Transcription
A century ago, Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary person is their ability to concentrate. And now, even today, that sentence still holds true. If you want to succeed in life, the one skill that you must develop is the ability to concentrate on a task for an extended period of time. You need to give your brain time to learn, to process information, and to solve a problem. Without this skill, no success is possible in any, any field. Whether you want to be an artist, or an engineer, or a doctor, the ability to concentrate is a must.
Unfortunately, this is also the skill that most young people are struggling with. So, what are the brain hacks that you can use from today to improve your concentration? That is what this video is going to be about. Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Siddharth Warrior. I'm a neurologist, and in today's video, I'm going to tell you what you can do to improve your concentration.
Concentration is an island of brain activity inside an ocean of calmness. In neuroscience terms, there is an island of sympathetic state within a background of parasympathetic activity. That means that your brain is giving a lot of importance to one thing while giving very little importance to everything else. So, how do you create this bubble? You do this by creating five bubbles.
Number one is a bubble of time. Set aside a window of time where you are going to concentrate. This was also described in the Pomodoro Technique, where you set aside 20 minutes to focus on something, and then you take a few minutes break, and then you again come back to a 20-minute window. While this is a great strategy, it is also important to know at what time of the day will you attempt this. For some people, concentration comes more easily in the mornings, while for others, it is easier to concentrate at night. Find out at what point in your circadian rhythm you are able to concentrate more, and try to schedule your day and your work times around that cycle. A mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that they will be able to concentrate at the drop of a hat, just when somebody asks them to. That is not true. Imagine any athlete going to play a sport. You would never expect them to directly get out of bed and start playing the game, right? Similarly, if your job is to focus on a task, then you are an athlete, and you should know what time your match is.
Step number two is creating a bubble of space. Clearing up physical space for you to work in is very important, and this includes decluttering your table, making sure that whatever is in your field of vision is not distracting you. And part of decluttering is also decluttering sound. Using noise-canceling headphones or playing soothing background music can help your brain tune out all the unnecessary sounds that can distract you, take your attention away from your task. What this does is it helps to create that soothing, calm, parasympathetic background against which you'll be able to focus on your task.
Step number three is creating a bubble of energy. By this, I mean optimizing your diet and hydration. Remember, if you've eaten a full meal rich in carbohydrates and sugars just before you sit to focus, you will struggle a lot more. Try to have your meal 30 to 60 minutes before your task. Eat light food that is rich in proteins and antioxidants. Also, important to know that hunger pangs can also be distracting. So, if you are somebody not used to fasting, make sure that you do eat something before your time of focus. That being said, if you are used to fasting, there are several studies showing how a fasted period often leads to the highest level of concentration. So, that is something that you should try out for yourself and figure out if fasting works for you. And another important point here is hydration. Dehydration can lead to increased sympathetic activity in your body, and that can make it more difficult for you to focus. Keep yourself well hydrated. Keep a bottle of water next to you at all times, and this will also help you keep your focus on your task.
Step number four is creating a bubble of task itself. Avoid multitasking. Make sure that in one concentration bubble, you are only allowing yourself to do one thing. The reason for this is that your brain will have to spend a lot of energy switching from task to task, and that energy should ideally be spent on solving the problem in front of you, and not switching from problem to problem. Many people will multitask thinking that they are getting more things done, and this illusion of productivity might even feel good. Someone trying out multitasking might think of themselves as being superly productive, thinking that, "Oh, I'm getting five tasks done at the same time." But what they don't understand is that they are getting five things done superficially, and in the long run, it is always better to do one task well and then switch on to the next.
And finally, the fifth bubble that you need to create is a bubble of thought. The more thoughts you have in your mind, the harder it is to concentrate. The only way to reduce the number of thoughts in your mind is through meditation and deep breathing, and this needs to be done before you sit down to focus. So, make it a habit to spend 3 to 5 minutes with your eyes closed, doing your deep breathing exercise before you sit to work. If you want to know what kind of breathing exercises to do, I link a video that I have made for this very purpose. You can follow that video every time you want to sit for a period of focus, and it will help you.
Now, while I was preparing for this video, I also read about some yogic and spiritual practices that can also help in concentration. I will not go too deep into it, but I will say this: being able to concentrate on something is an ability that comes from letting go of your own ego. Because the more you think about yourself and your problems and your life, the more distracted you will be. Whereas, the more you keep your own ego aside, the more you'll be able to stay in the moment and stay with the task at hand. Others might call it meditation, but for you, it will be a flow state of concentration.
I hope that this helps. I hope you use these techniques to improve your concentration and find success in whatever you are attempting to do. I wish you all all the best, and I will see you all in the next video. [Music]