Concentration is the ability to focus on one thing, which is very important for high productivity. The main condition is the elimination of all distractions. But even in a quiet environment, your own thoughts in your head can throw you off your intended path. As a result, you start thinking about how you will gamble with a bet bonus or go out with your friends to your favorite restaurant instead of completing your duties. So how to learn to concentrate?

Learn to Make Decisions

Not always the reason for distractions is hidden in the fact that a person just cannot focus on one thing. Often this is a consequence of the fact that you cannot make decisions independently and have weak motivation.

For example, there is a task that is not limited in time. Knowing that there is nowhere to hurry, you allow yourself to be distracted, delaying the desired result for an indefinite period. But if you make the decision that everything must be done in a specific time frame, it’ll increase your level of concentration.

At work, when the boss says that something needs to be done in two hours, the employee is instantly focused on it. He knows clearly – he needs to get the assignment done, and everything else is for later. It’s amazing how quickly concentration increases at such moments!

The Buffett Method

The Buffett method consists in highlighting the main tasks and eliminating all those tasks which may be useful, but are not the most important at the moment.

You need to make a list of 25 tasks for the next month. Next, select only the 5 most important. These five goals are those on which to focus. And set aside the other 20 for another time and don’t return to them until those 5 main objectives are achieved.

Useful Tips

A few more recommendations from psychologists:

• Even if you have several things to do in a day, choose one most important priority, which you need to finish exactly today. Then your attention will be focused on it.
• Carry out the task at the most productive time for you. For example, some people’s brain activity is more active in the morning, others, on the contrary, in the evening.
• Eliminate everything that can distract you. Ask your housemates or coworkers not to call you for nothing. Put away your gadgets so you don’t have to look at them every minute.

Remember that your physical condition also affects your ability to concentrate. So get enough sleep, give your brain a good rest, don’t overload it with tons of information.

Exercises to Develop Concentration

There are many exercises to help develop concentration. Here is one of them. Take a watch and watch the second hand. As soon as you get distracted, you will have to start all over again. Do it daily and be sure to write down how many seconds or minutes you could stand.

You don’t have to sit in front of the clock all day long. A result of five minutes is enough.

Another exercise is doubly useful for the brain and the lungs. Sit down, keep your back straight, pinch one nostril with your finger and breathe in for 10 counts, exhale for the next as many counts. Repeat with the second nostril. An excellent result is 20 times.

The human brain is designed so that when you switch your attention from one thing to another, concentration is immediately lost. Productivity drops instantly, you have to readjust. This negatively affects your results, so it’s important to learn how to concentrate.