Rabu, 07 November 2012

How to Concentrate-In Class (PART III)



Tips for Mastering the Art of Concentration

I get it. Class can get boring and you can get distracted. Your professor is long-winded, your best friend is hilarious, or your cell phone keeps going off. But learning how to concentrate in class is imperative to getting a good grade and (drumroll)…actually learning something. Here are some tips for how to concentrate in class when the distractions seem like too much to handle.

How to Concentrate in Class

1. Sit Near The Front
The front row isn’t just for the nerds. Sitting in the front of the class will automatically help you concentrate because it takes away any distractions (whisperers, texters, coughers, etc.) in front of you.

2. Participate
The people who have learned how to concentrate know that they need to participate actively in class. Engage the teacher in conversation. Raise your hand for every question. Start a discussion. The more engaged you are with the lecture, the more you’ll want to concentrate on it. So, it’s a way of fooling yourself into concentrating. Trick yourself into getting interested if you’re not.

Get your pen working to keep your mind focused. Many kinesthetic learners are jittery – their brain doesn’t connect that they are working when they’re just listening. If you’re one of those people, and you can find out here if you are, then move your pen and take good notes during the lecture to help you concentrate.

4. Turn Off Your Phone
If you really need to concentrate, then turn off your phone completely. No cheating by setting it to vibrate. Nothing will jar your concentration more than getting a text from a friend during a lecture.

5. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Hunger can be a big distraction. It’s tough to concentrate when you’d rather be raiding the buffet. Grab some brain food before you head to class in order to get rid of a very obvious distraction.

6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
For maximum concentration, make sure you’ve slept at least eight hours. I know it’s tough to do, especially in college, but your concentration will be almost gone if you’re fighting fatigue. Get some shut-eye! 
 
7. Reward Yourself
If you really have trouble focusing in class, then reward yourself at the end of class for paying attention. Indulge in your favorite latte, or add five bucks to your “saving for shoes” account. Give yourself something to work for besides your good grade if that hasn’t been enough of a motivator.

8. Get the Jitters Out
If you’re an antsy person – one of those kinesthetic learners – and your teacher isn’t letting you move, then make sure you’ve gotten your energy out before class. Run laps around the library. Take the stairs everywhere you go. Ride your bike to class. Use some of your energy beforehand, so you can concentrate during your class period.

9. Change It Up
If you can feel your ability to concentrate starting to slip, then change something. Get a new pen from your bag. Cross your other leg. Stretch. Tense and flex your muscles. Take a moment to give yourself a brief break from the monotony. You’ll be surprised how well this works to get you back on track.

Source:


How to Concentrate (PART II)



"Concentration is the Most Important Intellectual Habit of Man." 

Not one person in ten thousand can really concentrate. Some realize that they do not know how—others drift along the line of least resistance and let their minds vegetate, apparently never suspecting their weakness or realizing that they are an utter failure at concentration. To Cori-centre—bringing all your mental force and faculties to bear steadily on a given center with-out deviation from that exact point—whipping into line all wandering fancies—stray ideas or thoughts that go off on a tangent—to hold steadily all your power on the central thing under consideration without an instant of wavering—that is Concentration.

This ONE THING I Do

A difficult thing to do, and very few minds can do it. St. Paul gives us the shortest definition of concentration on record when he says, " This one thing I do," short, but tremendously significant. Another Bible definition is excellent: " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Some men work that way, intense fellows--brilliant professional men—big business men—executives—leaders in the world of finance—science—invention—literature—education—it matters not what kind of work, the point is that when these men pitch hay, they pitch hay —when they write a book, they write a book—when they manage a sales campaign, they man-age a sales campaign. That one thing they do at that one time, and nothing else, and every ounce they have goes into the doing. But back of all this has been a lot of mental discipline, a lot of habit-forming, a lot of brain-building. Let us consider some of the steps by which they have climbed. To the ambitious student, I offer five practical aids to concentration, planned to meet the needs of one who wishes to build from the ground up. We must assume as prerequisites, interest and attention, which have already been discussed. 

