How to become very attentive. Get rid of things that distract you

The topic of today's material: how to be attentive at work. To become successful in any activity, you need to be very attentive and be able to concentrate well. Unfortunately, throughout working day our attention gradually weakens. Experts say that there are several types of attention that are activated in a person’s mind depending on the type of activity.

To make it easier and faster to assimilate unfamiliar information, you need to remain interested and learn to connect the type of attention that best suits the current moment.

Such attention must be present in a person during the performance of a task that requires the performer to maximum concentration and the inability to be distracted from the work at hand. In such an environment, you should be completely absorbed and not perceive extraneous stimuli.

Directed Attention

This type of attention is necessary when performing several tasks at the same time. It is extremely difficult to combine several functions at once. But we can handle it easily not an easy task when we perform similar manipulations, if different activities can be combined or combined with each other.

Selective attention

There are times when you have to react to all external stimuli in time. In such a situation, you can independently choose the object of increased attention and disconnect from everything that interferes with the work. Each person has the ability to work on one thing, but at the same time be ready, if necessary, to switch to another.

Active Interest

Such attention should be included when you respond to all external stimuli and examine all the information coming to you. You take in information and think about plausible decisions. And finally, you choose.

Passive attention

In an environment where your mind slowly floats with the flow, it picks up external stimuli, but cannot adequately respond to them. In this state, you shy away from making decisions. Do not rush to express your judgments until a certain moment when you are able to think actively.

How to increase your mindfulness

Carrying out urgent and important work, you need to learn to ignore both internal and external influence . Your personal thoughts are just as distracting as external stimuli.
Complete all minor preliminary work until you start doing the main thing.
Determine start and completion dates for work. This will create a slight tension, which will activate the brain.
Some time before you start work, take a walk fresh air. You can drink tea or coffee - it helps efficient work brain
Come up with a special setting for yourself to activate your attention. You can use commands, for example: “Focus!”, “Forward!” or other. Before work, repeat this setup for action several times. Send an active impulse to your own mind as needed.
When attention wanes, massage your temples.
As you read, follow the lines with a pencil. This will surely help your eyes focus in in the right place and keep your attention.
Take your eyes off your work and look straight ahead if you feel your sensitivity weakening. Try not to look up, as such a gaze promotes thoughtfulness and philosophical thinking.
Tap your fingers from time to time. Sometimes it helps to concentrate.
In each task, determine for yourself what interests you most. Routine at work is the main enemy of attention.

True sensitivity in any human activity requires the ability to think about a situation, and the ability to maintain attention on current aspects.

Are you always leaving things behind somewhere? Can't remember the phone number or address you need? Do you answer inappropriately and make a bunch of mistakes in work where such errors are not needed? Everyone has bad days, and what can I say - small troubles happen to us every day. It’s good if we can draw conclusions from them, remember the algorithm of actions in similar situation and just step over them, leaving all the bad things in the past.

Whatever they say about limitless possibilities our brain (for example, that in memory we can store as much information as is contained in the entire collection of books of the Lenin Library), but sometimes it is simply impossible to retain in memory everything that is required of us. Then attentiveness and memory develop a small crack, from which the information we need begins to slip out. Sometimes such cracks arise without our knowledge and are completely beyond our control.

How to become attentive? How can you make sure that you don’t make a single mistake in your business, remember everything the first time, and can easily amaze those around you with your phenomenal memory?

First of all, don't expect too much from your mind. If you load your brain to the limit, then nervous system can easily fail, and this can turn into a real disaster. The first thing is correct in order to be attentive - know when to stop.

As you know, in order for your brain to work smoothly and for a long period of time, you need to give yourself a break. It's about as well as a full night's sleep, when you are fully restored, and short breaks in work - especially if you work at a computer. Try to do every half hour small break, thereby you will give your eyes rest, and this is extremely important. After all, when your vision becomes overtired, your brain instantly becomes overtired. In addition, a tenacious, keen eye can be “overwritten” in the process of work and you can miss an annoying mistake, which could have been completely avoided if you had rechecked the work with a fresh, “unclouded” look.

