Extracurricular activity “Attention training. Improving mental operations

Attention is a mental cognitive process aimed at reflecting the mental properties and states of an object, which ensures the concentration of consciousness.

This focus on certain objects is selective and contributes to the formation of an individual attitude towards them. As objects

attention can come from both other persons and inanimate objects. Phenomena of nature, objects of art and science also often come to the attention of the subject. It must be admitted that only those objects that arouse significant interest in him or are conditioned by a social need for study fall into the zone of a person’s attention. The development of attention directly depends on such factors as a person’s age, the purposefulness of his aspirations, interest in the subject or phenomenon being studied, and the regularity of performing special exercises.

Types of attention

Involuntary attention Characterized by a lack of conscious human choice.

Occurs when an influencing stimulus appears, which forces you to momentarily take a break from everyday affairs and switch your mental energy. This type of attention is difficult to manage, since it is directly related to the internal attitudes of the individual. In other words, we are always attracted only by what is of significant interest, what excites and makes our feelings and emotional sphere “stir.”

Objects of involuntary attention can be: unexpected noise on the street or indoors, a new person or phenomenon that appears before your eyes, any moving objects, a person’s mental state, individual mood.

As a rule, involuntary attention predominates in preschool children. Teachers of children's institutions, of course, will agree that you can attract their attention only with bright, interesting images and events. That is why kindergarten classes are so replete with beautiful characters, attractive tasks, and huge scope for imagination and creativity.

Voluntary attention

Characterized by consciously maintaining concentration on an object. Voluntary attention begins when motivation appears, that is, a person understands and consciously concentrates his attention on something. Stability and perseverance are its integral attributes. In order for the necessary action to be carried out, the individual is required to make a volitional effort, come into a state of tension, and intensify mental activity.

For example, a student before an exam tries his best to focus on the material being studied. And even if he is not entirely interested in what he has to tell the teacher, his attention is maintained through serious motivation. The need to finish the semester and come home as quickly as possible sometimes adds a powerful incentive to push yourself a little harder and put aside all entertainment and trips.

However, it should be remembered that prolonged concentration of voluntary attention leads to a state of fatigue, even severe fatigue. Therefore, it is recommended to take reasonable breaks between serious intellectual work: go outside to breathe fresh air, do simple physical exercises, and exercises. But there is no need to read books on abstract topics: your head will not have time to rest, and in addition, the presence of unnecessary information can provoke further reluctance to return to business. It has been noticed that strong interest stimulates activity and activates the brain, and this can and should be achieved.

Post-voluntary attention

It is characterized by the absence of tension in the subject of activity when performing a task. In this case, the motivation and desire to achieve a specific goal are quite strong. This type of attention differs from the previous one in that internal motivation prevails over external motivation. That is, a person and his consciousness are guided not by social necessity, but by an individual need for action. Such attention has a very productive effect on any activity and produces significant results.

Basic properties of attention

The properties of attention in psychology are a number of significant characteristics that are closely related to the components of a person’s activity.

• Concentration is a deliberate focus on the object of activity. Maintaining attention occurs due to the subject’s strong motivation and desire to perform the action as best as possible. The intensity of concentration on the subject of interest is guided by the consciousness of the individual. If the concentration is high enough, the result will not be long in coming. On average, a person can focus attention for 30 to 40 minutes without a break, but a lot can be done during this time. It should be remembered that when working at a computer, you should take short breaks of 5 to 10 minutes to rest your eyes.
• Volume- this is the number of objects that consciousness can keep simultaneously in its field of vision. In other words, volume is measured in the mutual relationship of objects and the degree of stability of attention on them. If a person is able to maintain concentration on objects for a sufficiently long time and their number is large, then we can talk about a high volume of attention.
• Sustainability. Stability is the ability to maintain attention on one object for a long time and not switch to another. If a distraction occurs, they usually talk about lability. Stability of attention is characterized by the ability to discover new things in familiar things: to discover relationships and aspects that were not previously noticed or studied, to see prospects for further development and movement.
• Switchability. Switchability is a meaningful, purposeful change in the direction of the focus of attention. This property is characterized by being conditioned by external circumstances or phenomena. If the switching of attention does not occur under the influence of a more significant object and is not particularly intentional, then they speak of simple distractibility. It must be admitted that it can be difficult to switch attention from one object to another due to strong concentration. Then it even happens that a person moves on to another activity, but mentally continues to concentrate on the previous one: he thinks about the details, analyzes, and worries emotionally. Switching attention is needed to relax after intense mental work and to engage in new activities.
• Distribution. Distribution is the ability of consciousness to simultaneously concentrate attention on several objects that are in approximately the same position in terms of importance. The relationship between objects certainly influences how this distribution occurs: the transition from one object to another. At the same time, the individual often experiences a state of fatigue caused by the need to constantly remember other existing ones while being at one point of focus.

