How to improve concentration?

Concentration                         
The primary thing we have to know is:  “Our cognitive power is few (126 bits/sec as quoted by some researchers) bits/sec. That means, at any instant our mind cannot take information more than this. This is a processing limit, we can say.”
‘Concentration on something’ = ‘to allocate 90-100bits/sec of our cognitive power on that work’.
‘Our mind leaps around the world’ = ‘there are some more interesting things to you and they are trying to get some bits of your cognitive power. If they succeed, you will get that thought’. Then how to make other things less interesting?  We will see that…
The more bits allocated, there is less scope for other thoughts to enter into our mind.  Keep this in mind for further understanding.
This is a formal treat of what is actually concentration.  Let’s come to the things, I wanted you to observe.

While playing a game:

·         We are alert.
·         Our mind is completely occupied leaving a few bits for concentrating on body activities. (A professional player can spend all his cognitive power on the game itself, becoming unconscious about his body)
·         If the cognitive power (CP) is occupied by any other thing (even the feeling ‘I have to win’/’I am losing’), then the concentration on game decreases.

While reading a novel:

It’s a long story wound around some interesting characters and their behaviors. As you are reading that, you usually (knowingly/unknowingly)  –
1.       Think about what is next.
2.       Analyze the behavioral aspects of characters.
3.       Expect the coming incidents or conversations.
4.       If you get any doubt
a.       You will go back to the page, where you can get the answer. (or)
b.      You will think to resolve by yourself, by analyzing what you have read till now. (or)
c.       If you know somebody have read that book, you will ask them (unprobable)
5.       Get excited of the incidents happening.
6.       Satisfaction
a.       Satisfied, if the story gives a good feel
b.      Not satisfied, if it is against your instincts and far from reality.
7.       Bored, if whatever you are expecting, it is given as it is.. without any twists in the story.
8.       Occupied, with the characters and their behaviors.

From previous discussion we can get some clues about how to improve our concentration on studying.

While we are studying

To maintain maximum bits on study –

Reduce the things, which are more interesting than the subject you are going to learn.

There are two sticks, one is longer and other is shorter.  If I ask you to make the shorter one, LONGER, What will you do?
Simple solution…       Just break the longer one to be shorter than the ‘shorter stick’. Similarly, to get more interest on study than the thoughts which are haunting your mind, you can either increase your interest on the subject or decrease the interest on the thoughts.
HOW?
To increase interest on subject:
o   Once think of the use of studying that subject. (for e.g. we can get 10-12 marks in GATE so that we can easily sail through GATE).
o   Next step is ‘Be specific’ (unless our mind won’t listen us). Be excited and feel satisfaction and get happy of learning each concept one by one. “I am now ABLE to do any problem of this kind. OK, Let me go through the next model/problem”. Then our mind says “OK boss, I am much excited of this achievement. Let’s get more”
To reduce or cut interest on thoughts:
Every thought has an opportunity for getting rid of it from our mind.
Our mind is really an innocent guy. It trusts, whatever we say to it generously. We have to use it for our benefit.  If it doesn’t listen in one way, we can convince it in other way. We have to find the way of convincing our mind.

Reduce the things within subject, that make you bored of that subject

It does NOT mean that you have to leave some concepts. Things here means
§  Un-clarified doubts (most of people cannot move further with their doubts un-clarified and it leads to loss of interest in that subject/concept).
·         Don’t let any of your questions UNANSWERED – B S Murthy sir
·         Don’t think as “As this is my doubt, so how can I clarify it myself?
Doubts can be either conflicting things in your mind (these come out of misunderstanding of concepts) or not understanding (due to lack of enough pre requisite concepts)
How to deal with doubts Then?
·         First identify whether it came out of misunderstanding or Not-understanding.  If it came by the latter case, try to go back and learn missing concepts. Additional benefit is ‘strengthening of basics’. It would never be a wasteful process. But, do not forget why you have gone back and try to come to your actual preparation point soon.
·         If that doubt is of misunderstanding type (two different thoughts are conflicting and you are unable to justify which is wrong? / How both can be true?), once search, where is the possibility of misunderstanding in each concept, which is conflicting.  Additional benefit is ‘proper understanding of concepts’.
·         If time limitations do not permit the above two: Ask somebody else… But try to at least justify their answer. And discuss with them, if you still have conflicts.
Clarification of doubts gives immense pleasure of studying. Clarifying doubts by your-self, gives extreme excitement of learning.

Create a nice place for study:

a.       Keep surroundings neat.
b.      Do not use the study place to ANY other purpose. And do not study wherever you want.
c.       Keep the study place calm.
d.      Keep yourself neat and tidy.
e.      Keep yourself healthy. (everybody knows, how ‘cold’ effects our preparation)
f.        Leave entertainment (phone, television, video games) at door step and start edutainment.
g.       Have at least 6 hours of sound sleep every day. Yandamuri says – Have a one-two hour nap in the afternoon, your evening will be as fresh as morning. Some doctors say – sleeping during day time is not good for health. I can’t justify any of them. Just follow whatever favors you.
h.      Stick some inspiring quotes/pictures to the walls/PC as sticky notes. You can make a countdown calendar.
i.        Do not sleep at study place. If you want a nap go to bed somewhere else. [optional]

Still if mind does not listen to you:


Use ‘punishment’. Take a promise to yourself – “I will keep myself away from so and so things so that I can concentrate much”. Try to follow that.  Once, you get enough interest on the subject by above mentioned techniques, your mind won’t disturb you. Instead, it follows your way.

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