Staying focused is one of the hardest things we have to do every day of our lives. Whether we’re at work, at home, spending time with our family or friends or even trying to watch a film or a documentary on our own, staying focused on what we are doing is difficult. Even now as I’m writing this, in the corner of my eye, I can see my smartphone flashing, and the urge to respond to my messages is constant.
These forms of distractions come in all shapes and sizes. It could be your smartphone or a colleague. You may find yourself playing games on your computer at work, or maybe you keep talking to other people around you. This is known as procrastination, and it’s one of the most counter-productive traits we have in this modern-age.
However, using a direct form of meditation, you can regain your focus, enabling you to get everything done like never before. This is a quick meditation that only takes a couple of minutes, enabling you to achieve more while ignoring and dismissing the distractions around you. Here’s how.
Find a Quiet Space
As with all meditation, you’ll need to find a quiet space. This is could the bathroom in your office, your desk or a quiet café on your lunch break. If you’re sitting at home and need to get things done, simply go to your bedroom or another quiet room where you won’t be disturbed. You’ll probably agree that finding a quiet space is easily said than done. If you’re struggling, simply pop in some headphones to create a quiet space. You can even play meditative music to help you concentrate.
Begin Meditating
Get yourself comfortable on your floor, chair or cushion, rest your hands gently on your knees or your lap and close your eyes. Start by breathing in deeply, filling up your lungs with air before releasing. As you exhale, gently push out all the air in your lungs while relaxing your body, especially your neck and shoulders. Follow your breath from the start of the inhale to the end of the exhale.
Start Concentrating
Now switch your breathing to going only through your nose. As you breathe in and out, feel the air in your nose. You could notice in inside your nose, at the beginning of your nose or on your top lip. Draw your focus to that point of your body and solely focus on that, still focusing on following your breath. However, follow it from this point. Draw all your focus onto this one dedicated point.
Dismissing Distractions
As with any session, your mind is probably going to wander off at some point, or you’ll hear things that draw your focus. This doesn’t matter, and you shouldn’t judge yourself for it. As soon as you notice you’re thinking of other things, think ‘thought’. Then return your focus to this point.
You can carry out this session for two minutes, five minutes or even half an hour, it’s completely up to you. When you do open your eyes again, you’ll feel so much more focused, enabling you to complete everything you had planned for that day successfully.
As a bonus tip, whether you’re working or at home, use binaural audio to concentrate your focus. One that I love to use while writing is this one. It’s simply background music that allows you to concentrate freely while blocking out external distractions.
How did these tips work for you? Do you have any other tips for people looking to increase their concentration? Let us know in the comment section below!