Features of attention development

The development of human attention is necessarily associated with the ability to concentrate on one or several objects for a certain period of time without any distraction. This is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. After all, in order to concentrate on something, you need to be sufficiently interested in your business. Thus, for the development of involuntary attention, all that is required is an interesting object on which to focus the gaze. Voluntary attention requires a serious approach: you need purposeful action, volitional effort, and the ability to manage your feelings in order to prevent distraction at the most inopportune moment. Post-voluntary attention is the most productive of all, since it does not require overcoming or additional effort.

Methods for developing attention

Today there are a variety of methods for developing attention that allow you to achieve high results and learn how to manage attention.

Development of concentration

It is recommended to choose an object for observation and try to focus your attention on it for a certain period of time. Moreover, the simpler this item is, the better. For example, you can put a book on the table and imagine what it is written about, what the main characters are. One can only think of a book as an object made of paper and cardboard, and imagine how many trees it took to make it. In the end, you can simply pay attention to its color and shape. Which direction to choose is up to you. This exercise perfectly trains the focus of attention and allows you to develop the duration of concentration on one object.

If you wish, you can try to practice holding two or more objects in your field of vision. Then, to all of the above, it is necessary to add the development of the ability to switch attention from one object to another, remembering and noting the significant features of each of them.

Development of visual attention

Exercises should be aimed at expanding the individual's ability to focus on an object. For example, you can put an object in front of you and set yourself the task of looking at it for 3 to 5 minutes, highlighting as many details as possible. First, you will begin to develop a general idea of ​​the object: its color and shape, size and height. However, gradually, the more you concentrate, the more clearly new details will begin to appear: small details, minor devices, etc. They are also a must see and note to yourself.

Development of auditory attention

To improve this type of attention, you need to set yourself a goal of concentrating on the sound of the voice for no more than ten minutes. It is best if this is meaningful human speech, however, if you want to relax, you can include birdsong or any melody that meets the requirements of relaxing music.

If human speech is heard, while listening, it is important to note to yourself the speed with which the lecturer speaks, the degree of emotionality in the presentation of the material, and the subjective usefulness of the information. It is also quite acceptable to listen to recorded fairy tales and stories, and then try to remember and reproduce their content. When listening to music, it is important to capture the vibration levels of the sound wave, try to “connect” to the emotions being reproduced and imagine the details of something.

How to manage attention?

Many people who want to improve their attention levels face constant difficulties. Some people may have trouble concentrating on details, while others have difficulty taking in the whole subject. In this case, I would like to advise you to train at different facilities in all areas and do it every day. Agree, it’s not difficult to devote 5–10 minutes a day to working on yourself.

Thus, the problems of attention development are quite multifaceted and deep. This type of cognitive processes cannot be considered only as a component of activity. We must also remember that we always need attention in everyday life, therefore it is important to be able to focus on simple things and notice even small details.

Branch of the MBOU "Vysokogorsk secondary school No. 3 of the Vysokogorsk municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan" - "Panovskaya basic secondary school of the Vysokogorsk municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan"

WORK PROGRAM OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Sodomova Elena Vladimirovna

"We design and model"

1 class

2016-2017

Explanatory note

This work program is designed to develop cognitive abilities.

