How do you boost your concentration?

Answer 1

1. Get rid of distractions . That means no phone calls, no TV, no text messaging, and no internet while you are trying to study. If you are in the classroom, then no talking or passing notes, no daydreaming, and no reading something else instead of paying attention. Those are some of the distractions that you can control.

But what about those you can't control? There are some that you can't control, such as noisy siblings or a storm outside. If it is very noisy at your home, maybe it would help you to go to a friend's house or the library to study. If that's not an option, you could ask your family to respectfully tone it down a bit while you are studying for your exams. If the situation persists, you could invest in some noise canceling headphones. Stores like Best Buy might have some in stock or you could try to order some off the Internet.

2. Focus. Think about what you are trying to do. If you are trying to pay attention in class, then focus your eyes and ears on the teacher (or video, or whatever). Look and listen, and remind yourself that you are trying to learn what is going on in front of you. If you are studying, have a plan - scan ahead in your notes or textbook and have an idea of what you are supposed to be learning. Set goals - studying for certain period of time, or covering a certain amount of material in your book or notes - that way, you a clear target to aim for.

Sometimes other stresses can creep into your mind and break your focus. Something that has worked for some people is to have a piece of paper where you write down any extra thoughts you have while studying to think about later. Then, after you are done studying, you can think about those things if it is necessary.

3. Schedule. Have a definite time in mind. With a class, you know how long it is going to last, and can remind yourself to keep focused for that amount of time. When studying, you should also set a time limit. Study for 15-30 minutes at a time, then get up and stretch or walk around before going for another 15-30 minute session. Having short periods of study with some exercise in between makes you more alert and better able to remember what you have learned.

If you are having trouble concentrating for longer time periods, break the time down. In class, look at the clock every 10-15 minutes and remind yourself to focus and concentrate. Allow yourself to stretch in your seat once every 15 minutes, then get back to paying attention.

4. Write. Taking notes is one of the best ways to increase your concentration and understanding. If you are in a classroom, write down whatever the teacher puts onto the board, write anything the teacher repeats more than once, and write down any new words and their definitions. If you are reading the text, copy down the chapter outline (the bold headings and subheadings) and write down explanations of each heading - also copy down any terms and definitions. If you are studying, write down anything that is giving you trouble and anything that is even a little bit confusing. Look those things up and write down the answers so that you will be able to remember and understand them next time.

5. Mind Tricks. There are lots of ways to help you remember things. You can make a list of words and remember the first letter of each one by making a new word or sentence. An example of this is to remember "Roy G. Biv" to help you remember that the colors of the rainbow in order are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Or you can remember that "Every Good Boy Does Fine" to remember the notes on your musical score in order.

Another way to remember a list in order is to have a set of images that you think about when you think about each number from one to ten. One is a Bun - you imagine the first object in your list inside of a hotdog or hamburger bun. Two is a Shoe - imagine your second object inside of a shoe, or wearing the shoe. Three is a Tree - picture the third object in a tree, on top of a tree, or with a tree growing out of it. You get the idea. Four is a Door, Five is a Hive (a beehive, that is), Six is a Stick, Seven is in Heaven, Eight is a Gate, Nine is a Vine, and Ten is a Hen. You can make images for any number, and the rhymes make it much easier to remember both the image and the number.

6. Boost. Telling yourself that you can do it does help. If you are studying, before you start, tell yourself that you can handle this amount of material - be sure that you have picked out a reasonable amount, though, and are not trying to learn 3 chapters in 30 minutes or some other impossible chore! When you finish, pat yourself on the back and feel good about working. In class, tell yourself ahead of time that you can pay attention for X minutes at a time, and that you can concentrate without getting distracted. If you have trouble going for the whole class at once, break it down and pat yourself on the back for every 10-15 minutes that you are able to concentrate. Pretty soon, if you work on going for longer and longer at a time, you will be able to concentrate for the entire period without getting distracted.

7. Eat breakfast. It's what everyone always used to tell you, and it actually works. After fasting all night your body needs more glucose (or blood sugar) to fuel your brain.

"Dozens of studies from as far back as the 1950s have consistently shown that children who eat breakfast perform better academically than those who don't. In a recent study of 4,000 elementary school students, researchers measured the effects of eating breakfast by administering a battery of attention tests. To measure short-term memory, researchers read a series of digits out loud -- 5, 4, 2 and so on -- and asked the children to repeat them. The children were scored on how many digits they could remember correctly. To test verbal fluency, the kids were asked to name all the animals they could think of in 60 seconds. Across the board, Murphy says, the breakfast eaters performed better than those children who had skipped breakfast."

Source~ www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5738848