The phone rings, an email notification pops up, an SMS beeps. It might be just me, however, when I try and “multitask”, all I end up doing is starting lots of things and finishing none. After years of trying to become more efficient and responsive, it has become apparent that I need a new approach, enter mindfulness exercises.
Stuck in Multitasking Hell
For a long time I was stuck deep in multitasking hell. While I’ve never been good at doing multiple things at once, multitasking was meant to be the savior. The concept was simple enough, work on many small multiple things at once, dance across the tasks completing bits and pieces, then in one spectacular push for the finish, miraculously complete all the open tasks simultaneously.
Oh dear I’ve lost concentration again…
The problem was concentration. Here’s a typical scenario. I might be working away on creating a lengthy work document. I open the document get two sentences into it and up pops an email. Ok, better take a look, right it’s just a two minute reply, I’ll multitask and I’ll do a quick reply right now. Bang, concentration smashed. Ok, back to the document, two paragraphs in and this time I get an SMS, again concentration destroyed. All the time the work document never gets finished.
Just like getting fit by doing weight-training exercises, I needed to improve my concentration using mindfulness exercises.
What are Mindfulness Exercises?
Mindfulness exercises are exercises for your brain. Just as muscles need a workout, so too does your brain. However, where you progressively increase weights to get results in a physical workout, you do the opposite when you do mindfulness exercise. Being mindful of something is to totally concentrate on that one thing. This requires you to remove physical distractions and only concentrate on the task at hand. In short you’re aiming to remove any “clutter” physically or in your mind.
How Mindfulness Exercises Can Help You Concentrate
Concentrating on one thing at a time and being totally consumed with that one “thing” is the core concept of being mindful, it’s also one of the key concepts of meditation. Rather than dive into full blown meditation, it’s easier to practice concentrating on a thing, or activity rather than just thoughts in your mind. As you remove distractions and go deeper into the “thing” you are doing you’ll find a sense of clarity, even a sense of peace. So people completely lose track of time because they are so “in the moment”.
Try This Mindfulness Exercise to Super Charge Your Concentration
Try this mindfulness exercise: next time you are doing something simple like writing a document or responding to a lengthy email, try to fully and completely concentrate on only doing that one thing. Put the phone on silent, don’t check your SMS, don’t think about the next task, don’t look at the time, just focus on the task in hand without deviation. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the task and start again. The better you become at this the more productive you will be.
To enhance your concentration and focus, and supercharge your mind for productivity, you should consider brainwave entrainment, which is a form of meditation. Ennora Meditation are well-know for providing the most powerful beats on the market, and I personally use their meditations 2-3 times each week. Check out the “Meditation Pack.” You get two recordings, Deep Concentration and Crystal Clear Mind. Listen to each 30 minute recording once every 2-days to sharpen your mind. Click here to check them out.
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