The development of concentration in adults exercises. Attention training

Sometimes emotions overwhelm you so much that instead of a thousand necessary phrases, you say a short one: "There are not enough words." The fact is that the brain does not have time to generate enough images that can be quickly and easily translated into verbal form. One of the particulars why this happens, linguists consider the lack of words. Today we’ll talk about how to increase your vocabulary in communication and shine in any dialogue.

General cleansing

A few articles are not enough to understand the kitchen of fast reading. We recommend that you turn to books: this is a source of concentrated information, written in chronological order.

Purchase or download:

• "The Art of Reading. Understanding Books Thomas Foster. Read before you start a quick read. On the example of the works of the classics, the author teaches to understand the meaning between the lines and perceive information from a different angle. "Memories, symbols, parallels - that's what separates the professional reader from the amateur," says Foster. Adopting a different model of reading books will help you remember information better, which will now be based on associative thinking and related to the experience.
• Short reading in practice. How to read quickly and remember what you read well" Pavel Palagin. The book was recognized by millions of book lovers and received good reviews. The techniques are simple and clear, allow you to master the technique of fast reading in a few weeks. The author harshly criticizes sluggish readers, thereby motivating them to finish the study of the issue as soon as possible. At seminars, Palagin does not hesitate to advise reading only 25% of the book and discarding the rest as unnecessary. This statement fuels the interest of the public, seeking to refute the words of the author.
• "The Development of Memory" by Harry Lorraine. The perfect book to train your memory and imagination. After reading, you will become better at perceiving information, remembering dates and large numbers, and effortlessly continue the storyline of any story.

Every moment the brain receives a lot of signals from both the outside world and internal organs. Our psyche is simply not able to respond to all these sounds, smells, visual and tactile images, sensations and light waves. Yes, this is not necessary. We single out from the entire flow of information only the important, significant or bright. What we pay attention to.

Attention is defined as the concentration of consciousness on a particular object. This is a special cognitive process, which differs from all others in that it does not have its own content and exists, as it were, inside other mental phenomena:

• memory,
• thinking,
• perception,
• movement, etc.

But despite the “dependence”, attention is a very important process. The level of its development affects both the quality of mental activity, and the memorization of information, and its analysis, and the clarity of movements. The efficiency of any activity and human safety depend on attention.

The deep, psychophysiological basis of attention is the dominant - the predominant focus of excitation in the cerebral cortex. It arises from the impact of the strongest or most significant stimulus and literally suppresses other foci of excitation, forcing a person to focus on the main, paramount.

Imagine that you are reading an interesting book or watching an exciting movie. You are so immersed in this process that you do not notice anything around, you may not react even if someone calls you by name, even though the name for a person is a very strong irritant. This is how involuntary attention based on interest works. You may be distracted from reading by a stronger stimulus, such as the loud sound of a door slamming, and attention switches to another object.

Attention is always selective and singles out objects from the surrounding world that are of particular importance to us:

• related to interests and hobbies;
• related to needs, primarily vital (vital);
• strong irritants: loud sounds, bright flashes of light, strong odors, shocks, shocks, pain, etc.;
• a sharp, unexpected change of scenery: new furniture in a friend’s apartment, snow falling outside the window in the morning, a bright poster on the wall of the house.

This applies to involuntary attention, which occurs as if by itself and does not require efforts to maintain it. And how to force yourself to focus on reading a boring textbook, an official paper, on performing tedious, uninteresting, but necessary actions? After all, if you just force yourself to concentrate, then the brain will quickly get tired, thoughts will start to scatter, or you will want to sleep uncontrollably.

When they talk about the need to develop attention, they mean voluntary attention that requires effort to maintain it.

How to learn to control voluntary attention

Let's say you would like to become more attentive and focused, even when doing boring work. This is a perfectly understandable desire. But attention is a complex process that has many properties that in life and activity have different meaning. Having understood how attention works, how it manifests itself, you can learn how to manage it. It requires less effort and time than training exercises, but no less effective.