AIDS TO CONCENTRATION

These aids will do more than help you to follow a memory course; they deal with your daily work. Concentration applies to all the activities of life. It should be established as a life habit. To all who think, I bring this message, Think it with thy might. Make a business of doing one thing at a time with all your soul. Chesterfield was right when he said, " There is time enough for everything in the course of a day if we do but one thing at a time, but there is not time enough in a year if we try to do two things at a time." 

PERIODICAL RELAXATION

It may seem paradoxical that the first aid to better concentration refers to relaxation. But I have observed that some of the most intense intellects fail in their concentration because they never relax. Failure to let go between efforts is their chief stumbling block. They keep them-selves tense, nervous, " keyed-up " all the time, even when there is no need for it, thereby wasting nervous energy. They find it very difficult to " let go "—to relieve the high-tension by a little natural, wholesome relaxation. Possibly they feel like the Irishman who was trapped on the fourth floor of a burning building. He fought his way to the window but was afraid to jump. The flames drove him on until he was hanging to the window ledge with his hands. His friends, in the street below, seeing the walls were about to fall, kept shouting at him to " let go." Finally, he growled back at them between set teeth—" How kin I let go when it's all I can do to hang on? " But we must learn to let go—to relax completely—before each period of in-tense concentration. Here is the working principle: Relaxation precedes perfect concentration. A delightful illustration of this point is given by Elizabeth Towne.
Six puppies were playing in the barn. The barn door was closed and with the world shut out, they were giving themselves up completely to the; spirit of play. Two of them were staging a mock battle over a feather, while the others were rolling over and over in the loose straw on the barn floor in utter enjoyment.
Suddenly the barn door softly creaked. 'Instantly every puppy came to attention; heads up —tails up—bodies rigid—bright eyes fixed in intense concentration on that door, as it slowly swung open. A moment before they had been in a state of complete relaxation. Now, they offered a perfect example of concentration as they stood at attention, waiting and watching for the unknown danger that Might be coming from the other. Side of the barn door.
All great mental achievement has been preceded by periods of absolute rest or relaxation ! During. this time fatigue disappears the nervous forces. recuperate and the minds-stores up fresh energy axed establishes a reserve to draw upon during" the hours of intense concentration demanded by the. big task high lies must ahead.
Very often this preparation period of relaxation determines. the success or failure of the uder taking.-Herbert -Spencer, once made, a speech on.," The Gospel "of Relaxation will, which he pointed ,out that continual tress and strain high tension without periods relaxation were responsible for much chronic fatigue and many a nervous breakdown. is far better to indulge. It in an voluntary let down than: to Offer an involuntary breakdown, Different .people take their relaxation best in different ways, but, whether in complete rest, of play or wholesome laughter, it must come before any sustained effort of concentration. Nature itself requires cycles of growth and rest. Take your breathing spell before the battle.

MENTAL FREEDOM

The next step is to free the mind. Nothing is of greater aid to concentration. In fact, unless you are able to do this, concentration is impossible. When. harassed by the three devils, hurry, worry, and f ear, the mind never has a fair chance to center on anything. " Worry generates a poison at the roots of memory." But in your period of relaxation, you have an excellent opportunity to free the mind—now is your chance to eliminate all mental handicaps and get ready for the race. Not only hurry, worry, and fear must be thrown overboard, but anything and everything that troubles you and disturbs your serenity and your peace of mind. Out they go ! You should not indulge in day-dreaming, either, or mental drifting. Clear the mental horizon; give yourself a clean slate to write upon when your hour of concentration comes. And when it comes, if you have availed yourself of these first two aids I have given, you will be, possessed of that rare thing, mental poise.

