Need to improve your concentration skills? Try F.O.C.U.S.

Good concentration and focus are prescriptions for a successful life. Theyare also the result of active and successful attention skills. Strong,efficient attention skills enable us to concentrate intently on a problemor task while sorting out unimportant information and ignoring distractions.In an article by author Sam Horn, he suggests a helpful acronym for FOCUSthat offers 5 tips to better attending. You can read Sam’s articlehere. The summary of the acronym is…

F=the “five more” rule

When you feel the distractions building and attention waning, make thedetermination to do just 5 more "reps". Finish five more mathproblems, reading five more pages of a book, work just 5 more minutesbefore you quit.

O=one think at a time

Manage distracting thoughts aggressively. Deliberately choose your high-prioritytask and commit to thinking only about it for a realistic, predeterminedamount of time. If you still can't rid your mind of other distractingthoughts 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 strategicquestions. "Do I have to do this? Do I want it done so that it isnot on my mind? Will it be any easier later?" Honest answers to thesethree 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 imageof what you are looking at, trying to solve, or reading. This techniqueworks well on visual tasks like reading or homework. Simply eliminatingvisual 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 thoughtas if it was either the first or last opportunity you will ever have tothink 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 speciallydesigned brain training.

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