The course “Development of Cognitive Abilities” presents a system of intellectual and developmental activities for children aged 6 years.

The system of tasks presented in RPS classes allows you to solve all three aspects of the didactic goal: cognitive, developmental and educational.

Main goals of the program:

• Cognitive aspect

Formation and development of various types of memory, attention, imagination.

Formation and development of general educational skills.

Formation of a general ability to seek and find new solutions, unusual ways to achieve the desired result, new approaches to considering the proposed situation

• Developmental aspect

Speech development.

Development of thinking in the course of mastering such techniques of mental activity as the ability to analyze, compare, synthesize, generalize, highlight the main thing, prove and disprove.

Development of spatial perception and sensorimotor coordination.

Development of the motor sphere.

• Educational aspect

Education of a system of moral interpersonal relations.

Basic principles of material distribution:

1. systematic: tasks are arranged in a certain order;
2. “spiral” principle: tasks are repeated every 7 lessons;
3. the principle “from simple to complex”: tasks gradually become more complex;
4. increasing the volume of material;
5. increasing the pace of task completion;
6. change of different types of activities.

The peculiarities of this program are that during the classes the child is offered tasks non-educational character. This is how serious work takes the form of a game, which is very attractive and interesting for younger schoolchildren. Thus, the fundamental objective of the proposed course is precisely the development of cognitive abilities and general educational skills, and not the acquisition of any specific knowledge and skills.

The course structure is based on the principle of diversity of creative and search tasks. In this case, the following two aspects of diversity are the main ones: in content and in complexity of tasks.

A systematic course built on such diverse non-educational material creates favorable opportunities for the development of important aspects of the child’s personality.

Most of the time in class is spent doing things independently by children.logical search tasks.Thanks to this, children develop general educational skills: to act independently, make decisions, and manage themselves in difficult situations.

The course includes: 1 lesson per week, 31 lessons in 1 class

Thematic plan:

1st grade (31 hours)

Graphic dictation

Drawing graphic figures is an excellent way to develop the small muscles of a child’s hand, an interesting and exciting activity, the results of which will affect the ability to write beautifully and think logically.

At this stage of the lesson, the children first perform a graphic drawing under the dictation of the teacher, and then shade it with oblique lines, straight lines, “embroider” the figure with a cross, or simply paint it over. Hatching not only leads children to an understanding of symmetry and composition in decorative drawing, but also develops the small muscles of the child’s fingers and hand.

With regular performance of such exercises, the child begins to master a pencil well, he develops stable, focused attention, and develops diligence and perseverance.

Graphic dictations are also a way to develop speech, since along the way the children compose short stories, learn poems, riddles, and master the expressive properties of language. Therefore, in the process of working with graphic dictations, internal and external speech, logical thinking develop, attention, eye, visual memory of the child, accuracy, imagination, general culture are formed, and creative abilities are activated.

Attention training (5 hours)

The tasks offered in 1st grade are aimed at creating positive motivation, at developing cognitive interest in subjects and in knowledge in general. This task is achieved with the help of a specially constructed system of tasks that help overcome the instability of the attention of six-year-olds, the involuntary process of visual and auditory memorization and lead to the development of mental activity

The tasks of this group include various labyrinths and a number of exercises aimed at developing children’s voluntary attention, volume of attention, its stability, switching and distribution.

Completing tasks of this type contributes to the formation of such vital skills as the ability to focus purposefully and search for the right path.

Auditory memory training (4 hours)

The workbooks include exercises to develop and improve auditory memory. By completing these tasks, students learn to use their memory and use special techniques to make memorization easier. As a result of such exercises, students comprehend and firmly retain in their memory various terms and definitions. At the same time, their volume of auditory memorization increases, semantic memory, perception and observation develop, and the foundation is laid for the rational use of energy and time.

