is telling me that?'" - Emo Phillips
  
• "I'm getting so absent-minded and forgetful. Sometimes in the middle of a sentence, I . . . " - Milton Berle
  
• "Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind." Leonardo da Vinci
  
• "Tell me to what you pay attention, and I will tell you who you are." - Jose Ortega y Gasset
  
• I would go without shirt or shoe sooner than lose for a minute the two separate sides of my head." - Rudyard Kipling
  
• "It's not that I don't want to listen to people. I very much want to listen to people. I jut can't hear them over my talking." - Paula Poundstone
  

About Sam Horn
Sam Horn is the author of ConZentrate. Sam's four books from St.Martin's Press have received critical acclaim from Investors BusinessDaily, Publishers' Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Readers Digest, andWashington Post, and have been published in more than twenty countriesincluding China, Japan, France, Canada, Israel, and Germany. ForeignService Journal said, "If you use the strategies outlined by Horn, itwill change your attitude, the attitude of others, and the way otherstreat you."

Sam has had the opportunity to speak to more than a half million peoplein more than 35 states since 1981. Her keynotes, training workshops, andconference presentations consistently receive excellent evaluations forbeing full of fun, real-life ideas participants are motivated to useimmediately at work, at home, and in their community. She was thetop-rated speaker at both the 1996 and 1998 International PlatformAssociation conventions in Washington DC, and won the 2003-2004Outstanding Capital Speaker Award.