QA Friday 2016-Aug-19

How do you concentrate? For most people, this question probably means, “Do you listen to music while working?” or “Do you go somewhere to get away from it all?” But there’s more to learning how to concentrate than just this. I remember reading that the average person’s attention span is now less than that of a goldfish. Nine seconds. We can get better and it just takes a little preparation and practice. I came across this quote today attributed to Alexander Graham Bell. Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. If you want to really concentrate on something, it takes discipline and a goal. You have to want something more than the other things trying to distract you. Let’s talk about conscious and desired concentration. The kind of concentration needed to design software, or build a model rocket, or paint, or write. This is where a goal is important. I’m not talking about some five year goal or even a daily goal. I’m talking about a goal to finish that small feature requiring a new class and a few method in your source code or that small page and a half each day that will eventually add up to a complete book. These are the goals that lead to intense concentration abilities. And I do mean intense. Working with your mind can be just as exhausting as physical labor. And just like you can improve your physical stamina with regular exercise or activity, you can also improve your ability to concentrate. It takes effort and a desire the be better than a goldfish. Listen to the full episode or read the full transcript below for my suggestions for improving your concentration. Transcript For most people, this question probably means, “Do you listen to music while working?” or “Do you go somewhere to get away from it all?” But there’s more to learning how to concentrate than just this. More than I can likely explain in just this podcast episode. I remember reading that the average person’s attention span is now less than that of a goldfish. Nine seconds. What does nine seconds sound like? [pause for 9 seconds] Congratulations. The fact that you’re still listening means you’re more capable of sticking with something longer than most people. We can get better and it just takes a little preparation and practice. I’ll describe how I understand concentration and what I do to improve. I came across this quote today attributed to Alexander Graham Bell. Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. If you want to really concentrate on something, it takes discipline and a goal. You have to want something more than the other things trying to distract you. Without a goal, the best you can hope for is just being aware of your environment and the worst is complete lack or awareness. But if you think about it, in order to be completely unaware of things takes a certain amount of concentration. Let’s take a sleepwalker for example. Young kids are a great example. They can appear to be wide awake and even ask questions. The questions may not make any sense and your answers will usually be completely ignored. A short while later, the child can go right back to sleep as if nothing had ever happened. I don’t know about you, but that seems like a lot of concentration to me. So let’s talk about conscious and desired concentration. The kind of concentration needed to design software, or build a model rocket, or paint, or write. This is where a goal is important. I’m not talking about some five year goal or even a daily goal. I’m talking about a goal to finish that small feature requiring a new class and a few method in your source code or that small page and a half each day that will eventually add up to a complete book. These are the goals that lead to intense concentration abilities. And