Concentration in general may be defined as an active state of mind wherein the whole of attention, with all available energy and talent.

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6
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4answers
167 views

Can Noise Cancelling headphones knock out people speaking, announcements, etc?

Often when people on this board have wanted to reduce sound, nearby conversations people have recommended noise cancellation headphones. I have never tried these but have been told they cannot knock ...
11
votes
7answers
222 views

How to keep free from thoughs while meditating?

When I sit for meditation, there are a lot of thoughts come to my mind. How can I be a free from thoughts while meditating?
6
votes
4answers
264 views

How to concentrate on only one thing?

I have a problem. I can't concentrate on one thing at a time. I can't read a whole article, I can't read a whole book, I can't watch tv without reading news from social networks for example. Could ...
10
votes
5answers
242 views

How to trick our minds into doing mundane tasks?

There are some daily tasks I am too lazy to do: simple cleaning, washing dishes, etc. When I have no other pressing tasks, I end up not doing these simple tasks. However, when I have something coming ...
13
votes
6answers
483 views

How to work while depressed?

A depressed person must stop working while in depression treatment. But if that person needs to keep working, what can be done? EDIT: Some reasons why I prefer stopping to work: FOCUS:near ...
1
vote
2answers
99 views

The rules or training: how to behave in open space?

I work in open space so I am in one room with about 15 next persons. Many times they are talking together and it is hard to concentrate to work. I can partly solve it by headphones and music or noise ...
6
votes
3answers
153 views

How to track time spent across individual websites?

I've used Rescue Time, but unfortunately, they don't offer the (free) ability to track time across your browsing, only showing that you were using a browser during that time. I spend a lot of time ...
1
vote
3answers
182 views

How do I get motivated to study hard things?

Nowadays I study Logic and Philosophy. I think a lot in order to generate new ideas and try not to just know what other's ideas are. This is hard, and I know that Mastery/Autonomy/Purpose help in ...
3
votes
5answers
175 views

How to safely and effectively ignore irrelevant external stimuli?

I have come to realize that a lot of mental energy and focus is wasted on the intake, filtering, and processing of what ends up considered completely useless sensory input. Things like various types ...
1
vote
3answers
129 views

How to concentrate again after getting stuck at some point

I'm a self-employed IT guy at the moment. My self discipline is quite decent usually, I plan and think a lot before implementing something. I got stuck at some point now, because I didn't foresee a ...
11
votes
4answers
276 views

Forgetting of concepts

I have a problem which I am unable to tackle to the best of my efforts. Whenever I learn a concept (maths, computers physics), if I am required to solve a question on it immediately, I do it without ...
13
votes
8answers
668 views

Struggling in coding

I have a problem that whenever I struggle with a programming problem, for example in computer vision or game programming, I try to look for an existing demo or some code that does that job. I always ...
4
votes
3answers
125 views

How to cure my grave fear for examinations?

How to eliminate my grave fear for examinations which is associated with the tragic end of my academic career due to some of my family matters? I am totally unable to withstand the fear of failing in ...
4
votes
1answer
248 views

Hacking sleeping pattern and increasing productivity

I plan to develop my own 'customised' sleeping pattern. My idea is to reduce my sleep to about four hours (up to five) per day. I read about polyphasic sleep, especialy uberman's and everyman 3. The ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views

Recommendation for Portable Stand-up height desk?

Recommendation for Portable Stand-up height desk? One that folds up. I enjoy working while standing up but I can't find a portable stand up desk. I want one I could fold up quickly and put in my car ...
5
votes
8answers
380 views

How do I concentrate, feel comfortable and be productive?

I've recently been using my computer while laying down on my bed with a monitor arm extending my monitor in front of me from the side of the bed. My keyboard and mouse are wireless, and I can use ...
5
votes
6answers
279 views

Single tasking vs Mulitasking

I'm a student and hoping to be an entrepreneur. Besides study I spend most of my time working on software development and recently thinking of organizing a team to work on the field of software and ...
21
votes
12answers
710 views

How to concentrate without external stimulants?