Visual memory training (4 hours)

Due to the age characteristics of first-graders, they are offered mainly those tasks whose implementation involves the use of practical actions. At first, when working with assignments, you can allow yourself to guess the answer or solution, but immediately try to lead students to justify the answer. When working on such tasks, it is very important to accurately and purposefully pose questions, highlight the main link in reasoning, and justify the chosen solution. As a rule, this is done by the teacher, relying on the children’s answers and giving a precise and concise explanation. It is very important that the explanations given by the teacher are gradually reduced while simultaneously increasing the share of children’s participation in finding a solution to the proposed problem.

The course includes exercises to develop and improve visual memory. By completing these tasks, students learn to use their memory and use special techniques to make memorization easier. As a result of such exercises, students comprehend and firmly retain in their memory various terms and definitions.

Finding patterns (4 hours)

The priority direction of education in primary school is the development of thinking. To this end, the workbooks contain exercises that allow you to build correct judgments and carry out proofs using material accessible to children and their life experiences without prior theoretical mastery of the laws and rules of logic themselves. In the process of performing such exercises, children learn to compare different objects, perform simple types of analysis and synthesis, establish connections between concepts, learn to combine and plan.

Tasks for moving matches (4 hours)

The development of imagination is built mainly on material that includes tasks of a geometric nature:

• choosing a figure of the desired shape to restore the whole;
• dividing a figure into several given figures and constructing a given figure from several parts selected from a set of data;
• folding and rearranging matches to create given shapes.

Requirements for the level of preparation of students completing 1st grade

The dynamics of the development of cognitive abilities is assessed using a table in which the results obtained after checking the children’s completion of tasks in lessons No. 1 and No. 31 are entered. By comparing the data from the beginning of the year and the results of completing the tasks of the last lesson, we determine the dynamics of the growth of children’s cognitive abilities.

Calendar and thematic planning of classes

elective course “Development of cognitive abilities”

1 class

Bibliography:

For the teacher:

For young smart people: Tasks for the development of cognitive abilities: Methodological manual for grades 1,2,3,4 + Course program “RPS” (O. A. Kholodova, “Rostkniga”, 2009).

For the student:

For young smart people: Tasks for the development of cognitive abilities: Workbooks 1, 2 parts 1,2,3,4 grades (O. A. Kholodova, “Rostkniga”, 2009)

municipal budgetary educational institution

gymnasium of Safonovo, Smolensk region

Lesson summary

extracurricular activities

Development of concentration. Improving mental operations. Developing analytical and reasoning abilities

Timofeeva Marina Nikolaevna,

primary school teacher

Safonovo

Lesson topic: Development of concentration. Improving mental operations. Development of analytical and reasoning abilities.

Item: extracurricular activities “To young smart people and smart girls. Development of cognitive abilities."

Type of lesson: combined (using presentation at the necessary stages of the lesson).

Form of organization of students in class: individual - group.

Purpose of the lesson: development of children's cognitive abilities (attention, perception, imagination, various types of memory and thinking); improving skills in solving non-standard problems; development of logical thinking, formation of students’ computing skills, cultivation of cognitive interest in the subject.

Lesson objectives:

to form the child’s desire to think and search;

improve mental operations;

develop analytical skills, oral speech, and the ability to solve non-standard problems;

develop control and self-control skills;

form and develop communication skills: the ability to communicate and interact in a team, work in pairs, groups, respect the opinions of others, objectively evaluate your work and the activities of classmates.

Content elements: exercises for developing memory, attention, logical thinking, creative imagination, solving riddles.

Technologies used in the lesson: system-activity approach, work in small groups, the use of ICT technologies, TRIZ technology, the technology of using game methods in teaching, the technology of developing creative abilities, the technology of collective mutual learning, health-saving technologies.

Expected results:

Formation of UUD

Personal results:

determine And express under the guidance of a teacher, the simplest rules of behavior in cooperation common to all people (ethical standards);

in situations of communication and cooperation proposed by the teacher, based on simple rules of behavior common to everyone, make a choice, with the support of other group members and the teacher, what to do;

Self-assessment of one’s work; the student’s internal position based on a positive attitude towards school.

