Concentration
Concentration
What do you picture when you think of this word?
I see a Tibetan monk by a vast row of oil lamps, absorbed in deep, focused meditation, with only the wild mountain wind howling. Or a serene capybara with a tangerine on its head, sitting in a hot spring.
Concentration is a powerful tool. The state of flow we occasionally enter is valuable, especially during intellectual work. But it is not really the thing I am talking about.
Because such “concentration” has little in common with that of a monk — at least, the objects of focus differ.
But one factor that actually creates this concentrations is “not getting distracted.”
So, it’s very simple — distraction interrupts concentration. I wish concentration could disrupt distractions, by default, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way out of box.
Just think bout how easy it is for us to get distracted.
Get distracted by a sound. Get distracted by an itch behind the knee. Get distracted simply because we want to be distracted.
The last one is especially frightening. Our brains are bombarded with tons of information from the internet, short funny cat videos, and nightmarish news. All of this triggers a response in us, delivering us something.
Anything to distract us from concentration, from deep thinking, because deep thinking is hard.
Procrastination is a brain’s defensive mechanism, entirely normal and provided as a resource saver.
The problem is that we now have too many opportunities for distraction.
I’m not telling you to delete Instagram or Facebook — that’s entirely your business, but I feel much better and my work results are much more productive when I don’t touch my phone or log into social media from my work device.
I’m also not suggesting you start meditating like Tibetan monks, sitting cross-legged in a Tibetan cave, as the boredom might be too much to bear, especially at first.
Damn, how it’s scary to be alone with ourselves and our thoughts making first steps in this thing.
But still
Check your screen time (I believe it available on both Android and iOS) — perhaps there lies a resource that can help you achieve greater success.
Spending 20 minutes on Instagram watching reels may seem like an insignificant “investment in your relaxation.”
I strongly disagree with that.
If I were offered an extra 20 minutes of wakefulness right now, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second with such a deal.
With those additional 20 minutes, you can accomplish a lot.
With an extra 2-3 minutes, you can accomplish a great deal!
You can start creating a narrative. There’s a Japanese technique called Kaizen.
The principle is simple — we start adopting a useful habit beginning with 1 minute today, 2 minutes tomorrow, and so on.
It works because frequency beats intensity.
How many times have you started something on a Monday? And even if you started, you went at it so hard that afterward, you never wanted to do it again in your life?
Kaizen is applicable to concentration. Seriously, try starting with one minute of focused concentration today. And maybe even one minute tomorrow, and only two or three minutes the day after.
Building neural networks, forging this pathway of “calm” and “non-distraction” in the brain is a game-changer, not only for work but for life in general.
By developing the skill of non-distraction, we automatically become more attentive and aware of ourselves. By becoming more attentive and aware, we gain the ability to not get distracted not only by external things but also by internal ones, ultimately — not getting as distracted as we’re used to, and not engaging so deeply in destructive emotions like anger or fear, or nonsense like imposter syndrome.
Where to start
Start by understanding your type.
Almost a foolproof option is breath meditation.
But I’ve met extremely anxious people who, trying to meditate on their breathing, were terribly afraid and felt as though they were suffocating.
Of course, they weren’t actually suffocating. They were just terrified of paying attention to something that usually happens automatically.
If you don’t like focusing on your breathing for this or any other reason, you can choose any other object and monitor it.
Some sound? Space marine statuette from your table? Not a big deal.
In case of sound don’t pick Slamming Death Core, okay? Use something monothonic like ambient or bowls, okay?
The exercise is simple:
- Start monitoring your “object”
- Notice your mind wandering
- Start monitoring it again, CALMLY!!!
Many people start scolding themselves — “Damn, I’m so stupid! I can’t look at the statuette for more than 3 seconds without thinking about something else”
Don’t scold yourself, having thoughts is normal. You are a living person, just start monitoring your object again. Endure a little, the interval between “start monitoring” and “thoughts about X appeared, and I didn’t immediately realize I was distracted” will gradually increase.
And then, you will start noticing distractions more quickly. Sooner and sooner, you will notice the moment of distraction.
At some point, you will notice the distraction instantly, return your attention to your object of observation same second.
Congratulations, you’ve learned to meditate.
The ability to look inside your mind, to deepen this skill, is one of the best discoveries that happened to me in life.
I promise you, this is a foolproof skill worth acquiring to become better and more successful in any area of life.
Are you the guide of your body and mind, or a passive follower living on autopilot?
The answer is somewhere in the middle.