Better Studying Through Mental Concentration & Thought Control | 7 Days To Better Brain Fitness Course | Forum

How To Use Mental Concentration & Thought Control To Improve Your Studying Experience BEFORE and DURING The Task!

A Mental Fitness Trainee Asks:  Dear T, I have a hard time gathering (narrowing) my attention during tasks I need to do, mostly by the feeling of obligation and that the task is not that enjoyable.

First, let me note that while I'm writing here of Mental Concentration and Thought Control, the reality is that combining the two equates to MENTAL FOCUS.  So, when you consciously work to sculpt your thoughts to improve your point of view BEFORE starting a task, and then prevent your mind from wandering DURING the task, you are engaging, essentially, in an act of Mental Focus rather than its more limited kin, Mental Concentration.  That said…

How you THINK (thus, how you FEEL) about the task BEFORE and DURING determines your likelihood of doing what needs to be done…

The way you THINK about your task determines how you FEEL about it and whether you have the IMPULSE to hurry towards it because you anticipate pleasure.

Think towards your task so that it incites anticipation of pleasure, and make sure you arrange your task so that it IS pleasurable for you.  For example, do not allow unpleasant imagery hold sway.  Instead, wipe that imagery from the stage of your imagination and, with determined resolve, construct imagery that is attractive in its appearance and feel.  Do this continually in relation to tasks that you must do and you will develop the power of active, conscious Thought Control in a way that makes you a self-motivated, self-inspired person.

Increasing Pleasurable Experience DURING A Task

One way to help your task be more pleasurable is to NEVER allow your attention to wander from it. A recent Harvard University Study showed that the mind of the average person wanders into daydreaming and distracted thinking 46.9% of the time, and, that the mental wandering resulted in unhappy, unpleasant mental states.

Concentration upon the task becomes a very pleasurable experience and allows you to gain extra benefits, mentally, from the task itself, including better working memory usage when studying.

Need to get excited about the prospect of doing a task?  Want to eliminate procrastination?

Use the "Scale of 1 to 10" – BEFORE and DURING any task that you sometimes have a problem getting started on, ask yourself, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how do I FEEL right now about getting it done?"

Doing so beforehand allows you to take note of your thoughts and feelings so that you can make adjustments as necessary, while doing so intermittently during the task calls your attention to center in the "here and now" so that you can either concentrate all your attention onto the task (thus displace unpleasant thoughts that may have taken over your attention) or adjust the task itself so that you can enjoy it more (for instance, you could play pleasant, psychologically helpful music in the background).

If you find yourself at a low number on the scale, then ask yourself, "What would make it a 10 for me RIGHT NOW?" Hold your mind on the effort of coming up with answers that will get you pumped up to get going.  Arrange your task so that you ENJOY it while doing it!

As You Become More Advanced In Brain Training For Better Mental Fitness

As you get better at Attention Control and Mental Concentration so that your attention is almost always under your conscious management in the present moment, you will not need to ask yourself what you're thinking and feeling because you'll already know what thoughts and emotions are flowing through your mind, and you will be able to quickly dismiss the negative and either, 1) take action without needing to think toward the target, thus operate from serene peace of mind; or, 2) you'll easily displace the previous negative thought with something pleasant and inspiring about the task.

- Watch the Mental Concentration Vs. Mental Focus Series on the YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/dynamic…..talfitness)

YOUR BRAIN TRAINING EXERCISE ASSIGNMENT:

Use the Singular Mental Concentration Builder technique suggested in the Forum link provided in order to develop a singular ability to narrow and direct your attention with determined resolve onto a chosen target with intensity, endurance, and increasing ease:

Singular Mental Concentration Builder – 7 Days To Better Brain Fitness' Forum

http://neuro-sculpting.com/bra…..ay-01/#p23

Read original blog post