Sustainability of attention

This is the ability to stay focused on one object for a long time. If an object is uninteresting, boring, or monotonous, then maintaining a steady attention is difficult and tiring. Studies show that with passive human behavior, voluntary attention is retained for only 5–7 seconds. What will help you in this case:

1. Interest. Any even the most boring textbook contains useful information. Try not just to read, but try to connect the information with your interests, professional activities, etc. If this succeeds, then a mental phenomenon will arise, which is called post-voluntary attention. Just like involuntary, it does not require volitional efforts to maintain.
2. Active mental activity. Try not just to read or do what you think is meaningless work, but to find meaning in it, start thinking, analyzing information. When reading, comment on the text, argue with the author, highlight the main thing, make fun of what seems unnecessary or ridiculous to you. That is, make the brain work, and it will maintain your concentration.
3. The search for variety. Find something unusual, bright, unexpected in the object on which you need to focus your attention. Do you think that there is nothing unexpected in a boring document? And you try to find, make it an exciting game.

Using such techniques, you can hold voluntary attention for up to 20 minutes, and if interest arises, and with it post-voluntary attention, then much longer.

attention span

They say that Julius Caesar could do several things at the same time. There is nothing supernatural in this, even an untrained person in the sphere of his attention is able to hold 5–9 heterogeneous, unrelated objects. And if there is a logical connection between them or they are combined into an integral structure, then there can be much more such objects. For example, in a text we perceive not individual letters, but words or even whole sentences.

True, there are limitations here: it is possible to control mental activity along with external, objective activity, but simultaneously solving two tasks that require different mental work is much more difficult, and sometimes even impossible. For example, you can think about the plan of the article and wash the dishes, but, alas, you won’t be able to read a book and simultaneously perform arithmetic operations.

In order to increase the volume of your attention, you must comply with 2 conditions.

1. To learn to perceive objects that require attention are interconnected, to create imaginary compositions from them or to combine them with some common features and logical connections.
2. An equally important condition is the inclusion of objects of attention in activities and the development of professional skills. For example, an experienced driver behind the wheel effortlessly simultaneously monitors the road ahead and in the rear-view mirror, the instrument readings, picks up the nuances of engine sounds, and even listens to the passenger. BUT good teacher not only tells the learning material and writes on the board, but also notices everything that his 30 students do in the class.

Distribution of attention

This property is closely related to its volume. The better we can distribute attention between different objects, the greater its volume. It is this ability that gives us the ability to do several things at the same time.

The ability to distribute attention depends not only on training and professionalism, but also on individual psychological characteristics.

• A person with a mobile nervous system and a quick reaction is easier to distribute attention, but he has problems with concentration and stability.
• And a person of a phlegmatic temperament retains a high concentration of attention longer, but hardly copes with its distribution and switching.

However, there are techniques that will help develop the skills of switching, distribution and stability of attention.

Attention Development Exercises

As you already understood, it is difficult to talk about the development of attention in general. This complex task can be solved by performing exercises aimed at improving the various properties of this mental process.

Concentration and attention span

Exercise 1

Take something small and not too complicated, like a pencil or even your own finger. Record the time and focus on its tip. Try not to be distracted by anything, and as soon as you feel a switch of attention (for example, some extraneous thought appears in your head), immediately stop the exercise and write down the time that has passed since it began.

And now repeat this exercise, only concentrating, for example, on a pencil, try to carefully and meaningfully examine it:

• how the lead is sharpened;
• what colour is he;
• what are the shades;
• what color is the shirt?
• what chips, scratches, etc. are on it.

The more details and nuances you discover, the longer you will keep your concentration. Notice how the sustained attention time has changed.

Exercise 2. Training of auditory attention

Sit comfortably so that nothing disturbs or distracts you, relax, close your eyes and listen. Focus on the sounds that surround you.