The second rule of an attentive person is to take your time! There are, of course, those who do everything quickly and easily, as they say - work is burning in their hands. But there are very few such people, and, as usual, such abilities are well known to their owners. Even if you can work just as quickly, having such a lucky opportunity, you still shouldn’t rush. It is better to work slowly, but carefully and thoughtfully, than quickly, but superficially and without delving into the essence of the work. Scrupulous, calm work also implies the third rule of an attentive person - always double-check.

Don't be lazy to set aside some time to once again check that you have taken everything with you, that all aspects of the work have been completed, and that all your questions have been asked. Double-checking also means asking again: believe me, it’s better to ask again than to judge by fragments of what you hear in the style of “I hear a ringing, but I don’t know where it is.” And, of course, it’s better to get up once and check if all the things are in your bag and pockets than to return to the place where you forgot the necessary item.

The fourth rule of mindfulness is: don’t get distracted! When doing any business, devote yourself completely to it, thereby the coefficient of your useful activity will be high and remain so. We are all Caesars only in theory, and it only seems to us that, for example, music helps us work. Yes, perhaps classical instrumental music from certain composers gives a somewhat similar effect, but for the most part, everything that goes beyond the scope of our current activity is incredibly distracting and interferes with us. This is how these very cracks appear, through which our attentiveness slips away - here we ourselves are to blame for their appearance.

The fifth rule for being attentive is to develop your memory! This is perhaps the main key to mindfulness. There are simply a million methods for developing memory. The simplest of them is to watch some video, be it a movie, or a short episode of a TV series, and then try to present the content in as much detail as possible in writing or orally, if possible. After this, check yourself - how many details are missing, how many storylines Did you miss anything, did you notice a lot of interesting things?

This way, you will learn to squeeze the most information out of what you see. Also in a useful way there will be a summary of the contents of a recently read book, and for those heard, a retelling of the lyrics of the song in your own words. In addition, studying foreign languages- this is how you train your memory, and develop attentiveness, and enrich your intellect.

There aren’t many attentive people today, and that’s why most people ask how become attentive person, what needs to be done for this, what are the secret techniques, exercises, tips. Anyone can develop mindfulness, but the main thing is to know why you need it. It is impossible to develop mindfulness unless you have specific purpose, why do you need it and whether it will be useful in life.

In this article you will learn how to become attentive , what needs to be done to develop attention in everything, is this possible for an inattentive person who is already long years doesn't notice anything around him. After all, if you look back, every person will see how beautiful our World is and how much good there is in it.

You need to want

To become mindful, you simply need to want to be mindful and begin to become willing to see things that you haven't seen before. It all depends on what exactly you want to be careful about. A person cannot be attentive in absolutely everything, but only in what he wants to see. If you are not attentive, for example, at work, you need to awaken in yourself the desire to see things that you have not seen before and love your job.

Concentrate on one subject

Love everything around you

To become mindful in everything, you need to love everything that surrounds you. The person who loves life sees more than others, he does not live in the past, not in the future, he lives in the moment and appreciates every second of his life, living it with love and positive emotions.

Clear your mind of unnecessary things

Do what you enjoy

To become attentive , you need to stop torturing yourself and deceiving yourself. If you can’t be attentive to something, then it’s not your thing and you don’t like it all. Find your purpose, your favorite thing, your job, then you won’t need to think about how to become attentive, since everything will happen automatically. We remember what we love faster and more naturally.

Often in childhood we hear the following phrases: “How inattentive you are!”, “You always ignore everything!”, “You don’t remember anything like old people” and something like that. And due to their young age, for many these phrases sound like a sentence. A person forever remembers that he is not able to concentrate on anything, that such professions as a machinist, pilot, intelligence officer, surgeon or even programmer do not shine in his life. Because of this, such a teenager’s subconscious choice may fall on humanitarian sciences, even if you have good abilities in natural science, technical and mathematical disciplines. This is how one categorical remark from a parent or teacher can affect the fate of a child or student as a whole. After all, a child does not understand that attentiveness is something that can be developed in oneself, and a situation, often momentary, can be turned in one’s favor. A negative assessment from an adult can only concern a specific moment, but the unquestioned authority of an elder can elevate it to an absolute. To the little man there is nothing to oppose, he does not yet have the opportunity to refute comments with reason, and sometimes he is not allowed. But something needs to be done about this, and before you give up on your crankcase because you have “since childhood - sclerosis", you can turn the situation around the right direction. But first we need to understand whether the concept of mindfulness is static when applied to to a specific person and will it really be possible to develop it?

