The art of concentration madrid

Management Breakfast

Concéntrate

with

Harriet Griffey Writer, journalist and performance coach, and a regular contributor to British

newspapers and magazines

Madrid, January 19th, 2011

What is concentration?

Concentrate ~ to direct or draw towards a

common centre, purpose, or the like; focus, to focus one’s thoughts and attention ~

What does concentration look like?

"For this invention of yours will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn it, by causing them to neglect their memory, inasmuch as, from their confidence in writing, they will recollect by the external aid of foreign symbols, and not by the internal use of their own faculties...”

Plato, 400 BC

fMRI scanning

What is the art of concentration?

The ‘art of concentration’ is to apply what we know of…

• Ourselves (ie. personality types, interests,motivations, etc.)

• what works for us…

• … and what doesn’t

• what we do to prevent ourselves from concentrating

• and what we could do to create a better chance of concentrating

…through observation, reflection and practice.

Concentration…

… then becomes an active choice & something which we can manage & utilise to our advantage…

What gets in the way of concentration?

External factors…

DistractionsOn average, it takes 15 minutes to re-focus after every distraction…

Turn it off…

• Email alert• Mobile phone• Telephone (use answerphone)• Social networking sites• TV• Radio• Anything that distracts you!

Multi-tasking?

Cognitive scientist David Meyer says:

“Multi-tasking is always going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes.

Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information…”

Internal factors…

Low energy… & tiredness…

Negative thinking…

Mood…

What can you do…?

Breakfast…

Stay hydrated…

Exercise…

Circadian rhythms…

Make a list… & prioritise…

Take a break…

Listening…

Meditation…

The “5 More Rule”

Practice concentrating…

Conclusion

• We are born knowing how to concentrate

• We can choose to concentrate• We can learn how to improve

concentration skills• By concentrating, we can enhance

focus, reduce stress & achieve more

Concentration…

“…is an act of endless practice; the occasional effort that becomes a habit…”

Harriet Griffey, author of The Art of Concentration

www.theartofconcentration.co.uk

Management Breakfast

Concéntrate

with

Harriet Griffey Writer, journalist and performance coach, and a regular contributor to British

newspapers and magazines

Madrid, January 19th, 2011