“Things begin to fit with absolute perfection when we are focused on what we want.” This famous quote by book and essay writer Paulo Coelho puts us in tune with the theme of this article and with the wonderful list that I bring you today: 10 exercises to improve concentration in your day-to-day.
Concentrating is not easy, but it is necessary to be able to focus on our goals. It means paying attention to something specific for a certain amount of time and avoiding possible distractions. Luckily, there are certain exercises for concentration, easy and effective, that can help you.
How to improve concentration?
Concentration is a psychic process that is carried out through reasoning; therefore, it is a cognitive ability. People with a greater capacity for concentration are, in general, those who achieve greater success in their studies, work, and/or daily life.
However, nowadays, we are faced with different types of distractions that affect our concentration, such as the multiple tasks and obligations we carry on our shoulders and the different electronic devices. Did you know, for example, that a person checks his cell phone 150 times a day?
1. Task planning
One of the most important exercises to improve concentration is to plan tasks. It is probably one of the most difficult, as it requires a high level of organization and the modification of certain behavioral patterns that we have been carrying.
Planning your tasks allows you to focus your efforts on activities that contribute to achieving certain objectives and setting deadlines to achieve them. In other words: organize your agenda and prioritize activities!
The steps of task planning that you should carry out are:
- Establish objectives: what actions must you accomplish today?
- Identify the resources you have: what do you need to be able to carry out those actions? Do you have enough information?
- Establish deadlines: how long should it take you to carry out a certain action?
- Prioritize objectives and tasks: of all the activities you wrote down, which are the most urgent?
- Create a calendar of activities: what other tasks will you need to complete this month?
This checklist contains the essential steps to get organized. You will surely be able to adjust the list to your needs.
If you prefer an application to take care of organizing everything for you, don’t worry! There are many apps available to help you organize and plan your tasks.
2. Conscious Breathing
Breathing is an automatic process that we do from birth. Basically, it consists of filling the cells throughout the body with oxygen. On the other hand, conscious breathing consists of performing this process but paying attention to the inhalation and exhalation movements for a few minutes.
Conscious breathing is beneficial for strengthening cognitive abilities, such as concentration. It is also helpful for relieving pain, insomnia, digestive problems, high blood pressure, and, above all, low energy.
3. Guided meditation for concentration
Meditation is one of the most recommended exercises to improve concentration since generating the habit of meditating provides multiple benefits for the body and mind.
Today, we can find guided meditations on different themes on the internet, at different times of the day and of varying duration. If you have never meditated before, don’t be afraid to start! In addition to being an excellent technique to enhance concentration, meditation gives those who practice its mental clarity and a state of incredible relaxation.
4. Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles
Who doesn’t love word searches and crossword puzzles? This concentration-boosting activity works for kids and adults alike!
Word searches and crossword puzzles are to the mind what weights are to the body: exercise elements. As with weights, don’t overexert yourself. Start with simple concentration-enhancing exercises, and you’ll challenge your mind more and more.
5. Easy math exercises
If you are one of those who shy away from math, don’t worry! You don’t have to solve math puzzles like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. A few quick and easy exercises are enough for a better and progressive mental focus.
Performing mathematical calculations is one of the best exercises to improve concentration and attention since an analytical mind, skilled with numbers, is able to analyze reality better. Some exercises you can implement are:
- Addition and subtraction
- Multiplication tables
- Multiplication and Division by: 10, 100, 1000, 0.1, 0.01 and 0.001.
- Addition and subtraction of negative numbers
- Operations with fractions
- Operations with powers
- Equations
6. Mindfulness
Have you ever heard of Mindfulness? It is the ability of a human being to be 100% aware of where he/she is and what he/she is doing. In other words, it is attention or mindfulness.
Mindfulness is undoubtedly one of the most important of the many exercises to improve concentration that you can do. Among its main benefits, we can name:
- Helps control stress and anxiety
- Combats insomnia
- Protects the brain
- Increases concentration
- Develops emotional intelligence
- Promotes creativity
7. Mental image
A mental image is a perceptual representation or memory of an experience that may have been lived or a product of the imagination. It is, in other words, the visual representation of a memory.
This representation process is carried out through visualization, which focuses on a person’s ability to concentrate in order to make a representation of greater or lesser fidelity. Shall we do a mental image recreation exercise?
- Choose an element that you have around you, any element!
- Look at it carefully for 2 minutes. Focus all your attention on this object and observe all its details.
- Put it away and close your eyes.
- Create a mental image of this object: try to visualize it, recreating all the details as you remember them.
Repeat this daily with different objects, people, or places to work on your concentration! Try doing this with pleasant moments you remember from your life, and you will see how you will automatically create a sense of well-being as well.
8. Muscle relaxation techniques
This relaxation technique consists of slowly tensing a muscle group and then relaxing it. This exercise helps you concentrate on the difference between a tense muscle and a relaxed one and become aware of the different physical sensations that occur in the body.
It is recommended to do progressive muscle relaxation techniques, starting with the muscles of the toes and moving upward, ending at the head. The muscles should be contracted for about five seconds and then relaxed for 30 seconds. Would you like to incorporate this practice into your routine?
9. Exercises for the mind
Activities for the mind are undoubtedly the best-known exercises to improve concentration. This type of mental gymnastics will strengthen your ability to concentrate and other important skills such as attention and memory.
Although we could name an endless list of exercises for the mind, I recommend you to practice the following:
- Know a new word every day: read its meaning and use it as an example.
- Put a puzzle together, take it apart, and put it back together: your mind will work hard to remember where each piece was.
- Look at old photographs and look for details you have never seen before: you can pay attention to the clothes of other people who were behind you in a photo from a trip.
- Retain a phrase from a book and use it in another context: this will allow you to concentrate on the words rather than their meaning.
If you still want to keep exercising your mind, here is a guide to mental gymnastics with different exercises to put into practice.
10. Reflection before going to sleep
And here comes my favorite exercise! Earlier I told you about the benefits of including a guided meditation during the day (preferably in the morning). What do you think if, in addition, we include a night meditation in your routine?
This practice, however, will be a little different from conventional meditation. The idea is to make it more like a reflection, a space for self-knowledge, feedback, and total relaxation. You’re probably wondering what you are talking about? Let’s get to the exercise!
- Before going to sleep, turn off all possible distractions (television, computer, and, above all, cell phone).
- Get into a comfortable position in your bed, and you can be lying down, reclining, or sitting.
- Take a deep breath. Repeat 2 more times.
- Now think about your day: the tasks you finished and the ones you left pending, a moment when you felt your productivity was high, and another one when you only had distractions.
- Focus your attention on the latter and how you could improve it the next day.
- Make a brief review of the next day’s activities and prioritize 2 or 3 tasks.
- Breathe again and rest.
This activity should not take you more than 5 or 10 minutes, and it should not be annoying. You have to find the time, duration, or methodology that works for you to include it in your routine, and it will allow you to focus your attention and concentration on the most important activities!