SolveYourProblem Article Series: Time Management
How Can I Manage My Time Better?

3 Mental Exercises To Improve Your Focus

One major snag in any time management plan is the ability to stay focused throughout the day. Have you ever had days where you just couldn’t seem to keep it together and found yourself running in circles and getting nothing done?

Poor concentration is one common reason for a scattered mind-set. If your mind isn’t as strong and alert as it could be, you won’t be able to focus clearly for extended periods of time. Mental exercises can help because they strengthen your ability to concentrate, and will improve your focus over time.

Here are 3 good exercises that can help you create a strong, clear focus:

1. Strengthen concentration.

Twice a day, practice holding a specific object in mind steadily for 5 to 10 minutes. The item should have some detail that you can imagine, but it should also be simple to “see” it in your mind. Some good examples: an apple, a pencil, the face of your child or pet, your house as it looks from the outside, and so on. Choose something you won’t have trouble picturing, but something that requires you to focus in order to see it clearly. Call up a strong mental image of it, and then try to keep your focus on the object for a full 5 or 10 minutes without losing your focus.

This is hard to do at the beginning because your mind is probably untrained. Random thoughts and pictures may keep popping in and you’ll have to keep pulling your attention back to the object again. Don’t let this stop you! Remember, the only reason you struggle with this is because you don’t have a strong ability to focus yet. As you keep working at it daily, you’ll notice that you find it easier and easier to concentrate. The stronger your ability to concentrate during your focus sessions, the more you’ll notice you’re not having trouble concentrating at other times either.

2. Empty your mind.

Another focus-killer is a head full of scattered thoughts. You know those days when you’ve got a million things going on and you’re trying to remember them all at once and you keep forgetting things anyway? Emptying your mind can do wonders for scattered thoughts! Before you do this exercise, first make a list of everything you can think of that you need to remember. This will help you feel more comfortable about releasing your scattered thoughts.

Then, set aside 5 or 10 minutes to focus on quieting your thoughts. Though this exercise is called “empty your mind,” you really can’t completely empty your mind of thoughts. Your thoughts will keep on flowing through your mind the whole time. However, you can detach and simply let them pass by. You become an observer of sorts, watching your thoughts flow by. You’re aware that you’re having thoughts, but you don’t latch on to them and start actively “thinking” about them. You simply sit in a space of peace and being while your thoughts flow calmly past. This experience is hard to describe, but once you master it you’ll have discovered a powerful technique for releasing stress and improving your focus in a very short period of time!

3. Visualize for practice.

If you’ve got an important goal or task coming up and you’re feeling unsure about your ability to do it, visualize it first! Many studies have been done on the power of visualization, and the general consensus is that performing tasks and activities mentally over and over again is equally as effective as performing them physically! That means that visualization can serve as a powerful practice session that helps you master anything – including better time management!

Try visualizing yourself staying balanced, calm and focused throughout the course of your day, easily handling any surprises and interruptions, and feeling happy and proud of yourself at the end of the day. Visualize yourself giving a successful speech, getting better at sports activities, or anything else you want to master. The trick is to go through it completely in your own mind, seeing and feeling what you would see and feel while it’s really happening. The more you do this the more proficient you will become at it and the more you’ll start seeing results in your physical activities.

Click here for 501 tips and ideas for finding MORE TIME to do the things you love. It's a handy little time management guide and my SolveYourProblem recommendation.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2009

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