10 Ways to boost your concentration

I have been thinking about ways to help my son with his concentration levels, as he gets distracted easily. I used some techniques, which I had tried when I was younger, and made some new ones up, more fun ones.

This gave me the inspiration for this article.

Concentration can be taught and learned and can aid us in so many ways. A few benefits of developing your powers of concentration are:

• It benefits short and long term memory
• Helps us to focus better
• Gives us inner strength
• Choose your own thoughts (instead of drifting)
• The ability to decide quickly
• Greater will power

10 concentration exercises

1. A candle flame – sitting in front of a candle and concentrating on nothing but the flame for 5 – 10 minutes will enhance your powers of concentration considerably.

2. Stumbleupon – Stumbleupon 100 sites without stopping for a break. Great for traffic to your blog as well.

3. Have a freezing cold shower – One of my favourites. Have a freezing cold shower. To take your mind off the cold think of all the things you are grateful for in life and your mind will be taken off the fact that your bits are almost frozen solid.

4. Do one thing at a time – I have a huge problem with too much stuff going on in my head at once. I have so many ideas about different things it’s hard to concentrate. When I focus on one task at a time, it helps my concentration enormously.

5. Get rid of worrying thoughts – Sometimes as you are trying to concentrate on a task other worrying thoughts will pop into your head; like you remember you’ve got to pick up some work from the office, you’ve got a meeting at the school, etc. To get rid of these distractions write them down on a piece of paper. This way you do not dismiss the thought altogether and you are telling yourself it is important enough to write down.

6. Count from 100 backwards down to 1 – This may sound simple enough, and it is, however it takes a bit of concentration to do it.

7. Recall a photograph – Study a photograph, which is unfamiliar to you. Do this for 5 minutes and then try to recall as much as you can about the picture.

8. Spell words backwards – This is great for kids as well and has the added bonus of helping them to spell.

9. “I went to the shops and bought…..” – This is a great car game and is a great one for concentration.
10. Do mathematical calculations – When I am driving, I like to do some mathematical calculations in my head e.g. I have 20 miles to travel, I am travelling at an average speed of 50 miles per hour, how long will it take to get to my destination. Nothing huge but things like this are great for your concentration skills.

I hope this has helped you. If you would like to add more concentration exercises why not leave a comment.