Even if it seems to you that the room is absolutely quiet, then you jumped to conclusions - there is no absolute silence. Be careful and you will hear sounds. Try to identify them, focus on one. Stop the exercise as soon as you start to get distracted or ... fall asleep.

Improved attention span

Exercise 1

Look at an object or person for a few seconds. Then turn away and try to describe the object of your observation in as much detail as possible. Then turn around again and determine what escaped your attention.

This exercise also helps to develop short-term memory, which is directly related to the amount of attention.

Exercise 2

Have someone arrange 15-20 small miscellaneous items (pencil, toy, watch, hairbrush, etc.) on a table. Approaching the table, look at the objects for a few seconds, then turn away and name what you saw. How much did you remember? If more than 7 items, then you have a good attention span.

Distribution of attention

Exercise 1

Take a piece of paper and two pencils, one in each hand. At the same time, try to draw different geometric figures, for example, the right hand is a triangle, and the left is a circle.

Exercise 2

Take a piece of paper and a pen, turn on an audio recording of a book or story, and start writing down everything that happened to you yesterday in as much detail as possible. After 10-15 minutes, stop, read what you wrote and retell the content of the passage you listened to.

These exercises will help improve your attention characteristics, but remember that any skills are developed only through hard practice. Therefore, exercises should be performed repeatedly and preferably daily.

Concentration of attention is the ability of a person to focus on a specific activity, as well as to store certain information in the reserves of short-term memory. If this property has certain violations, then the person becomes distracted and uncollected.

What is attention

Attention is one of the most important characteristics of human mental activity. By its nature, it can have the following varieties:

• voluntary is a conscious and purposeful concentration of attention on any object or action that is associated with interest, professional activity, training or other need;
• involuntary - occurs unconsciously, in connection with some non-standard event or getting into a new environment;
• post-voluntary - occurs automatically when concentration on an object occurs at regular intervals (work, study, etc.).

Speaking about the types of concentration of attention, we can say that they completely duplicate the classification given above.

Concentration disorder

It is far from always possible for a person to concentrate on performing an action, even if this is an objective necessity. This, of course, can be considered a violation. A decrease in concentration leads to absent-mindedness, which can be of several types:

• True - attention constantly switches from one object to another, without lingering for a long time (the case when this condition is caused by nervous or physical exhaustion, as well as severe stress, is called prostration).
• Imaginary - arises as a result of focusing on some personal thoughts, as a result of which concentration on external objects is not possible
• Student - quick switching from one process to another (most typical for schoolchildren and students, hence its name).
• Senile - slow switching (caused by disorders of mental processes associated with age).
• Motivation-conditioned - we are talking about the conscious disabling of attention from one or another object or process that causes unpleasant or unwanted associations.
• Selective - over time, familiar things cease to attract the attention of a person (we can talk about processes in the body or everyday phenomena).

How to develop concentration

Observing the process of growing up a child, we can conclude that the concentration of attention becomes stronger with age. Based on many years of research, standards were drawn up that determine the duration school lessons, and later university couples. Nevertheless, even after reaching a certain age, it is quite difficult for some individuals to long time focus and hold attention on the same object or activity. In this case, the development of concentration of attention will require some effort both on the part of teachers (if we are talking about a child) and on the part of the subject himself (if we are talking about an adult).

Improving the ability to concentrate is achieved through continuous and diligent training. Concentration of attention in children is most often developed by itself. Even those children who at first find it difficult to get used to long and monotonous activities, eventually get used to it. The educational process is aimed at ensuring that, after completing education, a person is ready for work, not only in terms of fundamental knowledge, but also in terms of self-discipline. If, with age, a person does not acquire such abilities, he needs to resort to training through special exercises.

