Tips on focusing?

[LazyHermitCrab]

Anyone know how to concentrate well? :: Maybe some advice? I'm in college and every other sentence I read I think about random stuff. It takes over two hours to read one chapter in a book. This is because I walk around after each section because my mind is over thinking things that won't help to think about. My grades aren't horrible but after the class is over I don't remember anything and when I get out of college to attempt to get a job I’m afraid I won't truly know anything..

 

[EscapeArtist]

daily vigorous exercise done at least for a month dramatically increases my focus

 

[vj288]

Anyone know how to concentrate well? :: Maybe some advice? I'm in college and every other sentence I read I think about random stuff. It takes over two hours to read one chapter in a book. This is because I walk around after each section because my mind is over thinking things that won't help to think about. My grades aren't horrible but after the class is over I don't remember anything and when I get out of college to attempt to get a job I’m afraid I won't truly know anything..

I listen to music whenever I read, headphones on and not too loud. Whenever my mind starts to wounder it hits the music and then comes back. And you know what's coming next in a song, so you don't pay attention to it as much as you would think. Music without words may be better, but I don't have any instrumentals so I don't.

 

[Psychedelicious]

Focus Forks

If you really like seriously can't focus, you can try stimulants. Only take them if you actually need them though. I know the feeling of not being able to concentrate all too well. Meds help for me to be able to do one thing at a time, but it still doesn't stop the millions of thoughts from coming in at once.

 

[EscapeArtist]

Try to stay away from glutenous grains too. It's something I always preach, but it's thought to be a main cause for ADD and hence, distracted behavior.

 

[LazyHermitCrab]

Try to stay away from glutenous grains too. It's something I always preach, but it's thought to be a main cause for ADD and hence, distracted behavior.

Didn't know that.

 

[J.Christine.89]

Hey! I have the same problem. What I do is I try to jot down some key points once in a while. When I feel that my mind is starting to wander, I'll go back to where I started to not pay attention to what I was reading so that I can actually absorb that stuff. It's also very helpful to take breaks. If you're feeling groggy from reading too long, you definitely won't absorb anything. I usually get up and occupy myself with something else for a while and then go back to it. I start over fresh that way.

 

[worrywort]

Maybe you could keep a diary? Before you need to focus on anything, spend 20 minutes venting all your thoughts out into the diary, then maybe your head will feel clearer cause you'll know your thoughts are safely stored on paper.

 

[Daz]

Focus? Concentration? What are those things you speak of?

I can't switch off at all, I can't think like a normal person can. My thoughts are clouded, foggy like things!

It's so frustrating, my mind goes round in circles but I'm not actually thinking of anything! My mind is blank.

Although i constantly sing lyrics of songs in my mind, each minute of everyday.

It could be some sort of OCD, or maybe i just love music..a little too much

As for listening to music, to help concentrate.. That's a no-no, i just get caught up in the music

 

[Obstacle 1]

I have the same problem.. I am going to try breaking any study or reading down into blocks.. say 15 minutes at a time of full concentration and a few minutes break and slowly increase it. I found writing down the thoughts that are distracting you and what you will do about them 'at a later date' sometimes helps me put them to one side.

 

[Anomaly]

My grades aren't horrible but after the class is over I don't remember anything and when I get out of college to attempt to get a job I’m afraid I won't truly know anything..

Unless you're aiming for grad school, not many people care about what you learned. They want a generic piece of paper to tell them that you're more or less competent.

I find that if I read books for personal enjoyment more often, I can concentrate more effectively.