| Concentration and your body
Your ability to concentrate, to study at your optimal level, depends on your entire body being healthy. The pressure of deadlines and expectations may lead you to ignore the needs of your body. However, the more you look after and respect your body, the more your body will do for you.
The body needs adequate nourishment, rest, exercise and sleep.
a. Needless to say, a healthy, balanced DIET is a must. Take time to enjoy your food; use mealtime to unwind.
b. Avoid eating a big meal before a study session. Too much food will send your body into a 'rest' mode. On the other hand, don't starve yourself either. Frequent small meals are best.
c. A sudden high intake of sugar will cause your blood sugar level to rise and then drop sharply. Consequently, you may feel tired, drowsy and have difficulties in concentrating. Glucose tablets and sugary food are for physical activities; they are not so good for mental work. For snacks, try savouries, fruit or nuts.
d. Drink plenty of water during a study session, especially when you feel sluggish.
e. Caffeine may help you to stay awake, but it can increase your anxiety - use it in moderation.
f. Choose an exercise that you enjoy. Regular exercise can improve your concentration.
g. Your body needs to rest and relax periodically every day. Regular breaks are essential for good concentration and memory (See below on concentration span).
h. Regular bedtimes discourage insomnia. If you must cut down on sleep, try to go to bed at your regular time, but get up earlier instead.
i. There is some research evidence to support the theory that catnaps promote concentration and memory
j. Do not associate your bed with work by studying on your bed. Your body will get confused as to whether the bed is for work or for relaxing.
Tips on how to study better with concentration
a. Choose a chair that supports your back. It should be comfortable, but not too comfortable. Just like an athlete during a performance, your body should be relaxed, so that all your energy goes to where it matters - your brain.
b. Have everything you need on the desk. Put away what you do not need for the study session. Seeing reminders of other assessments or domestic bills may increase your anxiety and distract you.
c. Ensure that you have adequate, preferably natural, light.
d. Study according to your body clock. Are you sharpest in the morning or at the evening? Schedule your most difficult materials when you are mentally at your best, and schedule the easier ones when you are mentally less efficient.
e. Know and respect your concentration span which will vary from hour to hour and from day to day.
Tips on how to Concentrate better. At the beginning of a study period, you probably take a little time to settle down into your work. Try to encourage your concentration to kick in quickly with conditioning.
1. Get into good habits
a. Study at the same time and at the same place, devoted to study only. This helps you to associate the time and place with studying and concentrating. You will find that you get into a habit of studying as soon as you sit down.
b. Likewise, you can carry out a small ritual at the start of every study session, such as taking out a figurine, wearing your study cap, or putting up a sign. This helps to tune your body into a study mode when you carry out the ritual. It also serves to tell others that you are studying and that you should not be disturbed. Do not choose an activity, such as reading your email or checking the stock market, that may lead you to procrastinate or distract you.
2. Prepare your mind
a. Avoid exciting activities just before you start to study.
b. 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.)
c. Be positive! Believe in your ability to overcome any challenges. ~~~~~
3. Approach study effectively
a. Spend a little time to plan what you are going to work on. Be precise and realistic. 'I am going to work on my assessment' is not very helpful. 'I am going to spend the next two hours gathering notes on commercial contracts for my assessment. I'll work on chapter two of this book first, and if I have time, I'll start on chapter five' is much better.
b. Break down your work into small manageable chunks, and then focus on a smaller task. Writing a paragraph is not as scary as writing an essay.
4. Be active
a. Vary your activities to keep your mind from wandering: make notes, highlight, underline, ask yourself questions, prepare questions for discussion, associate new material with old material, visualize a concept, etc.
b. Change the subject/topic you are studying every two hours or so to maintain your interest.
5. Take regular breaks
It is important to take a break before you feel tired and lose your concentration completely. Regular breaks at least once an hour helps to sustain your concentration. If the work is not going too well and you have difficulties in concentrating, you may need a long break and go back to it later. Alternatively, you can try for shorter period of time, such as 20 minutes, and have more frequent short breaks.
6. Oxygenate
a. When you sit for long periods, gravity draws the blood to the lower part of your body. When you take a break, take a few deep breaths and get more oxygen to your brain: try walking around and doing some light stretching for a few minutes. It will help to release tension in your body, and help your circulation. (Try 'Focus on Your Breath' exercise.)
b. If you have been working on a computer, relax your eyes by focusing at a distance, and relieve your eyes from the glare of the computer by covering your eyes with the palm of your hands for a moment.
7. Review - the secret of good memory
The secret of good memory is frequent review and recall. As the saying goes, "If you don't use it, you lose it." After a break, spend a moment to remind yourself what you worked on. Going over the main points is sufficient. Do the same at the end of a study session, and recap on the main points. The feeling that you have achieved something will help to motivate you, which in turn will help with your concentration.
If you want to retain certain things in your memory, recall them, look them up or use them on a weekly basis until they have sunk into your memory.
Thereafter you only need to refresh your memory every few weeks.
8. Reward yourself
Praise yourself for your accomplishments. Give yourself a reward when you have completed a task, such as recreation that you had put off in order to study. This reinforces your behavior, and you will be more likely to study and concentrate again. Note that if you have been using a computer, do something other than watching the television to give your eyes a rest from the glare. 9. Train your wandering mind
Below are some simple techniques for improving concentration. They are designed for most situations, so that you can practice unobtrusively no matter what is happening around you. Just like learning any skill, improving your concentration takes lots of practice. You probably would not notice any changes within a few days. However, if you persevere and practice these techniques every day, several times a day, you will notice an improvement in your concentration within a few weeks. You may even notice an increased sense of well-being.
10. Be here now
Whenever you notice your mind wanders away from what you are supposed to focus on, simply say to yourself
Be Here Now
and gently bring your attention back to where you want it. If your mind wanders again,
repeat
Be Here Now
and bring your attention back.
Do not tell yourself off or tell yourself to concentrate. When you are thinking about not concentrating, you are not concentrating.
Do not try to push any particular thought out of your mind. When you are trying not to think about something, your mind is occupied and you are not concentrating. Just let the thought go like a breeze, say to yourself "Be Here Now", and return to the present.
You might find your mind wanders hundreds of time in a day initially. This is normal. When you have practiced this technique for a period of time, you are likely to find that you stay focused for longer.
11. Let it be
This technique is good for situations, which you have to live with, such as children playing, cooking smell, television next door, the humming from your computer, or traffic jam. When you notice that something is distracting or irritating you, make a conscious decision to
Let It Be
Try not to let the situation irritate you; do not wish it to change. Allow it just to be. It might help to take a deep breath and breathe out slowly. As you breathe out, let go any tension and irritation you might have. Say to yourself
Be here now and bring your attention back to where you want it.
12. Focus on your breath
This is a basic concentration practice. It is also the first step of relaxation exercises. You can use it at the beginning of a study session to put yourself in a good frame of mind, and when you take a break.
a. Take a long breath and breath out in a slow but comfortable pace.
b. Take another long breath, and breathe out slowly.
c. Breathe in your natural breathing rhythm.
d. Focus on your breathing for a moment. Be aware that you are breathing in and breathing out.
e. As you breathe out, let go any tension you may have in your body.
f. If you find yourself distracted in any way, such as thinking about something else, simply let it go and return to our breathing.
g. Focus on your breathing for as long as you like. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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