How to improve concentration

High concentration of attention is achieved not only by hard training, but also by creating comfortable conditions. The fact is that any little thing (extraneous noise, a phone call, etc.) can take a person out of a concentrated state, after which it will not be so easy to return to the previous mode of operation. Thus, if you want to concentrate on your work, resort to the following practical tips:

• Keep a notebook or piece of paper with you on which your current action will be written. Every time you get distracted by something, this tip will help you get back on track.
• Choose a quiet place to work so that extraneous noises are inaccessible to you. If you work from home or in a crowded office, there is nothing wrong with wearing earplugs.
• Your desk should have only the most necessary items for work. Remove everything that can distract you - souvenirs, photos, and so on.
• The key to effective work is a feeling of comfort and well-being. Your workplace should be equipped with comfortable furniture, as well as be in a well-lit and ventilated room with a comfortable temperature. Also, do not forget that the body constantly needs to be replenished with food and liquid.
• Always make a list of tasks that you need to complete. At the same time, it is important not to be distracted by anything, and most importantly, not to put off what has been started until later.

Concentration - exercises

Sometimes in the course of their professional, creative or everyday activities, people find distraction and restlessness in themselves. In this case, there is a need to develop and train such a property as concentration. The exercises offered by psychologists allow you to develop the necessary qualities:

• For the first exercise, you will need a pencil and a piece of paper. Begin to draw a line, trying to concentrate all your attention on it. When you realize that you are distracted, draw a zigzag. You will get a drawing that is somewhat reminiscent of a cardiogram, which will help you assess how distracted you are.
• If you have a long bus ride or are waiting in line, make the most of your time. Choose an object for yourself (a poster, a window, a door, and so on), set a certain time on the timer (a couple of minutes will be enough to start) and try to look and think about it exactly until the alarm goes off. Each time you manage to complete this task without being distracted for a second, increase the time period.
• It often happens that while reading a book (even a very interesting one), we are distracted by extraneous thoughts and reflections. So always keep a pencil with you. When you notice that you are thinking about something other than the plot, put a note in the margin next to the place where you ended your conscious reading. Also, when you finish a page, mentally repeat its content.

Tests to determine the concentration of attention

Concentration and stability of attention are important characteristics not only for professional activity but also for other areas of human life. In order to assess these characteristics, psychologists have developed special tests that are used in interviews in large firms. You can also go through them yourself to determine your degree of concentration:

• The Munsterberg test allows you to determine the level of attentiveness. The subject is given a sheet of paper on which a lot of letters are printed without spaces, among which there are both chaotic combinations and congruent words (23). In two minutes, a person must find them all and underline with a pencil, after which the result is compared with the correct answer.
• The Schulier test is a 5 * 5 table, in the cells of which numbers are arranged in a chaotic manner with values ​​​​from 1 to 25. The subject must indicate each of them sequentially as soon as possible. At the same time, it is forbidden to make any notes. The results are evaluated based on the time spent on the task.
• The "10 words" test assumes that a certain sequence of words is read to the test subject. They are not related either semantically or grammatically. Next, the individual will be asked to reproduce these words. Their sequence does not really matter.

Attention training

Attention concentration training is an objective necessity for those who want to work effectively without being distracted by extraneous activities. For this, the following techniques are perfect, which can be used in between the performance of their job duties:

• Learn to relax. To do this, set the timer for 5 minutes and take a comfortable position (sitting or lying down). During this time, your body should not make any movement (even involuntary). If this experience was successful for you, then gradually increase the period of such a useful rest.
• Sit up straight and stretch your arm out to the side. Turn your head and look at your fingers for a minute. At the same time, you should not have absolutely no extraneous thoughts in your head.
• Fill the glass almost to the brim with water. Stretch your hand with the vessel forward and concentrate your attention on it. Your task is not to splash water for a minute.

The above training technique allows not only to improve concentration, but also to balance the nervous system.