What is mindfulness and can it be developed?

Mindfulness is the ability to concentrate thoughts and consciousness on one thing or task. But the task itself may be such that it will not be possible to concentrate on just one thing. For example, a driver concentrates on driving a car, but at the same time he is obliged to monitor the road, the signs placed on it, the markings, other cars and pedestrians. At the same time, he is obliged to remember and follow the traffic rules so as not to act rashly. The driver has to listen to the sound of the engine and monitor the instruments in order to understand the condition of the this moment his car is located. He also has to pay attention to weather, affecting the adhesion of the wheels to the road and the visibility of objects. There is so much to consider at the same time, and a person learns all of this, usually as an adult. Attention needs to be trained, and this can be done not only in childhood, but also for a fully grown person. There are many types of “mental gymnastics” that also force us to be attentive. And such exercises work wonders even with those about whom in childhood they said that they “count crows” or “take information from the ceiling.” A good parent will always find ways to game form teach your child to concentrate on the task at hand. Often this is facilitated even computer games, so they should not be prohibited in the house, but choose ones that are useful for training attention. The gameplay will help an adult train attentiveness in the same way as a child. Perhaps children will need less time for this, since they are more open to perception than an already accomplished person. An adult will most likely still have to overcome a psychological barrier if it was once set by parents or school.

Top ways to develop your mindfulness

To start developing your attentiveness, it is better to first take a test that will show whether you are actually unable to concentrate, or whether it is just an attitude you received from childhood. It is quite possible that everything is fine with you, but your parents, “out of good intentions,” constantly reminded you that you “messed up something, as always,” or that you are as absent-minded as the hero of Marshak’s poem . By the way, absent-mindedness may just indicate that a person is completely absorbed in some difficult mental task on which he is currently concentrated. It is enough just to remember such a stamp as socks or boots different color on the feet of... a scientist! It turns out that mindfulness is also relative concept. A student who looks out the window can count all the birds on the tree there or say exactly how many television antennas are on the roof of the opposite house, how many cats usually walk on it, and what color they are. At the same time, he is absolutely not concentrated on what the teacher is explaining. However, this is a reason to check how interesting the teacher is giving the lesson, rather than attributing inattention to the student. If you are still skeptical about your ability to selectively perceive reality, then you need to work on yourself. And this can be done using special exercises and games. And this is not drilling yourself, but quite interesting and exciting activities. Today, the top ways to develop mindfulness include:

external stimuli

To understand how carefully you perceive information, you can try to answer the test questions. You need to choose the correct answer from those given. 1. The doctor prescribed Vasily to take four tablets, every half hour. He gave the first one to the patient right in the office. When will Vasily stop taking these pills?

a) in an hour; b) in an hour and a half; c) in two hours.2. The total age of the two brothers is 11 years. The age difference is 10 years. How old are both brothers?

a) 1 year and 10 years; b) six months and 10.5 years; c) 1 year and 11 years.3. How many months in a year have 28 days?

a) 6; b) 12; c) 1.4. A plane flying from country A to country B crashed. Where will plane crash survivors be buried?

a) in the country over which the accident occurred; b) neither in A nor in B; c) each in his own homeland.5. What kind of milk do kittens like best?

a) cow; b) cat; c) formula.

Answers

The correct answers are hidden under the letter “b”. If you chose these answers in most cases, then you can be congratulated for your good attention. If you were more often inclined to answer “c,” then you are trying to approach questions meaningfully, but you still need to work on your logic of thinking. If most of the answers were under the letter “a,” then most likely you did not think about the task at all. Detailed analysis1. If Vasily took a pill in the doctor’s office, then he will take the next one in half an hour, the third in an hour, and the last one in an hour and a half. 2. If the older brother was 10 years old, and the younger brother was one year old, then they would have a difference of not 10, but 9 years. If the eldest was 11 years old and the youngest was one year old, then together they would be 12 years old. So the option remains: six months + 10.5 years. 3. There is a 28th day in every month. 4. If people survived the accident, then why bury them? 5. Cats are mammals, which means cat milk exists. This is what suits kittens best, and they love it more than the milk of other animals.