Metasubject:

Regulatory UUD:

determine And formulate the purpose of the activity with the help of the teacher.

pronounce sequencing;

study express your assumption (version) based on work with the illustration of the workbook;

study work according to the plan proposed by the teacher;

study differ a correctly completed task from an incorrect one.

learn to plan educational activities in the lesson, the ability to act according to a model, algorithm, memo.

Cognitive UUD:

navigate your knowledge system: differ new from what is already known with the help of a teacher;

gain new knowledge: find answers answer questions using the textbook, your life experience and information received from the teacher;

process the information received: draw conclusions as a result of joint work of the whole class;

formulate conclusions from the studied material;

answer final questions and evaluate your achievements.

Communicative UUD:

convey your position to others: draw up your thought in oral and written speech (at the level of one sentence or small text).

learn to ask questions and ask for help;

jointly agree on the rules of communication and behavior in a group lesson and follow them;

learn together with the teacher and other students give emotional assessment activities of comrades.

Methodological support: For young smart people and smart girls: Tasks for the development of cognitive abilities (8-9 years old): Workbooks: In 2 parts, part 1 / O. A. Kholodova - M.: ROST Publishing House, 2017. 2nd grade students Moscow: ROST book , 2018. – 56 s.

Progress of the training session

Annex 1

Remember the images you saw and sketch them as accurately as possible.

Appendix 2

Without moving your hand along the lines, but only following with your eyes, write out the letters in order. If you did everything correctly, you have a riddle.

Guess it as quickly as possible.

Appendix 3

Count the pigeons.

Appendix 4

Learn to reason.

A).Write, who would be the lightest if a dog was lighter than a beetle and heavier than an elephant?________________________

B). Think about it, if a horse was shorter than a rabbit and taller than a giraffe, who would be tallest? _____________________________

C).Misha lived a little closer to the school than Kolya, and much further from it than Vitya. Write, who lived farthest from the school?

_____________________________

Appendix 5

Look at the square. There is a car in one of the cells. Without touching the table with your hand, but only following with your eyes, find out its path.

Appendix 6

Choose the desired figure from 7 numbered ones.

DESIGN OF AN EXTRA-CURRICULUM ACTIVITY

Well:"Development of cognitive abilities."

Class: 3 "B".

Subject:“Attention training. Improving mental operations. Development of the ability to solve non-standard problems.”

Planned results

Personal: Under the guidance of a teacher, they determine and express the simplest rules of behavior in cooperation common to all people (ethical standards).

Metasubject: students demonstrate UUD.

Regulatory learning activities: determine and formulate the goal of the activity with the help of the teacher, pronounce the sequence of actions, distinguish a correctly completed task from an incorrect one, together with the teacher and other students give an emotional assessment of the activities of their comrades.

Cognitive UUDs: navigate their knowledge system: distinguish the new from the already known with the help of the teacher, acquire new knowledge: find answers to questions using their life experience and information received from the teacher; process the information received: draw conclusions as a result of joint work of the whole class; transform information from one form to another: make a drawing based on the text of the problem.

Subject: generalize and draw simple conclusions.

Lesson form: workshop

Triple Goal: development of attention through working with text information.

Tasks

Educational: to cultivate the ability to determine and express, under the guidance of a teacher, the simplest rules of behavior in cooperation common to all people (ethical norms).

Educational: contribute to the development of students' learning skills.

Regulatory learning activities: the ability to determine and formulate the goal of an activity with the help of a teacher, pronounce a sequence of actions, distinguish a correctly completed task from an incorrect one, and, together with the teacher and other students, give an emotional assessment of the activities of comrades.

Cognitive UUD: the ability to navigate one’s knowledge system: distinguish new things from what is already known with the help of a teacher, acquire new knowledge: find answers to questions using one’s life experience and information received from the teacher; process the information received: draw conclusions as a result of joint work of the whole class; convert information from one form to another: draw a picture based on the text of the problem.

Communicative skills: the ability to convey one’s position to others: to formulate one’s thoughts in oral speech (at the level of one sentence or a short text), to listen and understand the speech of others.