I'm a programmer and my work requires intense mental focus. My goal is to get 8 clean, productive hours of programming per day. I tried this yesterday, and I managed to get only 2:35 hours of clean ...
12
votes
3answers
724 views

How to stop mind from drifting off while reading?

Lets say I'm reading a text on programming language which has some example on poker. As soon as I read it, my mind drifts off about some related things around poker, like probability, last time I won, ...
14
votes
6answers
427 views

How to setup linux as a pure working environment

I am a freelance programmer and I suffer from procrastination - a lot. When I manage to dive into work I really enjoy it, but then after a while something crosses my mind, and I have strong urge to ...
1
vote
3answers
263 views

How to focus without bad habits?

I have a terrible habit, Whenever I am deeply concentrating on something I chew my fingers, Not just a slight munch, but enough that i am splitting the skin. The issue is that I am so focused on ...
15
votes
7answers
285 views

Staying concentrated during small pauses

My workflow includes some steps that make me wait for 0.5 to 2 minutes to complete: long remote git operations, creating / rebooting an instance in the cloud, etc. It's safe to assume that these ...
2
votes
2answers
476 views

How much time the brain can keep on learning some subject through reading?

Almost all things I read on internet about studying, are just tips on how to improve concentration, improve performance and other stuff you probably already read. But, I stumble on a difficulty very ...
2
votes
1answer
252 views

how can i always be in the present Moment?

I have often heard meditation is good and calms your mind,i have also enjoyed the benefits of it and but it just lasts several minutes,i know that meditation means present moment but i always keep ...
6
votes
7answers
476 views

Putting limits on one's time online

As per Piers Steel's "procrastination equation", Motivation = (Expectancy x Value) / (Impulsiveness x Delay) I find that most of my own procrastination tends to involve the Internet and the easily ...
6
votes
3answers
319 views

Artifical sound generator for counteracting the workplace sound

I was wondering if there are some generator of sound (such as white noise, or other kinds of sound for the following purpose) for counteracting the sound in working environment? The generator can be ...
10
votes
5answers
245 views

How to stop misplacing things?

I have a big problem of forgetting where I have put things. I always seem to forget where, for example I left my papers, keys, etc. Is there a way I can remember all the objects and where I have ...
1
vote
4answers
288 views

How to focus on long boring task?

Not all tasks are easy to do. From some tasks mind tries to run somewhere else. How to avoid distractions during the task that I don't like?
15
votes
4answers
366 views

Which is more productive: doing lots of work in parallel or one by one?

I always feel hesitant about this particular problem of mine. Sometimes several ideas come to me, and I feel, I should start doing all of that once. But then I have a problem, I get lost in Where I ...
2
votes
2answers
198 views

Downside of energy drinks [closed]

I usually drink a few energy drinks during a week, because it really helps my productivity, I can focus on tasks easily, even on those boring ones. I'm better in processing information too. I prefer ...
7
votes
6answers
453 views

How to retain focus without coffee?

I would like to limit my coffee intake, which is about 5/6 glasses a day. I want to do this for health reasons and I think I'm more deppresed due to strong coffee usage (coffee makes me very tired in ...
9
votes
4answers
261 views

One hour a day or 4 continuous hours a week for an activity?

Should I practice an activity, say drawing, programming, or even sport, in short day-sessions of one hour for example, or do it all at once in a week? If I choose to do one hour a day, I might waste ...
8
votes
6answers
500 views

Does anyone have any recommendations for an alternative workstation ergonomic setup

My job means I have to sit at my computer all day, 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 46 weeks a year. That’s 1610 hours a year and 1/3 of my whole day (given that I also sleep about 8 hours so am not ...
3
votes
3answers
367 views

What's the most effective studying method?

