Image by: Emilio Labrador
Kurt Garrity

There’s an old joke that goes “I’m so broke I can’t pay attention,” or something like that. While it has to do with money – or more specifically the lack of it – there is also something to be gleamed from the rest of the subject matter, namely your attention span.

Paying attention in this world of LED screens, pop-up ads and bottom-of-screen news crawls is difficult. You have to be a true master of your domain to keep your mind straight, focused and moving ion the right direction.

And it is no surprise that medical science has stepped up with solutions in the form of concentration drugs (much to the joy of college student everywhere).

But like many Americans, you are concerned about popping a pill, or taking the latest wonder drug for what passes for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) these days. Seems doctors want to pump us full of these “fixes” without going first for something more organic.

Do you suffer at times from a lack of concentration? Before you head to the DR or the RX, try these tricks to keep you on track:

1 – Block Out Those Things That Are Around You

There is a reason horses wear blinders – so they can only see what they need to be focused on:winning. You can do the same, although I would highly advise against purchasing actual horse blinders and wearing them in public. People will talk.

Instead of saddling up, why not use your hands to define for your mind the areas that you need to focus on. It may sound silly, but it does work.

It also helps to turn off the TV or stereo in the background, but you probably already knew that.

2 – Schedule Time In Your Mind To Think About Things

This one can be crucial to those with a lot on their plate. Is that presentation you are giving tomorrow taking up all of your brainpower and concentration today? Actually tell your brain that you will spend between 9 p.m.-11 p.m. going over all of that. It actually works.

This technique will be hard at first and definitely take some getting used to, but it beats choking down pills and chasing down scripts.

3 – Divide & Conquer

You have many, many things to do today. Take the time to organize your day and you will organize your thoughts. The mind will respond to schedule cues if you tell it to. The more visual and defined the better.

If you divide up your activities into smaller increments, your focus and concentration on that one particular subject will improve drastically.