THE PROPER ENVIRONMENT

In order to keep it, utilize the third aid: right conditions. Now, it is true that a trained mind can concentrate under any conditions—in the roar and din of .crowded cities or the busy hum of traffic—in the midst of telephone calls or a thousand and one other interruptions. Some men can concentrate on a mental problem while walking down a Chicago street and never hear the roar of the elevated or see the hurrying throngs. I have seen men write on a crowded street car perfectly oblivious to the people about them, not even hearing their own stations when called. But these men were already masters of concentration, and I am addressing my remarks to those who have not yet learned how to concentrate. Therefore, it is only a matter of common-sense to make conditions as favorable as possible. Give your mind a fair chance. Concentration is difficult enough, even under the best conditions. I would suggest that you seek a quiet place free from all distractions (and noise is a terrible distractor), a place free from all interruptions which may break your train of thought (and a telephone is a terrible interruptor), a place where you can be alone, free from all outside influences (and a friend who " must drops in " is a terrible outside influence), and a place of pleasing environment, beautiful or otherwise, where the atmosphere is right for you. I mean atmosphere in its fuller sense, although an abundance of sweet, fresh air is necessary. A well-poised mind can create its own atmosphere which inspires the individual, puts him at his best, is strongly conducive to good mental work, and has much to do with his success in concentrating. Not alone for the beginner, but I may safely say for the majority, is this true. In fact, some of our greatest creative thinkers absolutely insist on right conditions and the right kind of a place in which to produce their master-pieces. True, good books have been written in mail—great poems written in the trenches—masterly speeches conceived on an express train. But in every case there was a degree of concentration strong enough to rise triumphant above the environment.
Atmosphere--environment—these things differ with the individual—it's all in the mind. One man may do his best work seated in a luxurious chair in his beautiful and artistic study--another may reach his highest plane of creative thinking while sitting under a lone pine-tree on the crest of a hill. Choose your own place for concentration, but remember that solitude has always been, in all the history of mental achievement, a requisite for great work.
Solitude calls forth the mood of receptivity. Only then do we get the best. Great things are worked out in silence. Then come the flashes of inspiration—the new visions. Emerson tells us that " Solitude is to genius the stern friend—the cold, obscure shelter, where mould the wings which will bear it farther than suns or stars," and we have this thought from Carlyle: " Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together—that at length they may emerge full-formed and mamestic into the delight of life—which they are henceforth to rule."
The great poems written in lonely garrets—the masterpiece paintings conceived by the artist amid the fields—the divine harmonies first heard by the musician communing with the stars—the sublime oration which first stirred the soul of the orator as he tramped in the forest—all attest that the best comes to man when he is alone.
Witness Burns—the Scotch peasant among the daisies pouring out the lyric songs which to- day touch sympathetic hearts the " warld o'er."
Witness Emerson—bidding good-bye to the proud world and retiring to that Sylvan Home, " bosomed in yon green hills "—and there creating his incomparable essays.
Witness Demosthenes—on the seashore—building to the big music of the waves his match-less oration on the Crown.
Witness Byron—alone on the Alps—writing by the glare of the lightning flash his magnificent description of the Thunderstorm.
And today right in this practical present—thousands of our most successful business men have learned this secret—that by getting alone—they can gain new efficiency—and think out better plans for managing their daily affairs.
History will bear me out in the statement that to bear Solitude well is a mark of greatness. Look at Lincoln—back there in the country for the first thirty years of his life, nourishing his own soul and disciplining his own mind.
Hillis has well said, " What a college and a crowd could not do for thousands of young men —Solitude did for the rail-splitter's son. Alone he sailed the seas of thought with God for his only companion, till at last he stood forth, a mountain-minded man."
 
 A DEFINITE SCHEDULE

The fourth aid to concentration, is a very practical one: make a daily schedule. In the first place, such a schedule saves an inconceivable amount of time. Harrington Emerson, in his noted book, Twelve Principles of Efficiency, lays great stress upon the necessity and value of a written daily schedule. But what has this to do with concentration as applied to memory, you may ask? Simply this—your daily schedule helps to focus the mind, holds it steadily to one thing at a time and in the right order. Following a logical sequence tends to eliminate con-fusion.
It has been demonstrated in efficiency tests over and over again that time and energy are lost not so much on the operation itself as in passing from one operation to another. So in our mental operations, failure to move smoothly from one thing to another results in confusion. And when confusion comes, concentration goes. A definite daily schedule is a wonderful aid in keeping the mind on the right track. It often proves to be the salvation of those who have been unable to concentrate. Try it.

 

Source :

How to Concentrate



People who are able to concentrate completely on the task at hand are great achievers--brilliant professionals, big business people, executives, leaders in the world of finance, science, invention, literature, education—-it doesn't matter what kind of work. The point is that when these people pitch hay, they pitch hay; when they write a book, they write a book; when they manage a sales campaign, they manage a sales campaign. They focus on that one thing they do at that one time, and nothing else, and every ounce they have goes into it. But behind of all this has been a lot of mental discipline, a lot of habit-forming, a lot of brain-building. Let's consider some of the steps they've climbed.