I study at a high school/college and I'll soon have my exams period. I was wondering what is the best way to study, given that I want to get the most use out of my time. What should I pay attention ...
6
votes
3answers
213 views

Concentration+calmness vs curiosity+distraction

I often find it hard to concentrate on uninteresting details (programming bugs etc.) where I already know the outcome, but it takes time and concentration to fiddle. Sometimes I procrastinate and ...
7
votes
1answer
178 views

Erratic productivity

I consider myself a productive person. I get most of my things done to a level which I'm happy with. But sometimes my productivity just goes down the drain. I sleep in to the point of oversleeping ...
0
votes
3answers
186 views

I am very distracted by noise, are there good headphones that can help with this? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Best headphones/earplugs to drown out loud nearby conversations I am very distracted by noise, are there good headphones that can help me? I wasn't sure if this ...
11
votes
10answers
3k views

Best headphones/earplugs to drown out loud nearby conversations [closed]

I'm a programmer in an environment where people talk loudly. Nearby passionate conversations can be distracting when i need to concentrate. I'm sure I'm not alone. What headphones/earplugs would ...
0
votes
3answers
67 views

What things can I do to be successful in a job training program?

I have recently been confirmed a position of a Management Trainee Officer in a banking corporation. I will be attending in the training program for 2 years. Based on the performance of the program, my ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views

My open office is not effective in increasing my productivity, how can I counter this?

We have an open office (no cubical walls) that is intended to increase productivity. However I find that the increase in distractions, both sound and visual negates this due to the difficulty in ...
9
votes
9answers
467 views

How to handle interruptions in developer work without losing concentration?

I work as a developer for some years now. Mainly the issue why it's antisocial work is because you need to spend much time programming. I've been always the kind of developer who likes to cut off from ...
1
vote
2answers
144 views

How to deal with problems associated with dyslexia?

I think I might be dyslexic . Here are the reasons why: I seem to forget the same words over and over again (don't we all?). I find it difficult to remember names of people after six months (even ...
7
votes
3answers
907 views

How do I increase my concentration in classroom?

I am in first year of my undergraduate university. I find it very difficult to concentrate in class and 90% of the time I do not know what is going on in the class. I am getting a bit low grades and ...
6
votes
6answers
460 views

What is the most effective way to get into 'the zone'?

The zone: "A place were you do focused work without the existence of time." You have been in 'the zone' when a couple hours have passed without you noticing it. When you're into the zone: you work at ...
1
vote
1answer
83 views

What “light therapy” lamp should I get that maximizes effectiveness while minimizing cost? [closed]

There are some Brookstone lamps, but they mostly cost over $100. Then there's a $60 lamp here, but I'm not sure if I'll miss out on some features by buying it. I'm mostly concerned with staying ...
9
votes
2answers
265 views

Does Noise Help Concentration and Productivity?

Does Noise (White/Pink/Brown) help concentration? Any literature to speak about this? Note: This is not similar to this because I am asking specifically about noise not music. I am not asking about ...
22
votes
8answers
1k views

What is the best way to approach large tasks, such as reading scientific papers, that require intense focus?

I'm in graduate school, and part of my job is to read widely in my field. Scientific papers are very dense and I tend to read slow, so I average around 2-3 pages/hour. Consequently, long papers can ...
12
votes
5answers
426 views

Mind keeps wandering during conversations

I have trouble remembering instant things in mind. It really feels weird when I am talking about something and then I ask the person talking to me as, "Excuse me! Where were we?." I have been told by ...
9
votes
13answers
2k views

How to get rid of distractions and focus on what I am reading?

I need to study hard for a month, more than 10 hours/day. The problem is, I cannot concentrate on what I'm reading more than 15 minutes. I lose concentration easily while reading. the most important ...
5
votes
4answers
267 views

Does it make sense to continuously listen to some sounds to avoid mind wanderings?

Are there studies or evidence that suggest that continuously listening to sounds helps prevent the mind from wandering or increase focus and productivity during activities such as studying or ...

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