A child can sit with a book for hours and still not study. The body is at the table, but the mind has gone for a walk. Concentration is the ability of the mind to stay on one idea or subject for a given length of time. Memory depends on it, because what you do not attend to, you cannot recall.
The good news is that concentration is a habit, and habits can be trained. But first we must know what is breaking it.
Three enemies of concentration
Distractions come from three places.
The outside. Your physical surroundings can distract you badly. An uncomfortable chair, a table that is too high or too low, street noise, poor light, too much heat or cold, the TV, people talking nearby, friends who interrupt, unnecessary phone calls. Even a pile of letters to write or a magazine you would rather read is a distraction.
The inside. These are more dangerous, because even a quiet, well lit room cannot protect you from them. Some are physical: lack of sleep, poor diet, lack of exercise, illness. Others come from stress. A fight in the family, a problem with a friend, money worries, anxiety about another subject.
No goal. Sometimes you cannot concentrate because you have no clear answer to the question, "Why am I studying this?" You would rather watch TV, play cricket, or go to a movie. If you cannot see how this chapter connects to a short term goal, which connects to a bigger goal, which connects to your long term goal, then it is easy to say, "I do not want to read," and drift away.
What you can do
You cannot remove every distraction, so pick the ones you can control.
- Remove the TV, computer or video games from your study room, and cut down on movies.
- Get ready before you sit. Prepare the table, and prepare your mind.
- Take care of your body. Sleep well, eat fruits and vegetables, avoid too much fat and sugar just before studying, and exercise daily.
- Make clear goals. Write them down. They must be specific, reasonable, achievable and relevant.
- Make a list of the routine things you must do. This frees your mind from the burden of remembering them.
- Write down your worries, whether personal, family or money, on a special list, and put it in a file. Many students feel immediate relief when they do this. The worry is out of your head and on paper.
Narrow range, intense focus
Here is the core of the training. Do not try to concentrate on a whole subject for four hours. Fix your attention on one small part of the subject. Give it a fixed time. Finish it. Then take the next part. This gives you practice in short bursts of concentration, and over time the span grows. The key is narrow range with intense focus.
Decide on a period of study and tell yourself that you will not get up until you finish the topic or the time is complete. Be firm about it. You will begin to enjoy the control your mind has over your body.
Three exercises to try
- The pulse. Look at your watch and count your pulse for five minutes. Do you get the same count each time? This shows how steady your attention is.
- The dot. Make a dot on the opposite wall. Look at it, and note how long you can hold your attention on it. Repeat the next day, and for a few more days. Is the time going up?
- The noisy room. Switch on the TV and radio, and let them make as much noise as possible. Now take a row of single digit numbers and add each two neighbouring numbers. Count how many pairs make 10. On the next day, count how many make 11.
Try this row: 4 1 8 4 9 1 3 0 4 8 5 9 6 8 4 7 6 9 4 0 1 3 2 8 3 7 4 4 8. Work your way along and see how many neighbouring pairs total 10. If the noise pulls you away, begin again.
I also teach students to look at the Sri Yantra, an ancient Indian symbol that yogis used for developing concentration. Sit in a relaxed way, look at the central dot, and let your eyes travel from one shape to the next. Do it once or twice a day.
Will power is the other half
Concentration needs will power. And will power also grows with exercise. Choose a small area and take charge. Cut down on TV serials. Stop chatting with friends during study time. Do not laze around in bed once you are awake. Avoid junk food. Each time you say no to something small, you are exercising the muscle.
This is one chapter from my book Train Your Brain.
