Improve Your Concentration
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| | It's an obvious step - improve your concentration to improve your memory. To concentrate simply means to focusing intensely. If you aren't focused, you won't be able to memorize new facts or recall information you memorized previously. Here's some great news: Concentration is a mental skill you can develop. There are two ways to improve your concentration: |
First, increase your brain's natural ability to concentrate regardless of the environment - in other words, increasing your attention.
Second, adjust your environment to make concentrating easier. This approach is especially important when you are actively studying something new for school, work, or leisure.
Step 1: Power Up Your Brain
To improve your concentration takes a little time and effort, but it can be worth it. In my experience you can make noticeable improvement in a relatively short time.
As recent books on neuroplasticity such as Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain (by Sharon Begley) explain, the structure and function of the adult brain is not set in stone as scientists have always said. In fact, each time you learn a new skill, memorize information, or develop new habits, the neurons and connections in your brain grow and change.
This is an exciting discovery, and is further evidence that your brain's abilities - including the ability to concentrate effectively - can be changed for the better. Research shows that these changes do not occur overnight, however. You have to work at it consistently and regularly. After all, you are literally reshaping your brain!
So, where should you begin if you want to improve your concentration? Start building into your daily schedule habits that lead to increased brain power. These include:
- Mindfulness meditation. Start with five minutes in the morning and five minutes before bed, every day. A great guide if you are just getting started with meditation is Andrea Weiss' book Beginning Mindfulness. I have this book and am working through the 10 week course in mindfulness it describes. See the Mediation and Memory page for more information.
- Proper sleep. Sorry to say it, but unless you are getting sufficient restful sleep, you are not going to be as mentally focused as you could be. See the Sleep & Memory page for tips and more information.
Here's an idea: consider upgrading your crummy old mattress. You know, the one that's so uncomfortable it makes you toss and turn all night? I recently bought a new Spring Air mattress to replace my old bad mattress and have never slept better. It wasn't cheap, but I look at it as an investment in my health (and my memory!).
- Vitamins and other supplements. I've tried a number of brain enhancement supplements and other vitamins for memory. One in particular that seemed to help me concentrate better is "Attend" by VAXA. This is a non-prescription supplement for adults who may have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.
I have never been diagnosed with ADD, but I found this product almost immediately improved my ability to focus. The effect is like being "in the zone", where you visually and mentally lock in on the person you are speaking to, or the material you are reading.
I can't guarantee it will improve your concentration as much as it seemed to improve mine, but I'm a believer. The cheapest I've been able to find Attend is on Amazon.com, but you may want to shop around. You might also want to take a look at Synaptol, a supplement for concentration sold by MicroNutra.
Second, I recommend you take a mulitivitamin each day. That way, just in case your diet is not the greatest, you can perhaps avoid a vitamin deficiency that could hurt your brain. It also doesn't hurt to supplement with Vitamin C and fish oil capsules which are good for brain health.
One important note - always consult your doctor if you have questions about your diet or any supplements you plan to take.
- Brain games. The more you use certain skills, the more they are reinforced in the brain, research shows. So it makes sense that playing concentration games and games that require you to focus will improve your concentration ability.
My Brain Games page has over 25 free brain games you can play anytime. Again, though, you need to be consistent. Play for at least 10 minutes each day. Have fun, and get the benefits, too.
- Eat healthier. Your brain needs the proper nutrients to allow you to focus, and your blood sugar needs to be properly regulated (the brain consumes glucose, a sugar, as its primary fuel). See the Diet & Memory page for more about this.
Step 2: Optimize Your Environment
In addition to building the habits described above into your daily routine, also adjust your environment to improve your concentration when studying.
- Create a study spot. Your brain loves routine. Create a place where all you do is study. An obvious choice is a secluded desk of some kind, but the trick is to make sure you only study in that spot. Studying in bed is a bad habit, for example, because your body is trained to want to sleep once you get into bed.
- Try green light. Here's an odd tip. Recent studies have shown that green light improves concentration. Install a green light bulb in the study lamp at your desk. If you think it makes a difference and helps you to concentrate better, let me know!
- Try the color red. Green light not working? Look at red instead. A study in the journal Science explains how color affects the brain. One interesting discovery: red improves concentration and memory, while blue improves creativity.
Try these ideas when you really need to focus:
- Set small red items out on your desk.
- Add red to your outfit (red shirt, red accessory, etc.).
- Hang red-themed pictures on your wall.
- Change your computer's desktop background to red.
You never realized your blue walls were wrecking your concentration, did you? Now you have a way to focus better whenever you want.
Just bring out the red!
- Remove distractions. Turn off the ringer on your phone and take other steps to prevent interruptions. Don't study with the television on or with talk radio playing. Some studies have shown that soft instrumental music (no vocals) can help improve your concentration, however.
- Use Time Boxes. Set a time limit when you need to study new material. For example, let's say you want to read one chapter in a book (and remember it). Decide in advance that you can have 45 minutes to read the chapter, and 15 minutes to review it. Set a timer to keep yourself honest, then pace yourself to keep within the alotted time. This use of Time Boxes will really help you stay focused on the material.
- Stay motivated with rewards. If you see studying as drudge work, it's hard to concentrate. One way to stay motivated is to set up a reward system. Tell yourself you have to earn that hour of watching your favorite show later in the evening by first completing one hour of intense studying. That way, even if the material is dry, you have the reward to look forward to.
- Take a break every two hours. You mental energy will begin to decline after a long period of study. So every two hours or so, take a ten minute break. Walk around, eat a light snack, or just stare at the wall to relax your mind.
- Activate your Theta waves. One of the steps in the IMPACT memory technique developed in England is mental preparation. Our brains are not always in the best state of readiness for remembering new material, but it turns out you can easily change this simply by changing your breathing.
When it's time to study or remember something new, switch your breathing pattern to be slower and deeper. Deeper and slower breathing actually changes the way your brain works, by inducing the brain's electrical pulses to switch to Theta waves.
Theta waves normally occur in your brain in hypnogogic sleep. This is the stage of sleep when outside noises like an alarm clock can influence dreaming. It turns out being in this stage also can aid memory. A good example is the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, when information you've been trying to think of all day suddenly comes back to you after napping or waking up from sleep.
To activate your Theta waves, switch your breathing to your lower abdomen - in other words, start breathing deeply from your stomach. Consciously slow your rate of breathing too. After a few moments, you should feel calmer, the Theta waves should be flowing in your brain, and you should be more receptive to concentrating on new information.
Concentrating is the first step to learning anything new. It only makes sense that if you improve your concentration, your memory will improve also.
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