The same computer solitaire games that secretaries are usually scolded for are good games on attentiveness and logic. Another thing is that you shouldn’t do them at the expense of your main job. And if you also need to develop a reaction, then arcade games are perfect, simple in plot, but not allowing you to be distracted. Examples could be Zuma or Tetris, Bubbles or Arkanoid. When you need to develop attention to detail, then “shooting games” and “adventure games” will come to the rescue. This will also be facilitated by various simulators of driving a car, an airplane, a locomotive, or even an intergalactic spaceship. If you already have to spend a lot of time at the monitor, then you can free time train attentiveness using Sudoku, Japanese crossword puzzles or other logical problems, which are published in newspapers and magazines. Entire collections are also published. interesting tasks, which are difficult for even an adult to cope with. At the peak of popularity is such entertainment as quests in reality. This is where you need to apply both attention and intelligence to solving problems! And you can't say that it's boring.

Riddles and attentiveness tasks

Attention is not just about remembering visual images, this is also the perception of information by ear. U different nations Since ancient times, there have been riddles, with the help of which not only wit was tested, but auditory memory, as well as the actual ability to perceive various details by ear. This is exactly the case when you can’t ignore anything if you want to give the correct answer. For example, this riddle:

“A flock was flying. Quite small. How many birds were there, and what were they like?!”

Of course, we can say that it has no solution, but if the person guessing it slightly softens the sound “m” in the word “absolutely”, and even plays it up with intonation, then this is what you get: A flock of seven owls was flying - small. How many in were there birds, and what were they? Answer: seven owls. Or this problem with a trick:

“There is a casket under the water, there are 33 pearls in it. The sticky fish liked them, and she stole all but 12. How many pearls were left in the casket?

An inattentive person will indulge in arithmetic and begin to subtract 12 from 33. But it is precisely 12 pearls that remain in the casket, since the fish stuck to them was unable to capture them.

How to improve attention with special pictures

And yet, a person receives 90% of information through vision. That is why so much attention is paid to pictures to train the ability to concentrate.

In addition to paired pictures with a certain number differences, there are other test options:

homogeneous objects

geometric figures

The picture is often available to us for a long time, but there are tests in which a picture is given only for a certain number of seconds or minutes, and during this time you need to remember the location and number of objects, as well as name them.

How to become more attentive to detail

This can be achieved through training. Many people are surprised by scenes from detective films, where the detective asks witnesses if they remember the license plate number of the car that left the crime scene. How can you remember this? Not the color of the car, not its make, not the type of body (sedan, station wagon, convertible, etc.) or even the size, namely the number? After all, this is the last thing a person pays attention to in life. So, try to become a reliable witness: learn to pay attention to the license plates of the cars that are parked near your home or the building in which you work. Remember the make of each car, pay attention to who drives it:

a woman or a man; an elderly person or a young lady; what clothes this subject prefers, etc. This detective game will captivate you and teach you to notice little things that you previously passed by indifferently. You can also see what kind of hubcaps are on the wheels of these cars, whether there is a fragrance or toy hanging behind the glass, and whether there is a child seat in the car. Then you won’t recognize yourself when you start to notice these cars with your vision even in the flow of traffic while driving. If you use it when commuting to work public transport, then you can remember what color the tram or bus you rode on today was. Do you take the subway? There, the seats in the cars are arranged in such a way that it is convenient to unobtrusively look at the passengers, of course, if there are not too many people. You can note what the women are wearing - trousers, skirts or dresses. In the off-season, you can see who is wearing boots, who is wearing ankle boots, and who continues to wear shoes or sneakers in spite of the weather. If you are not shy about looking at someone’s face, then pay attention to which of the passengers wears glasses and what kind of frame they have – metal or plastic. On the other hand, no matter how enthusiastically you look at other people, you must remain vigilant, and not only so as not to miss your station, but also so as not to lose ticket or avoid becoming a victim of a pickpocket. It seems like this simple task will teach you to be attentive to details even better than studying with books.

