Monday, September 24, 2012

Maintain Mental Focus

Whether you're studying for an exam or trying to pay attention in a mundane business meeting, maintaining mental focus sometimes seems impossible. Finding ways to maintain mental focus is key to success in a fast paced world that often requires this type of intense cerebral attention.


Instructions


1. Eliminate distractions. When possible, remove yourself from the distraction. Turn off the ringer on the phone, go to a quiet room, get a babysitter or put your child down for a nap. Try not to allow distractions that can not be controlled to discourage you to a point to where they inhibit all progress. Taking a small amount of time to fix the situation will always produce at least a minimally better result.


2. Retain your goals. Keeping your goals in mind will inevitably make you focus harder. This is especially true when you cannot remove yourself from distractions. Focusing on your goal will prioritize what is more important and place good pressure on your shoulders.








3. Take a mental break. Although children generally have shorter attention spans, they do have some techniques that should be followed. Allowing your mind to wander for a little while will better enable you to focus when the time comes.








4. Train to maintain. Just as athletes train their bodies to maintain endurance, so should we with our minds when it comes to maintaining mental focus. Performing tasks that require mental focus often will train your mind to align to this specific zone quicker and for longer amounts of time the more you practice. Playing games such as chess or any type of task that requires you to maintain mental focus will slowly build your ability to concentrate.


5. Eat a healthy brain diet. Generally speaking, foods that burn slower will allow you the mental energy to maintain focus for longer periods of time. Studies have shown that the brain performs better when you eat slow burning calories such as oatmeal, trail mix and fruit. However foods that are high in sugar produce a counter affect as they burn quickly and often leave you feeling drained. As with any other aspect of health, maintaining mental focus has a lot to do with your diet.


6. Visit your doctor. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medication or make a suggestion of an over the counter supplement that may boost your brain's focus capacity.

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