Concentration

Concentration, keeping your mind on what you are reading or studying, involves two
major skills or abilities--exclusion and focusing. If you can master some techniques in
using each of these skills, you will notice a change in your level of concentration.
Exclusion is the ability to exclude, or keep out distractions and interruptions that take
your mind off your reading or studying.
Focusing is the skill of directing your attention to the material you are studying.
EXCLUDING DISTRACTIONS
It will be impossible to eliminate all the sources of distraction and interruption, but if you
can control several of the factors which interfere with concentration, you will improve
your ability to concentrate.
Place:
The place, setting or physical location you choose for reading and study determines, in
part, the number of distractions or interruptions you will have. Choose a place to study
where there is a minimum of distraction. If your home or residence hall is too noisy,
study in a quiet place on campus. Try various student lounge areas, or check out study
areas in the library. Empty classrooms are also good possibilities.
Try to study in the same place rather than wherever it seems convenient at the time.
There is a psychological advantage to studying in the same place regularly. As with
many other activities, you build a mental association or connection between an activity
and the place where it occurs. If you sit down at a table set for dinner, for example, you
expect to eat dinner. If you always sit in the same comfortable chair to watch TV,
eventually you expect to relax and watch TV every time you sit in that chair. The same
psychological expectation applies to studying. If you become accustomed to studying at
a particular desk, you build up an association between the place, desk, and the studying.
Eventually, when you sit down at the desk, you expect to study. Your expectation makes
studying much easier; you do not have to convince yourself to study. Instead, you are
almost automatically ready to study when you sit down at the desk. Choose a place to
study not associated with another activity.
In choosing a regular place to study, be sure you do not select a place that you already
associate with a different activity. Don't try to study in your TV chair or stretched out
across your bed; you already have built associations with your chair and your bed as
places to relax or sleep.
Time of Day:
The time of day or night when you study also influences how easy or difficult it is to shut
out distractions. Most people have a time limit for how long they can keep their minds
on one thing. This is called attention span. Attention span changes from subject to

subject, from book to book, from lecturer to lecturer, and from one time of day to
another. People experience peaks and valleys in attention span at different times of the
day. Some people are very alert in the early morning; others find they are most alert at
midday or in the evening.
Become familiar with your attention span.
Read and study during the peaks of your attention span.
Avoid studying at times when you know you will be easily distracted.
Physical State:
How you feel physically greatly influences how well you can concentrate. If you are
tired or sleepy, concentration will be difficult. If you are hungry, you will find that your
thoughts drift toward what you'll have to eat when you're finished. If you feel sluggish,
inactive and in need of exercise, concentration will also be difficult. As you plan and
revise your study schedule, be sure to schedule studying at a time when physical needs
will not interfere or distract you from studying. Take advantage of increased mental
energy following exercise by scheduling study times soon after you work out.
Background Noise/Music:
Research suggests that the volume of background music that interferes with concentration
varies with individuals. A noise level that is distracting to one student may not disturb
another. The best way to find out how much background noise you can take is to try out
different levels and see which seems best suited for you. Try studying in complete
silence; then try soft music; then try other types of music. Keep trying different noise
situations until you have found that which is least distracting.

FOCUSING YOUR ATTENTION

Focusing your attention on what you are reading or studying is another skill that can be
learned and used to improve your concentration. There are a number of tricks and
techniques you can use to direct your attention to what you are reading or studying. As
you apply these techniques, you will find that your mind wanders less often and that you
are able to complete reading and studying assignments more efficiently. Give Yourself a
Goal:
Psychologically, reaching or achieving a goal is a positive, rewarding experience. For
each reading assignment you have to do or exam you have to study for, give yourself a
goal to work toward. Instead of just sitting down and beginning, first figure out how
much you can accomplish in a specific amount of time. Set a time limit and work toward
meeting it. Choose
Goals That Are Easy to Accomplish:
As you set a goal -- what you will try to accomplish in a given time frame, maybe 30
minutes to two hours -- be sure to choose relatively small amounts of material that can be
read or studied in correspondingly short amounts of time. When you finish, take a short
break. Then set another time goal for the next unit of material.

Reward Yourself:
Once you meet your goal, reward yourself with an activity you enjoy such as watching
TV, making phone calls, exercise, etc.
Get Interested in the Subject:
Interest is a major factor in keeping your attention focused on the subject you are
studying. While you cannot change a dull subject to make it interesting, there are a few
things you can do to create or develop your interest in the subject. Try the following
suggestions: 1. Read critically. As you read, look for ideas that you can question or
disagree with. Look for points of view, opinions, statements that are not supported. 2.
Try to predict or anticipate the author's thought. See if you can predict what the author is
leading up to or what point he or she will make next. 3. Try to connect, or see the
relationship between, new material and information you already have learned. Does the
new material expand, alter or contradict ideas you had before?
Pre-reading:
The technique of pre-reading will help focus your attention on what you are reading and
make concentration easier. To pre-read, skim the title, introduction, headings and
subheadings, graphics, summary, and list of terms. By pre-reading, you are developing a
mental outline of the reading material and a set of expectations or ideas about what the
material will contain. When you read the material completely, you will be confirming or
rejecting your expectations, and this will help to keep your mind on what you are reading.
Establish a Purpose:
The skill of setting a purpose for reading also helps focus your attention and contributes
to increased concentration. By pre-selecting certain things to look for as you read,
reading becomes an active, searching, question and answer process rather than a mere
recognition of words and ideas.
Combine Physical and Mental Activities:
Physical activities, such as writing and underlining, when combined with the mental
activities of reading, reviewing and memorizing, will help you focus your attention. By
underlining important ideas or taking notes on important things as you read, you are
forcing yourself to keep your mind active and involved.
Vary Your Activities:
The ability to focus on a particular subject will improve if you try not to force your
concentration on only one type of activity for a long period of time. You might plan your
study schedule so that you read sociology for a while, then work on math problems, and
finally switch to writing an English paper, with a short break between each. As you vary
the type and nature of your study activities, you are using different mental processes and
different skills. The change from one skill or mental process to another will be refreshing
and make concentration easier.
Keep a Distraction List:

As you are reading or studying, often you will think of something you should remember
to do. To overcome these mental reminders flashing through your mind as you study,
keep a distraction list. Have a separate sheet of paper nearby as you read or study. Each
time one of these mental reminders occurs, jot it down.
Build Your Attention Span:
As mentioned earlier, your attention span is the length of time you can keep your mind
focused on a particular subject without any interference or distraction. An easy way to
increase your attention span is to keep track of how many times you are distracted during
a specified period of time. Each time you think about something other than what you are
studying, make a mark of the paper. Total up your marks at the end of the specified time.
Check yourself again, and try to reduce the number of distractions by ten percent. Do not
keep this tally every time you read or study something, or you will rely on the technique
to force your concentration. Instead, use it once every few days until you have
sufficiently increased your concentration.
From: College Reading and Study Skills by Kathleen T. McWhorter