Many resources encourage adults to meditate, but don't explain how to do it. Just sit in the lotus position, close your eyes and not think about anything? But how then will this increase attentiveness? In fact, meditation helps not to fixate attention on one or several objects, but to concentrate. This process teaches you not to be distracted by little things. The purpose of meditative exercises is to understand yourself, to hear the call of your own soul and through it to comprehend the laws of the Universe. It sounds loud and pretentious, but these classes help you not to waste time on trifles, not to be absent-minded, and to quickly tune in to work and to accomplish a specific goal. And how exactly you need to meditate is worth looking at on the websites eastern schools. If you try to find full information about meditation on the website of the yoga section, then this may turn out to be a futile attempt, since they will never reveal all the secrets there, but will kindly offer to come to the classes in person, and for money. better situation and with trainings. This coach can hammer into you the truth that you are a successful person, etc., because for this he receives money from you. Personal effectiveness classes also include a course to improve attentiveness or concentration. After the training, you will be on a positive wave, but it is not a fact that without consolidation, your attentiveness will improve. Therefore, you need to work on yourself by conducting regular classes, and not shell out money for what they promised to teach you to be attentive in one day. Whatever one may say, a person develops a habit of something in 40 days. You will have to devote approximately the same amount of time to self-study in order to achieve results and consolidate them. If you are purposefully developing new habits, then do not give up this activity very quickly. The first results may not make themselves felt from the first attempts. And the consolidation of a different way of thinking may not occur in a month. Set yourself up for a month and a half at once, and then you will be able to achieve success.

Exercises to improve concentration

Scientists have noticed one phenomenon: best successes in mathematics, writing and reading were observed in children who simultaneously school activities learn to play musical instruments. What's the catch here? After all, a child’s mind is even more loaded if he learns in addition to the usual primary school disciplines also music. When playing an instrument, a person usually uses two hands. On plucked strings or bowed instruments the left hand clamps the frets on the fingerboard, while the right hand actually vibrates the strings - with fingers, a pick or a bow. But at the same time, the hands act harmoniously. The hemispheres of the brain also work harmoniously. If your plans do not include mastering any musical instrument(and not only strings are suitable, but wind instruments, percussion instruments, etc.), then you can try to draw different figures with both hands at the same time. Left hand(if you are right-handed) you can practice it separately ahead of time if you cannot portray anything with it at all. Now start drawing circles with one hand, and angular shapes with the other: triangles, squares, rhombuses. Do this at the same time. Along the way, when you walk your usual route, you can also train your concentration. You meet a neighbor, remember his name, pay attention to his clothes, note some remarkable object in it, for example, a colorful tie or a new handbag. Now mentally make up pairs of words: “Ivan Valerievich - a tie like Lenin’s” or “Praskovya Petrovna - a handbag made of crocodile skin.” Such funny associations will help you remember both the person’s name and his image. If you have a good auditory memory, then read it out loud phone numbers acquaintances from a notebook. Do it with eyes closed. You will see that it is easy for you to remember information that you previously obtained exclusively from a notebook. With good visual memory can be invented for numbers interesting images or choose a different color for each of them. Now try to remember the numbers written in notebook. This way you will train both memory and attentiveness.

Video on attentiveness

There are many options available today for video sequences containing attentiveness tests. It is especially interesting to test yourself when viewing moving objects. A popular video suggests counting the number of passes a team makes. At the same time, a man appears among the players performing a dance in a bear costume. While the tested individual is counting passes, he does not see this “bear” among the players at all. This is followed by a warning that you need to be careful on the roads and not miss any details. Very instructive! As can be seen from the examples and tests, you can and should work on your attentiveness. There is no need to be timid in the face of imaginary barriers once set by those people whom we considered authoritative for ourselves. It’s not too late to develop as an adult, including learning to be attentive.

It's easy to get distracted during a conversation, meeting, or working on a report. Fortunately, each of us can learn mindfulness. If you need to complete a task or focus on a conversation, you can force your brain to focus on that aspect. It also doesn't hurt to develop sustained mindfulness.