Charging for the brain

High concentration of attention is the result of the active work of the brain. Just as the body needs morning exercises, the human mind has the same need. Going to work in the morning, or while in transport, do the following set of exercises:

• Count from one to 100 and back (over time, the task can be made more difficult by saying, for example, only even numbers, or those that are divisible by three).
• Choose at random any letter from the alphabet and remember all the words that begin with it (if you know foreign language, then you can use this when completing the task, and you can also introduce restrictions on parts of speech).
• Without hesitation, name 20 names (further complicate the task by choosing only male or female).
• Choose any letter of the alphabet for which you will need to name the male and woman's name, locality, animal, bird and product (this is not just good gymnastics for the mind, but also a great idea in order to usefully pass the time with a child).

Please note that all the above exercises must be performed as quickly as possible, without thinking for too long.

Physiological aspects

The concentration of attention is not always associated with the mental abilities of a person and his psychological features. An important role in this matter is played by the physiological component. That is why improving concentration is inextricably linked with the normalization of lifestyle and daily routine:

• Make it a rule to get proper sleep. If you fall asleep late and get up early, then you are unlikely to be able to give 100% in your mental or creative activities. Let the 8-hour rest be your unshakable rule.
• Pay attention to your diet. Try to include complex carbohydrates in it, which are slowly processed, constantly nourishing the body as a whole and the brain in particular. Also, before the start of the working day, be sure to drink a cup of coffee or eat some dark chocolate.
• Set aside time for activities that you enjoy. It can be walking, shopping, hobbies, fitness, watching movies, listening to music and more. Positive emotions contribute to the production of the hormone dopamine, which has a beneficial effect on attention.
• If none of the above methods had a proper effect on the process of concentration, then you should consult a doctor who will recommend you special preparations.

The development of concentration of attention is possible not only through special exercises or techniques, but also through constant self-control. So, wean yourself from biting your nails, banging on the table, actively gesticulating, or dangling your legs while sitting.

An important step on the path to high concentration is finding emotional balance. Try to protect yourself from negativity and stress, and also get plenty of rest. Make it a rule to listen to calm instrumental music. Also surround yourself with objects of those colors that have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and emotional state (for example, green and blue). Also, try not to watch TV shows that carry a negative connotation.

For high-quality mental work, it is necessary to develop both hemispheres of the brain. To do this, it is very useful to periodically change hands when performing any mundane tasks. So, taking a toothbrush or a spoon in left hand(and for lefties - to the right), you will cause the activity of those parts of the brain that were not previously involved.

In the life of every person there are situations in which he loses concentration. For example, after reading half of an article or a couple of pages of a book, a person does not remember at all what was said there. At such moments, attention is simply turned off or focused on something else. While reading fiction it is perfectly normal to skip about 30% of the information. However, when reading the necessary literature for work or study, attention must still be fully concentrated. As an example, we can also take situations in which people are in a company and at some certain moment of a person’s thoughts, they fly away somewhere.

Concentration of attention in psychology

Our brain, like a computer, constantly analyzes a huge amount of information. For the most complete picture of everything that is happening around, he needs to take into account as many details and nuances as possible. In addition to actual objects and phenomena, previous experience and information are also taken into account. Most of this work is not realized by the person himself, it takes place in the subconscious. But we understand a significant part.

Concentration of attention is the ability to comprehend one thing at a particular moment in time, not allowing informational noise to distract consciousness from the main thing. Different people have this ability to varying degrees. Extraneous irritants, multitasking work, a large number of unresolved tasks distract our consciousness from the current action. Read on to learn how to improve your concentration.

6 ways to increase concentration

Let's look at 6 ways to improve concentration.

Planning

Planning your day allows you to better focus on the tasks at hand. There are a huge number of gliders for every taste and color. You should not fill every second of your time with any business, since leaving time for rest is also not unimportant.

• How is the focus of attention and how it can be concentrated.
• What exercises do you need to do to learn how to concentrate on work.

Attention! Not worth doing attention and concentration training when you are busy with things that require responsibility. This is due to the fact that any new activity, especially against the background of tension, can interfere with the main lesson. Make a distinction: if you are doing something important, concentrate on this task, and the skill of concentration exercise in your spare time.