STEPS :

1.      Relax. It may seem paradoxical that the first step to better concentration refers to relaxation, but there are many intense intellects who fail in their concentration because they never relax. Failure to let go between efforts is their chief stumbling block. They keep them-selves tense, nervous, "keyed-up" all the time, even when there is no need for it, thereby wasting nervous energy. They find it very difficult to "let go" or to relieve the high-tension by a little natural, wholesome relaxation. But we must learn to let go, to relax completely, before each period of intense concentration. Here is the working principle: Relaxation precedes perfect concentration. All great mental achievement has been preceded by periods of absolute rest or relaxation! During this time, the mind stores up fresh energy and establishes a reserve to draw upon during the hours of intense concentration demanded by the big task that lies ahead. Different people take their relaxation best in different ways, but, whether in complete rest, of play or wholesome laughter, it must come before any sustained effort of concentration. Nature itself requires cycles of growth and rest. Take your breathing spell before the battle.
2.      Free the mind. Nothing is of greater aid to concentration. In fact, unless you are able to do this, concentration is impossible. When harassed by the three devils, hurry, worry, and fear, the mind never has a fair chance to center on anything. But in your period of relaxation, you have an excellent opportunity to free the mind. Now is your chance to eliminate all mental handicaps and get ready for the race. Not only hurry, worry, and fear must be thrown overboard, but anything and everything that troubles you and disturbs your serenity and your peace of mind. Out they go! You should not indulge in day-dreaming, either, or mental drifting. Practice meditation. Clear the mental horizon; give yourself a clean slate to write on when your hour of concentration comes. And when it comes, if you have relaxed and cleared your mind, you will be possessed of that rare thing: mental poise.
3.      Find the right conditions. It's true that a trained mind can concentrate under any conditions—-in the roar of crowded cities or the busy hum of traffic, in the midst of telephone calls or a thousand and one other interruptions. But these people are already masters of concentration, and this article is addressing those who have not yet learned how to concentrate. Therefore, it's only a matter of common sense to make conditions as favorable as possible. Some of our greatest creative thinkers absolutely insist on right conditions and the right kind of a place in which to produce their masterpieces. True, good books have been written in mail, great poems written in the trenches, masterly speeches conceived on an express train. But in every case there was a degree of concentration strong enough to rise triumphant above the environment. Otherwise, keep the following conditions in mind:
  • Seek a quiet place free from all distractions (and noise is a terrible distraction), a place free from all interruptions which may break your train of thought (and a telephone is a terrible interrupter), a place where you can be alone, free from all outside influences (and a friend who "must drop in" is a terrible outside influence), and a place of pleasing environment, beautiful or otherwise, where the atmosphere is right for you. Preferences differ with the individual; it's all in the mind. One may do his or her best work seated in a luxurious chair in a beautiful and artistic study--another may reach his or her highest plane of creative thinking while sitting under a lone pine tree on the crest of a hill. Choose your own place for concentration. Use ear plugs, occupational ear defenders or even both!
·         Solitude has always been, in all the history of mental achievement, a requisite for great work. Solitude calls forth the mood of receptivity. Only then do we get the best. Great things are worked out in silence. Then come the flashes of inspiration—the new visions. History reflects the statement that to bear solitude well is a mark of greatness. And today, right in this practical present, thousands of our most successful business men have learned this secret...That by getting alone, they can gain new efficiency, and think out better plans for managing their daily affairs.

4.      Make a daily schedule. Your daily schedule helps to focus the mind, holding it steadily to one thing at a time and in the right order. Following a logical sequence tends to eliminate confusion. It's been demonstrated in efficiency tests over and over again that time and energy are lost not so much on the operation itself as in passing from one operation to another. So in our mental operations, failure to move smoothly from one thing to another results in confusion. And when confusion comes, concentration goes. A definite daily schedule is a wonderful aid in keeping the mind on the right track. It often proves to be the salvation of those who have been unable to concentrate. Try it

Source : http://www.wikihow.com/Concentrate