Educational: improve the ability to generalize and draw simple conclusions.

Principles of organizing extracurricular activities:

compliance with the age characteristics of students;

continuity with technologies of educational activities;

reliance on traditions and positive experience in organizing extracurricular activities;

reliance on the values ​​of the school educational system;

free choice based on the child’s personal interests and inclinations.

Principles of education (according to V. A. Slastenin’s classification):

The principle of continuous general and professional development of the individual;

The principle of natural conformity of education;

The principle of cultural conformity of education;

The principle of the activity approach;

The principle of a personal approach;

The principle of personalization of pedagogical interaction;

The principle of a polysubjective (dialogical) approach;

The principle of an individual creative approach;

The principle of teaching and raising children in a team;

The principle of the connection between education and life and production practice;

The principle of respect for the child’s personality combined with reasonable demands on him;

The principle of relying on the positive in a person, on the strengths of his personality;

Methods of education (according to the classification of V.A. Slastenin, G.I. Shchukina):

methods of forming consciousness (story, explanation, clarification);

methods of forming positive experience of behavior in the process of activity (exercise, pedagogical requirement, switching in activity);

methods of stimulating activity (encouragement);

methods of control, self-control and self-assessment of activities and behavior (pedagogical observation).

Teaching methods

by external signs of the activity of the teacher and students: conversation; demonstration; exercises; problem solving; working with a book;

by source of knowledge: verbal; visual; practical: practical tasks;

according to the degree of activity of students’ cognitive activity: explanatory; illustrative; problem; partly - search.

Didactic aids: printed notebook, visual material (applications).

List of information sources:

Federal state educational standard for primary general education: text with amendments. and additional for 2011/Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. Federation. - M.: Education, 2011. - 33 p. - (Second generation standards). - ISBN 978-5-09-025287-4.

Work program for the course of extracurricular activities “Development of cognitive abilities” at MAOU “Secondary School No. 34” (Compiled by:

A.V. Borshchenkova).

O. A. Kholodova. Methodological guide “Development of cognitive abilities” for young smart people and smart girls. Computer science, logic, mathematics. 3rd grade.

O. A. Kholodova. For young smart people: Tasks for the development of cognitive abilities (8-9 years old): Workbooks: In 2 parts, part 2 / O. Kholodova. -5th ed., revised - M.: Rostkniga, 2010. - 64 p.

Board Layout

20 April.

Progress of extracurricular activities

Annex 1

Exercise: decipher the word using the key.

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

Some abilities require months of practice to achieve any noticeable improvement. There is not always time for this and often there is not enough desire. But it only takes a few days to improve your concentration. In general, this is a very ironic skill: improving it will require... concentration. Not only, of course, you also need motivation, enthusiasm and patience.

What does concentration consist of?

Bill Gates called concentration the most important quality that every person should develop. One cannot but agree with him, because concentration is closely related to thinking (including creative thinking). Thus, we can say that if you know how to concentrate, then you are an intelligent person and are able to notice and remember a lot of things.

Concentration is in one way or another connected with all the skills that a person engaged in self-development seeks to develop. Do you want to write a novel, a painting, a song? It is difficult to create without the ability to concentrate. Do you want to become a master of communication, speak in front of the public with a speech memorized, and not forget anything? Train your memory, be attentive and don’t be distracted by anything.

What does this mean for you and me? Only one thing: concentration can be improved by developing attention, memory, creative thinking and intelligence. And vice versa. So let's find out how you can improve your concentration. We'll give you a few tips, then a dozen exercises, and then we'll talk about the most interesting training apps for your phone and computer. All together will give an excellent result.

How to develop concentration

The development of concentration occurs in two ways: the exclusion of external stimuli and special exercises that help purposefully train the skill.

Remove all irritants

This is the first thing to do. You can practice as much as you like, but if the environment gets in the way, it won't be of much use. Find yourself a quiet place or eliminate irritants.

Also, use earplugs or headphones. Seriously, this helps a lot, especially in the early stages. When your level of concentration increases significantly, you can do without them - you can read a book or write an article on public transport or in a cafe.