What is attention and why does it need concentration

Attention is the selective focus of perception on a particular subject. It is expressed in how a person relates to an object. Attention determines how successfully the subject is oriented in the surrounding world.

Attention functions:

• signal detection;
• selectivity;
• distribution;
• substitution;
• identification.

How to remember twice as much information: techniques for every day

Types of attention

Depending on whether the subject can consciously direct and regulate his own attention, involuntary, voluntary and post-voluntary attention are distinguished.

	Characteristic
involuntary attention	A type of attention in which the subject cannot consciously direct and regulate the focus of attention. It is determined and maintained regardless of whether the subject has a conscious desire. Involuntary attention is based on human attitudes that are not conscious. Involuntary attention can be useful both at work and at home. It allows us to detect the occurrence of a stimulus in time and take the necessary actions, simplifies inclusion in the usual activities. However, involuntary attention can have a negative impact on ongoing activities, distract from the main task, reduce labor efficiency in general. For example, loud noise, shouting, light flashes during work lead to distraction and interfere with concentration. Causes of involuntary attention: unexpected stimulus; relatively strong stimulus; new irritant; moving objects. The French psychologist Ribot noted this factor, believing that when movements are purposefully activated, attention is focused on the object and intensified; contrasting objects or phenomena; the inner state of a person.
Arbitrary attention	Physiologically, this attention occurs when an appropriate excitation is achieved in the cerebral cortex, which is supported by signals coming from the 2nd signaling system. The appearance of such attention is due to the process of labor, because without control of one's own attention one cannot do anything consciously and systematically.
Post-voluntary attention	A type of attention in which one can consciously choose the object of attention, but there is no tension that is characteristic of voluntary attention. Postvoluntary attention is due to the formation new installation, which is associated mainly with actual activity, and not with the past experience of the subject.

Attention Properties

Concentration

Concentration is the maintenance of attention on a certain subject or the selection of an object as a certain certainty from the general background. To improve this ability, you can use concentration techniques.

Volume

Represents the number of objects covered by attention at one moment. The volume varies in adults within four to six objects. In school-age children, this characteristic is usually equal to two to five subjects. The greater the amount of attention, the large quantity phenomena, events and objects falls into the field of view of the subject.

Building effective communication with the person you are seeing for the first time is quite a challenge. Getting down to business immediately is not always productive, especially in the Russian tradition of negotiation. First you need to establish contact by talking about the "fads" of the partner - about what a person is passionate about, what he can talk about indefinitely. Everyone has such "hooks" - some are simple, some are more complex. I will tell you about techniques that help me remember the maximum amount of important information.

Sustainability

Expresses the duration of maintaining at one level of concentration. The most significant condition for sustainability is whether it is possible to discover new sides and connections in the object of attention. Stability manifests itself where it is possible to unfold the content defined in thinking, to reveal new details in it.

switchability

The property is to consciously, meaningfully, deliberately and purposefully determine the setting new goal, change the focus of consciousness from one object to another. Only under such conditions can we talk about switchability. When these conditions are not met, then we are talking about distractibility. Allocate complete and incomplete switching of attention. Incomplete switching after targeting a new activity sometimes returns to the previous one. This provokes errors and a decrease in the pace of work. Switching is difficult with strong concentration, this often causes absent-mindedness errors.

Attention may shift for the following reasons:

• activity requirements;
• the need to start a new activity;
• relaxation.

Distribution

Represents the ability to keep the focus on several different subjects. At the same time, it is possible to keep in mind 2 different objects at the same time if they are assigned to different modalities (look at the picture and listen to songs).

1st row of exercises for training attention and concentration

The key exercise for improving focus is to practice ray control.

"Line"

Draw a line on a blank sheet of paper with a slow and smooth movement of the pencil. Concentrate all thoughts only on her. When you feel that you are distracted, move the line up a little, as on an electrocardiogram, and continue. As a result, it will be easy to determine the number of times you have been distracted. A good result is 0 peaks in 3 minutes.