Steps

Focus on the task

Make a to-do list. Divide each task into smaller actions. Complete each action and cross it off the list. This approach will give your work direction and serve as additional motivation.
- For example, if you need to write an article, the task may include the following points: make an outline, read three sources, write an introduction, or make edits.
- At a particular moment in time you need to focus on only one action. Multitasking reduces productivity.
Set a time frame. Whenever possible, try to limit the amount of time you spend on complex, time-consuming, or boring tasks. Set a timer to motivate yourself and get things done ahead of time. After the signal, take a break or move on to another task.
- For example, set aside an hour to research materials for essays or half an hour to respond to letters.
Use a change of activities. Don't work on one task for a long time, otherwise you risk getting tired and bored, causing your mind to wander. Complete one part of the task and temporarily switch to something else. It could be another work task or a relaxing activity.
- You can spend half an hour or an hour at work current case and then move on to another task. After some time, return to the original project.
- Change activities. For example, read first, then write, then make a call and return to reading again.
- For example, spend one hour doing your taxes, then make an important call or write responses to incoming emails. When you're done, go back to taxes.
Return to the task if you get distracted. If you find yourself thinking about something else, then force yourself to return to current task. If necessary, do exercises or jogging on the spot to invigorate and clear your mind.
- The more often you do this, the easier it will be for you. Soon you will learn to automatically move away from less useful thoughts and concentrate on the important task.
Listen and don't get distracted
1. Ask for clarification if you get distracted. If during a conversation you notice that you are thinking about something else, then ask the other person to clarify the last point or repeat what was said earlier.
  - Say, “What did you mean when you said he left?” - or: “Can you go back, since I got a little distracted?”
  - You can also summarize what the person said to help you think about their words. For example, say: “It seems that your boss doesn’t particularly like you,” or: “I understand that we need to finish this project as soon as possible.”
2. Look your interlocutor in the eyes. At eye contact It’s easier for a person to concentrate on the conversation. Even if you are listening to a speaker in a crowd, look into his face or eyes to be attentive.
  - No need to watch without blinking. From time to time, look at your hands or at the table, and then return to your interlocutor and look into the eyes.
3. Use self-stimulation or draw squiggles. Short, repetitive activities like self-stimulation or drawing can help you listen carefully. From time to time, finger an object in your hands, such as a paperclip, pen, or hair tie. If you like to draw, then you can sketch.
  - It's better to do this under the table so as not to distract other people.
  - If your mind starts to wander, wiggle your toes or feet to alert yourself.
4. Do not draw conclusions until the interlocutor has finished speaking. It's easy to get lost in your own thoughts, ideas, or perspectives while another person is monologuing. Try to be an open-minded person and don't think about your ideas while the person is speaking.
  - Forget about disparaging thoughts like: “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” or: “It’s not like that at all.” They prevent you from listening and perceiving key arguments.
  - If you listen to part of your interlocutor’s words, you may miss important ideas and not understand his train of thought.
Cultivate Long-Term Mindfulness
1. Find out your productive periods. Some people find it convenient to work in the evening. Others are effective in the morning. Leave the most difficult and time-consuming tasks for periods of greatest attention and efficiency.
  - If you don't know when it's most convenient for you to work, try doing the task at different time days. Work in the morning, lunch, afternoon and evening to choose the optimal period.
  - For example, if you are productive early in the morning, set an alarm and get up early!
  - Schedule breaks for times when you find it difficult to concentrate. For example, if you start to fall asleep at lunchtime, then take a break at 2 pm and go for a walk or drink coffee.
2. Learn to meditate. Meditation increases mindfulness and awareness, which affects the ability to concentrate. Close your eyes, start taking deep, long breaths and watch your breath. Start with 5 minutes of meditation a day and gradually increase the duration of your sessions.
  - Meditation increases awareness in this moment time.
  - If necessary, you can meditate at your desk or in the library.
  - Learn to accept any task that needs to be completed. If you become aware of the present moment, your mindfulness will increase.
3. Examine your top distractions. Notice when you get distracted so you can figure out why. Are you thinking about what to eat for lunch? ABOUT current project or conversation?
  - Try writing down your thoughts at such moments. Buy a notepad and write down all the thoughts that distract you.
  - If you check your phone frequently, put it in a drawer until you finish working.
  - If at work you constantly check incoming mail or notifications in social networks, then download an app that will help you track and eliminate these distractions (AppBlock, StayFocused, AntiSocial).