Notice

Keep small cards 3 by 5 cm. Every time your mind starts to wander while reading or working, mark it on them. It is important to divide them into three colors and times of day: morning, afternoon and evening (green, red and yellow). After a few days, you'll find that this simple trick helps you feel less distracted.

Recognizing the problem is the first step, so this method teaches you to pay attention to it. This allows you to increase your concentration levels without making much effort, just by reminding yourself to stay focused. Using this method, you will also be able to see what time of day is more or less productive, you will understand how the level of concentration decreases after a meal, a quarrel, and how it increases after a walk and a light snack.

Use the spider technique

What will a spider do if you quietly hit a tuning fork not far from its web? He will get out to see what happened, his curiosity will be piqued. But if you repeat this trick several times, the spider will no longer respond to sounds. He knows what to expect, so he ignores them.

What does all of this mean? Expect distractions and try not to react to outside sounds. A door slams, a bird whistles, a neighbor knocks from upstairs - whatever the stimulus, continue to focus on your task. Surprisingly, after a while you simply stop being aware of and responding to the sounds around you.

Eat foods that are good for concentration

This may not seem important, but the physiological side should not be ignored.

Blueberry. Contains many natural antioxidants that increase blood flow and brain activity.

Green tea. It contains not only caffeine, but also, more importantly, large amounts of L-Theanine.

Greenery. Chlorophyll contains many carotenoids, which increase blood flow, as well as B vitamins, which enhance memory.

Fatty fish. Fish, such as salmon and cod, are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the brain.

Stay in a conscious state

This advice is heard very often in the literature, but what can you do - this ability solves a huge number of problems. Mindfulness is the ability to notice. Moreover, notice not only the world around you, but also internal processes. This means that you can control your attention and concentration if you are aware.

Practice meditation for about 20 minutes a day. This is the required minimum. In addition, it is advisable to find other opportunities to remain in a conscious state throughout the day. The simplest and most effective way: focus completely on what you are doing. Eat - fully enjoy the process of eating food. When you wash dishes, think only about them and your washing technique. Not only will the most routine processes allow you to enjoy yourself, but you will also be able to increase both the level of awareness and the level of concentration!

It's extremely difficult. Sometimes you will be angry with yourself for forgetting about the present. But don’t panic: now you have remembered this, you are “here and now.” Every week you will increase the amount of time you spend consciously.

Now let's move on to the practical part. Here we need great patience and desire.

Exercises to develop concentration

The unique thing about almost all concentration exercises is their simplicity. There is no need to invent anything complicated if you can focus on one thing and improve your level.

Inspirational word

Pick one inspiring word and think about it, repeating it in your head for five minutes.

Word count

Take a book or magazine and count the number of words in one paragraph. Count them again to make sure you didn't make a mistake the first time. You can start with one paragraph, and as you get used to it, move on to counting words in two paragraphs.

Then move on to counting words on the entire page. Make sure you count mentally and only with your eyes, without pointing your finger at each word. This is one of the simplest but most effective exercises for improving concentration.

Countdown

Subtract from 1000 one unit at a time in your mind. If it's too easy, subtract 2, 7, 9, any higher number.

Thought suppression

Try to suppress your thoughts for 5 minutes. It's quite difficult, but with regular practice you can do it. Start with one minute and gradually increase the time.

Inspection of the item

Take a fruit, such as an apple, banana or orange, in your hand and examine it from all sides, focusing your full attention. At the same time, try to keep it stable in one position. Do this for one minute and then gradually increase to five. Change hands.

Without words

Take a small, simple object such as a spoon, fork, cup or glass. Now focus on it, observing it from all sides without verbalization, that is, without words in your mind. Just focus on watching the object closely without thinking about it.

Motionless

Sit in a comfortable chair and see how long you can stay in place. It may seem easy, but it only seems so until you try. All you have to do is focus your attention on sitting. Make sure you do not make any involuntary muscle movements. With practice, you can sit without moving your muscles for 15 minutes.

