improve my concentration

Since I’ve been meditating for 30 minutes, and practicing labeling mental distraction with the observation “Thinking!” and then gently bringing my attention back to my breathing, I’m going to try this same technique of concentrating.

So for the moment, I’ll try to just do things in 30-minute blocks, and if I get distracted, I’ll notice: “Mind wandering!” and gently bring my attention back to the task at hand.

focus focus focus
focus focus focus
focus focus focus
focus focus focus

I think I’m supposed to write this entry in order to imporve my concentration. Maybe. I”m not quite sure acutally. I fail to see how this will help and maybe it wont. I might be doing this just to pass the time; an attempt to alieviate boredom if you will. My spelling is horrific by the way so forgive me in advance for any misspellings.
You know…this may be an entry log to track how well I am doing at improving my concentration. I think I could live with that.

OK, this is not going to be pleasant, but my lack of concentration is ruining me.

I can hardly finish articles anymore, I have become easily distracted, and it’s proving to be detrimental to my everyday being.

this is very important, now that school has started again. I’m already fallen behind, because I haven’t read the material. I sit down with a book, and an hour later I’ve gotten one page farther. I don’t have 20 hours to read 20 pages…

my mind wanders like no other. I start daydreaming and concoct elaborate fantasies of what it will be like when I can actually understand physics and calculus and subjects as a whole. usually, its me having an epiphany and then winning the nobel prize or something.

said the tree to the lumberjack, I’m stumped.

Test

I am learning a system for a card game that requires me to remember a deck of cards in under 5 minutes… amongst opther things.

Problem I have is that I am struggling to do this. Myu best time for totla recall is 9 minutes. This is using tested memory skills as outlined by Lorraine, O’Brien, Buzan et al.

I have recently started going to meditation classes as I receognise that there is probably a lot of benefit there way beyond my card game needs!

Can anyone help with ideas?

Just came across the Boston.com article “10 ways to quell distraction in an attention-deficient age.”

http://www.boston.com/jobs/galleries/distracted_tips/

If you cannot find the web page. The ten tips are:

1) Speak a language of attention
Attention can be bolstered through practice and training. Try deliberately using all your senses to expand your awareness fully when you’re in a new situation.

2) Be wary of interruptions
Once interrupted, a worker takes an average 25 minutes to return to their original task.

3) Practice message restraint
We are each other’s distractions. So Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

4) Focus on one another
Continuous partial attention undermines the depth and quality of our relationships and our interactions. Focusing in full on one another can help people better connect in a fast-paced, overloaded world.

5) White space
Quelling distractions is both a matter of harnessing our inner resources, i.e. our ability to pay attention, and creating a climate conducive to focus.

6) Cut back on multitasking
Multitasking isn’t as easy as it looks. try single-tasking if you want to get the job done right.

7) Eat mindfully
Try to take the time to stop and eat, especially with family and friends. And notice the smell, taste and feel of your food. You’ll be dialing down on stress and boosting your powers of attention at the same time.

8) Meditate
Meditation is not for everyone but some first studies show that it can strengthen the three main attentional skills of focus, awareness, and executive attention.

9) Hit the pause button
Stop a minute. It won’t hurt a bit.

10) Be a role model for focus
Being immersed in a scattershot world produces scattershot kids.

Just moved this to the top of my list. It is really central to all my other goals so it needs to be up top!