Churchill Associates

I was working with a client yesterday to explore his difficulties with concentration. He already recognised that he was very easily distracted, in many situations, both work and personal. The thought crossed my mind ‘If he were under 12, he would probably be described as having ADHD’. (And the diagnosis can also be applied to adults.) The response of many doctors would be to prescribe Ritalin. I prefer to explore psychological ways of understanding and improving specific aspects of concentration.

What is ‘concentration’?
The ability to focus attention on a chosen area for a period of time.

It involves paying attention, and processing information effectively. It is well established that we have a limited amount of attention – we cannot listen to two conversations simultaneously, and if we are having a conversation while driving, we’ll probably stop talking as we come up to a busy roundabout.

Other factors affect our attention: extroverts generally are less good at giving sustained attention to something than introverts; our attention is reduced when we are tired; people with high levels of anxiety are often ‘hyper-vigilant’ (they are constantly scanning their surroundings for anything threatening) so they have less attention available to focus on the task in hand. We also don’t pay much attention to things that don’t interest us.

Not paying attention can also become a habit – I know I switch off if my sons start talking about computer games consoles. And there are times when it is appropriate and healthy to let our attention wander: if our hands are occupied doing a well-practised task, the mind can wander away to enjoyable castles in the air. It is useful, though, to be able to control the volume on our attention, so that we can have it at full strength when necessary.

We can develop our skill in paying attention: mindfulness techniques are one approach; doing Sudoku or a crossword against the clock is another. I found myself laying out objects to play Kim’s game.  It is a simple way to assess how good your attention and short-term memory are – and also to develop both.

Concentration also involves being able to focus thought – to process information. Thought is not necessarily in words: a painter staring at her latest work in progress is probably assessing depth of colour, strength of brushstroke, how one colour or shape affects those next to it. We all tend to have preferred ways of processing information: I am predominantly visual – I can read and ‘tune out’ a TV programme going on at the same time. My husband, who is more of an auditory processor, finds this impossible. Some people – including many who are good at sport – are mainly kinaesthetic by choice:  they learn something by doing it (‘muscle memory’). So what?

Well, if what we want to concentrate on is a conversation, and we are a mainly visual processor, it is helpful to keep our eyes focused on the person who is speaking (or close your eyes if on the phone). For those who prefer the auditory channel, one useful technique to prevent your attention from being grabbed by anything else is to listen with the intention of being able to summarise what has just been said. For the kinaesthetic, having something to occupy your muscles – such as doodling – can help to free up the rest of your attention to listen to the conversation.

It’s worth experimenting with all of these, regardless of preferred method of processing, to see which work best for you. And remember – as with any skill, developing concentration requires practice.