Notes

This is a classic memory game where each person adds a new item to the list in alphabetical order. For example, student 1: “I went to the shops and I bought an apple”. Student 2: “I went to the shops and I bought an apple and a bike”. Student 3: “I went to the shops and I bought an apple, a bike and a coat”.


10 concentration exercises


A candle flame – sitting in front of a candle and concentrating on nothing but the flame for 5 – 10 minutes will enhance your powers of concentration considerably.

Stumbleupon – Stumbleupon 100 sites without stopping for a break. Great for traffic to your blog as well.

Have a freezing cold shower – One of my favourites. Have a freezing cold shower. To take your mind off the cold think of all the things you are grateful for in life and your mind will be taken off the fact that your bits are almost frozen solid.

Do one thing at a time – I have a huge problem with too much stuff going on in my head at once. I have so many ideas about different things it’s hard to concentrate. When I focus on one task at a time, it helps my concentration enormously.

Get rid of worrying thoughts – Sometimes as you are trying to concentrate on a task other worrying thoughts will pop into your head; like you remember you’ve got to pick up some work from the office, you’ve got a meeting at the school, etc. To get rid of these distractions write them down on a piece of paper. This way you do not dismiss the thought altogether and you are telling yourself it is important enough to write down.

Count from 100 backwards down to 1 – This may sound simple enough, and it is, however it takes a bit of concentration to do it.

Recall a photograph – Study a photograph, which is unfamiliar to you. Do this for 5 minutes and then try to recall as much as you can about the picture.

Spell words backwards – This is great for kids as well and has the added bonus of helping them to spell.

“I went to the shops and bought…..” – This is a great car game and is a great one for concentration.
Do mathematical calculations – When I am driving, I like to do some mathematical calculations in my head e.g. I have 20 miles to travel, I am travelling at an average speed of 50 miles per hour, how long will it take to get to my destination. Nothing huge but things like this are great for your concentration skills.








Tips to improve concentration and attention:

1. Never tell yourself you cannot concentrate. Telling yourself that you cannot concentrate only makes it more difficult. By doing so, you program your mind to lack concentration and attention.

2. Whenever you need to focus your mind, tell yourself over and over again that you can concentrate. Tell yourself that you can develop this ability.

3. Remember that in order to improve your concentration you need to train it, like any other skill. If now you cannot fix your mind on one subject for more than a few seconds, in time, if you persevere, you will be able to fix the mind on anything for a longer time.

4. Make deals with your mind. If there is something that is distracting your attention, such as emotional problems or unresolved business problems, tell your mind that all these problems can wait for a little while, and that you will attend to them after you finish what you are doing. If this does not help you, then write down on a piece of paper what problems you have to think about or solve. This will, to some extent, temporarily remove the problems from your mind.

5. Do one thing at a time. Jumping from one thing to another will only teach your mind to be inattentive and lose attention quickly, besides that this kind of mental restlessness can be tiring in the long run.

6. When you focus your attention on anything, be alert, and when you find yourself thinking on something else, try to stay patient, and bring your mind to the subject again and again.

7. Often, when you remember, try to fix your attention on whatever you happen to be doing at the moment.

The American business author and former management professor at the University of New Orleans, Michael Leboeuf, said: “When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.”

“I think the one lesson I have learned is that there is no substitute for paying attention.”
Diane Sawyer

“Where attention goes, energy flows and results show.”
T. Harv Eker

“Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details and excellence will come.”
Perry Paxton





















Look into my eyes, you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart, search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you

Look into your heart, you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am, take my life
I would give it all, I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more
You know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you
Oh yeah

There's no love, like your love
And no other, could give more love
There's nowhere, unless you're there
All the time, all the way, yeah

Look into your heart, baby

Oh, you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more
Yeah, I would fight for you, I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you, yeah I'd die for you

You know it's true
Everything I do, oh, I do it for you

Everything I do, darling
And we'll see it through
Oh we'll see it through
Oh yeah

Yeah!

Look into your heart
You can't tell me it ain't worth dying for
Oh yeah

I'll be there, yeah
I'll walk the wire
Oh, yeah