"Colorblind"

On the surface, this concentration exercise seems simple, but in reality it is quite difficult. Say out loud the colors of the words from the text below. Name the colors, not the written words. A good result is the absence of errors.

Red. Green. Blue. Yellow. Violet. Orange. Brown. Blue.

Red. Black. Green. Blue. Yellow. Brown. Black. Green. Blue.

Violet. Blue. Yellow. Black. Red. Orange. Brown.

"Fly"

For this exercise, you will need a board with a playing field drawn on it of nine cells (three by three), a small suction cup (or a plasticine piece). The sucker serves as a "trained fly". The board is set vertically, the host explains to the players that the movement of the “fly” from one cell to another is carried out using special commands that it always executes. According to one of the four valid commands indicating the direction of movement, the “fly” moves to a nearby cell.

The initial position of the “fly” is the center of the lined field. Teams are reported by players in turn. The players must, by continuously controlling the movements of the "fly", prevent it from leaving the field. After all the explanations, the gameplay begins. The game is on on an imaginary field that each player imagines in front of him. If someone loses the thread of the game or notices that the “fly” has left the field, he says: “Stop!” and, returning the “fly” to the center, starts the game again.

The game requires participants to be constantly focused. Should someone even for a second be distracted or think about something else, he immediately loses the thread of the game and must leave it.

Often sales managers have the following tendency: to overestimate their own attentiveness. The psychotechnical exercise "Fly" can be especially useful for a commercial director or head of sales department to dispel such misconceptions.

In groups that do not have the necessary experience of working with attention, prolonged observation of a moving “fly” provokes tension and fatigue. Players are increasingly starting to shift their attention from the “fly”, go astray and, as a result, stop the game. In view of this, the facilitator must observe the condition of the participants, complete the exercise before the growth of irritation in the group and the decline of interest. Work "to exhaustion" is justified only when the players set a specific goal: testing and training the stability of their own attention, that is, strengthening the ability to continuously focus on the subject.

A significant parameter of attention is considered to be its volume - the breadth of the area to which it can be extended at one moment. When, examining your own business suit, you suddenly notice a hole that has been eaten by a moth, the area of ​​​​attention instantly narrows to the size of the identified defect. It does this on its own. However, people can arbitrarily change the breadth of their own attention.

The “2 flies” concentration technique is a complicated version of the above exercise. There are 2 flies on the field. They move alternately, for example, "Fly 1" - down, "Fly 2" - to the left. The conditions and goal are the same: mentally not to lose flies and not to make mistakes. 3 minutes without errors is an excellent indicator.

2nd row of exercises aimed at concentration

Reflection is the main condition for consciously managing attention. Reflection makes it easier to understand where a person is, how he does it, what needs to be done next. If you want to develop attention, you need to be able to notice where your thoughts and energy are directed, that is, to increase the level of awareness.

"Where is my attention directed"

Sometimes ask questions:

1. What am I currently doing?
2. Why am I doing this?
3. Am I currently managing my own resources correctly?
4. I have no doubt that I need to do this?
5. What is my time currently being spent on?
6. Do I need to keep making efforts in this direction?
7. Is this really what I need right now?

In order not to forget this, it will not be superfluous to post these questions in plain sight. You will involuntarily begin to remember them, exercise control over your own efforts and attention. Learn to see yourself from within.

Reflective reading

Have you ever watched how you read? Have you noticed that you often run your eyes along the lines, but your thoughts go somewhere far away, are distracted by something extraneous? Attention is very capricious, therefore, with insufficient concentration, a person is constantly distracted, cannot tell what he has read. The effectiveness of such reading, of course, is very small. With concentrated reading, both the general meaning and the whole depth that is inherent in the work are captured.

The essence of reflective reading is full concentration on the book, immersion in the text, reading each line without distraction. Read as you please, don't try to set a record. Strive to capture every detail of the text.

