The words “sit still” might bring up memories of younger years and unmet expectations from the adults in your life at the time (but stay with us here for a minute). Intentional moments of stillness are good for your brain and body. These moments help the neural pathways that fire between your brain and body connect. Deliberate stillness helps increase your awareness of mindless fidgeting and movement. This creates endurance in your ability to focus. Some work islike a marathon; your brain and body are an endurance athlete, so think of this as marathon training. Make an effort to sit still as you do things that don’t require movement, like listening to podcasts, reading a book, or sitting at meals. Think about...
Why can’t I focus when I read?? Use audiobooks. This approach benefits people who learn through listening, are easily overwhelmed when faced with a page full of text, or need to have movement while focusing. You can use your hands to make artwork, color, paint, or fidget. You can move your entire body on a walk, pacing the house, or just wandering around doing some tidying up. Use the physical copy of the book. Reading on your computer cuts out some methods of learning. A paper book requires you to hold it, you can follow words with your finger, and you have to turn pages as you move along. Divide and conquer! Break the material into smaller, more manageable chunks....
Are you frustrated by your short attention span and the amount of focused work you can accomplish? Just like learning to run a 5k, it takes time to build your distance and speed. You can build the amount of time you can focus and the intensity of your attention. There are lots of methods to increase your ability to get work done (even the kind you don't like). Want to build your endurance and focus? 1. Create a to-do list of tasks or goals you want to accomplish. Set a timer for 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Be realistic about picking a time that is a stretch for your current skills. Remove the usual distractions, and hit start on the...
Human brains are great at doing routines (and habits and patterns), but stopping a bad habit is hard on our minds. If you want to drop a habit (like using your phone in bed), you must interrupt your routine at an earlier point in time. To successfully change that routine, you may need to move your charger away from your bed to a different side of the room. You could power it down, turn it off and set it on your nightstand. You can hand it to someone who will tell you NO when you ask for it. Creating an interruption ensures you won't just go back to the usual pattern. Interrupting your routine is just making one thing different to remind yourself about...
How do I get started when I am not motivated? Or even worse, what if I don’t want to even start? You are in luck; we’ve got some handy and quick tricks for you to try. Pick one from the list to gain momentum: Split the difference — Sometimes, you can’t get going because you think about what you wish you were doing instead. When that happens, try splitting the difference. Use a timer do whatever you want work on your project do whatever you want work on your project Beat the clock — if you can’t get started because it feels overwhelming, set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge yourself to see how much you can get done in 10 minutes. Brain...