Concentration from within

This exercise will allow you to focus from within. Start by lightly relaxing your muscles. Now focus on your heartbeat without paying attention to anything else. Think about your heart and how it pumps blood to every part of your body. As you do this, try to “see” the blood leaving your heart and follow it as it flows in one stream straight to your toes.

Deep breathing

Sit on a chair in an upright position, keeping your back high. Now, pressing one finger to your right nostril, take a deep, deep breath. Breathe calmly, count to ten, then push the air out. Repeat this exercise with the other nostril. Exercise 20 times a day.

Sounds

This exercise is about focusing on sounds. In everyday life we ​​are surrounded by a large number of them. Try to focus on a specific sound, such as a voice or rustling sound. Then deliberately switch to something else, such as a bird.

Switch to the next one, say the sound of traffic. Continue switching between sounds after focusing on one for one minute.

This exercise can also be made visual by focusing on the person or thing that is making the sound and refocusing on another.

Drawing and coloring

Drawing and coloring are great activities for relaxing the brain and stimulating creativity. It also improves concentration.

Small victories

The good thing about this exercise is that it encourages you to use everyday tasks to train your concentration. Choose an activity, such as finding clients, writing a poem, reading a chapter of a book, and set a timer. 5 to 10 minutes is best. During this time, nothing in this world should exist except you and your task. Turn off your phone and close the door. Try to increase the exercise to 90 minutes. If you practice regularly, you can reach this number in a month.

Motivation of mirrors

The most beneficial form of concentration is making eye contact with another person and perceiving a deeper connection. Stand in front of a mirror and place two stickers at eye level. Imagine these are the eyes of your interlocutor. All your thoughts should be focused on keeping your head completely still and avoiding other thoughts. Breathe deeply. Completion time is five minutes.

Concentration apps

BrainFocusProductivityTimer

This free Android app is designed for time management. It allows you to set the number of minutes you want to work for and then take a scheduled break. The idea is taken from the Pomodoro technique, that is, you set 25 working minutes and then rest for 5. The process is repeated over and over again.

This way, you will be much more productive instead of forcing yourself to work for hours without taking a break. Brain Focus is easy to use and shows how productive you are.

(OFFTIME)

It is also a free app on Android. Offtime allows you to disconnect from the outside world without missing anything urgent. You can block distractions such as apps, calls and messages, but whitelist those who will be able to contact you anyway.

The app can also automatically respond to messages on your behalf, as well as keep track of what you missed while you were away. Offtime provides information about your phone usage and the hours you spend each day, highlighting which apps are taking up the most of your time.

The application for iOS and Android, paid, costs about two dollars. It is considered one of the most popular.

Improve performance by placing virtual trees in Forest. Whenever you want to focus on a task, open the app and plant a tree. If you don't stop for 30 minutes, you will see it grow. This way you will create a whole forest. If you fail, the tree will die.

This is a free online platform. Use Noisli to help you create the perfect atmosphere. This is a white noise app that can be used to mix different natural sounds, such as the sound of a train or a crackling fire.

Noisly is ideal for people who can't handle music but want some noise in the background.

Books

Considering that concentration is the ability to focus on one thing for a long time, reading books itself can be an excellent workout. And if you read books specifically on this topic, the benefits will be double. Here's where you can start.

• “The art of concentration. How to improve your memory in 10 days" Eberhard Heul
• “The Japanese System for the Development of Intelligence and Memory” by Ryuta Kawashima
• "A Guide to Memory and Intelligence" by Tony Buzan
• "Focus. On attention, distraction and success in life" Daniel Goleman
• “Maximum concentration. How to Stay Effective in the Age of Clip Thinking by Lucy Jo Palladino
• “Don't distract me. How to Stay Focused No Matter What Edward Hallowell
• “The four-second rule. Stop. Think about it. Do it" Peter Bregman
• "The Power of Concentration" William Walker Atkinson
• “Time management by pomodoro. How to concentrate on one thing for at least 25 minutes" Staffan Neteberg

In conclusion, a short video about attention and the ability to concentrate: