Good concentration and focus are prescriptions for a successful life. They are also the result of active and successful attention skills. Strong, efficient attention skills enable us to concentrate intently on a problem or task while sorting out unimportant information and ignoring distractions. In an article by author Sam Horn, he suggests a helpful acronym for FOCUS that offers 5 tips to better attending. You can read Sam’s article here. The summary of the acronym is…
F = the “five more” rule
When you feel the distractions building and attention waning, make the determination to do just 5 more “reps”. Finish five more math problems, reading five more pages of a book, work just 5 more minutes before you quit.
O = one think at a time
Manage distracting thoughts aggressively. Deliberately choose your high-priority task and commit to thinking only about it for a realistic, predetermined amount of time. If you still can’t rid your mind of other distracting thoughts or tasks, create a fresh TO-DO list and write the intruding thoughts down.
C = conquer procrastination
Overcome procrastination by asking yourself (out loud) three strategic questions. “Do I have to do this? Do I want it done so that it is not on my mind? Will it be any easier later?” Honest answers to these three questions will serve as a springboard to overcoming procrastination.
U = use your hands as blinkers
Physically cup your hands around your eyes to create a single focus image of what you are looking at, trying to solve, or reading. This technique works well on visual tasks like reading or homework. Simply eliminating visual distraction can help you “run” with more concentration.
S = see it as if for the first or last time
Get in the moment by shifting your perspective about a task or thought as if it was either the first or last opportunity you will ever have to think about it or do it. Repetitive familiarity is the seedbed for a lack of focus.
These tips are fun and can help, but if you need stronger “medicine” to fix your wandering attention skills, consider brain training from LearningRx. The most powerful way to transform weak attention skills is with specially designed brain training.