| 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.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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