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Concentration strategies for students

Submitted by Merlin on October 3, 2007 - 10:43am.

Here’s a wonderful tour de force on Concentration that’s written for students and which includes tips on identifying distractions as well as a useful list of techniques for putting your attention where you want it to be and keeping it there.

A few I liked:

  • At the beginning of a study period, spend a few minutes to calm and relax your mind and body. (Try ‘Focus on Your Breath’ exercise, below.)…
  • Do not tell yourself off or tell yourself to concentrate. When you are thinking about not concentrating, you are not concentrating….
  • If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all the things you have to do in your life, remember that you can only do one thing at a time…

We have lots more here on battling distraction, including this excellent essay on “good” distractions by Paul Ford.

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Do not tell yourself off or tell yourself to concentrate

Submitted by lala on October 3, 2007 - 10:59pm.

The advice I’ve gotten for “Do not tell yourself off or tell yourself to concentrate” has been, when you see your mind wandering, gently bring it back like you would gently put a child to bed. If you notice your attention wandering, just correct it and don’t get involved in a story about it, such as “there I go messing up again”, etc. (Granted, the person I got this instruction from had never had a sleep deprived night from a child, so do it in the idealized fashion.) This is surprisingly effective if you apply it with discipline.