In this exercise, part of the attention is focused on self-reflection. We realized that you are distracted - you connect your will and again aim the beam of attention at the text. The exercise is similar to the second hand exercise. If you have enough will and learn to read with concentration and reflection, you will be able to notice more in each book than readers who perceive literature as entertainment on the subway.

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3rd row of exercises for concentration

Emotionally balanced people have a better concentration of attention, when compared with quick-tempered people. Emotions significantly interfere with conscious attention. Strongly worried when speaking in public, a person ceases to think constructively, as well as when irritated. Stress, mental or physical pain interfere with the performance of work and everyday activities.

Only in a state of spiritual balance can a person aim the focus of attention without distraction. An illustrative example is choleric people, who focus on any objects for a very short time. Then they quickly switch to another object. In view of this, it is recommended to reduce the emotional background, first of all, for people of choleric temperament. This will give them the opportunity to level the weaknesses of their own character, to better apply their advantages (mobile mind, powerful energy, artistry).

For people of other temperaments, it is desirable to tactically reduce the emotional background in special cases - before a significant conversation, exam tests, a conference, an important meeting.

"Breath"

This excellent exercise not only improves concentration, but also quickly eliminates unnecessary excitement, for example, before speaking in public. Breathing should be deep, watch it. Mentally observe how the air enters through the respiratory tract into the lungs, fills them and increases, then, after a pause, leaves them. The execution time is individual, but preferably at least three to five minutes.

"Smooth Lake"

This exercise is especially effective for relieving tension during a hard day at work or a long time on a complex project. Imagine a lake in front of you. It is absolutely calm, smooth, reflecting the beautiful coastline. In the water you can see the reflection of the blue sky, white clouds and trees. Just admire, become as calm and serene. Continue imagining for five to ten minutes and get back to business.

"Beads"

vintage oriental concentration method and relief from anxiety. Slowly, sort out the rosary, fully concentrating on this process. Listen to your feelings in the area of ​​contact with the rosary, plunging into them, try to become calm and aware. If there is no rosary, you can scroll your thumbs. Cross your fingers, as they do when thinking about anything. Scroll your thumbs, concentrating only on this process.

"Film Reel"

The exercise is aimed at internally focusing and streamlining your emotions. Imagine watching a video of one day own life- from the side, like in a movie theater. Remember in every detail what happened during the day - how you woke up, what you did in the morning, how you prepared to leave the house, what events happened during the day, what you talked about with people. Remember carefully and in detail, try not to miss anything.

"Mental Relaxation"

Sit comfortably, lean on the back of a chair. With your inner gaze, begin to examine the parts of your own body, on which you aim your mental focus of attention. Initially, direct your attention down to the foot of your right foot. Hold on to this area for a few seconds, completely relax it with a mental command, rise higher. Then fix your attention on the calves of the right leg, completely relax them.

Rise up to the knee area, feel and relax it. Do the same for the left leg, genital area, abdomen, chest. Do not rush, move minimally to the upper side. Aim to completely consistently relax all areas of the body. This is an excellent method of training concentration and relaxing unnoticed by others.

"Sphinx"

It is necessary to sit on a chair quite calmly, without movement, to stop any spontaneous muscle movements. You need to be relaxed. Get rid of thoughts, let them come and go quietly. A good result is a stationary position for fifteen minutes.

"Sculpture"

In European countries, you can often see people covered in paint working as living sculptures. Often these are actors who, with good concentration, are able to stay still for long periods of time. This is not an easy job, but it is very useful if you need to test and develop voluntary concentration. The simplest level is an ordinary straight pose. If you can stand completely still, but relatively relaxed, for ten minutes, this is not a bad result.

Complicate the pose - raise your arms, bow your head, turn your body, become completely motionless again. Of course, the more difficult the position, the more difficult the exercise and the less time you need to stand in the chosen position. The disadvantage of this exercise is that it is better not to do it in front of strangers - you may be considered crazy.

Knowing ways to focus, you can significantly improve the efficiency of any of your activities. Use any of the methods listed above to become more focused and productive.