Concentration

What is concentration?

Concentration is described as the ability to focus attention onto a task for a prolonged period of time, also called sustained attention. Hence, in order to understand concentration, the concept of attention must first be explained. After all, what is attention?

Attention can also be considered a selection mechanism for incoming information. Since your brain is simply incapable of processing all the available information, it selects specific information while avoiding being distracted by currently irrelevant information. Consequently, this selection mechanism could also be seen as your own personal assistant in order to have the ability to concentrate. In other words, this involves being able to use your attention selectively and being able to switch between different activities without losing your attention.

“Our minds are constantly bombarded with an enormous number of stimuli. Our personal assistant serves as a kind of gatekeeper, and selects which stimuli are transmitted to our consciousness… And that is focus.” – Mark Tichelaar (neuro-psychologist) in the book Focus Aan/Uit

What makes you lose concentration?

Sometimes you maintain great concentration and sometimes you lack it. Why is that? Suppose you are studying and you receive a text message about what you would like to have for dinner tonight. At that moment you partially shift your attention to the text message. Meanwhile, another part remains with the original subject you were studying. Once you decide to continue studying again, basically exactly the same thing occurs. Namely, a twofold split between studying and your dinner plans for tonight occurs. According to neuropsychologist Mark Tichelaar, distractions are triggered by the switch in your attention.

“If you immediately proceed from one task to another, a portion of your attention is retained with the previous task. As a result, you have reduced brain capacity for the new task” – Mark Tichelaar (neuro-psychologist) in the book Focus Aan/Uit

Therefore, the moment your concentration drops, it represents a shift in your attention. This may be due to the four different concentration leakages:

Too few stimuli

In fact, this concentration leak bears a great deal of boredom. The working memory of your brain is constantly running at 100% full speed, but an average task generally requires barely 20% of this amount. As a consequence, your personal assistant starts to seek out other stimuli which distracts you.

HINT: Complicate your task, for example, by reading faster, or by doing an easy task that doesn’t require conscious attention alongside the original task. In the latter case, for instance, consider setting your favourite playlist to repeat. Since you already recognize the songs, you probably won’t be distracted by them. Whether this method is helpful to you depends on the individual, as some people perform more effectively in silence while others do not.

Too many internal stimuli

You are probably familiar with that moment you are studying for an exam in the library, but you get stuck in the material. Consequently, you develop an urge to scroll through your internet for a while. Or maybe you are suddenly reminded of that email you still have to send. These are forms of internal distractions that distract you from being concentrated. Many projects at the same time cause an overload of information and diminish your concentration.

HINT: Bundle your projects according to the task you’re doing. Thus start working on all the reading and writing tasks of course A in the morning and course B after lunch. Plus, do not get scared off by a too big to-do list, but instead create a top three of the most important tasks. If something comes to mind, simply write this down and continue with your current task.

Too little fuel

Are you under the impression if you remain in the library for a prolonged period of time that you will be able to study? Well this is a fallacy. At a certain point, more hours reduce productivity. The particles in your brain that allow you to concentrate and not be distracted run overtime if you continue to spend too much time working. As a result, you become mentally exhausted at a certain point in time and thus have too little fuel left to continue working effectively.

HINT: Frequently take a break, because the time you lose is less than the time you throw away due to poor concentration when working overtime. Although, it should be noted that during your break moments you should not learn anything new but really relax. Thus, put your mobile away and walk around or just stare outside.

Too many external stimuli

Do you also often postpone the more difficult complex tasks? People often think this is due to a lack of motivation, but it can also be due to a lack in undisturbed moments. The externally entered stimuli diminish the ability to concentrate and complicate the execution of the more complex tasks. As an example, one could think of the text-message overload or the constant distraction by your roommates entering your room for questions.

HINT: Choose your study space wisely. If you are easily distracted at home, try studying in the library or consider using a noise cancelling headphone. Additionally, put of your app and email notifications, as this decrease the number of irrelevant messages popping up while you are trying you study.

What medication affects your concentration?

Multiple medications can affect your concentration. The packaging of these medications is labelled with an orange or yellow sticker that warns against these side effects.

The most important medicines that fall under this category are: medication for AD(H)D, sleep-inducing medication, sedatives and medication against psychological disorders, painkillers, muscle relaxants, medication against allergies (including hay fever) and a number of cough medicines.

A complete overview can be found on the website rijveiligmetmedicijnen.nl (Dutch website).