How to Concentrate

~ Gottfried

Life is a concentration camp. You’re stuck here and there’s no way out. Actually, there are a few ways out but I’m keeping them a secret. Some of you have the attention span of a two-year-old and it is currently standing in the way between you and riches. For context, a two-year-old has an average attention span of 4-6 minutes. On the flip side, if you try to do too much, you won’t achieve anything. So taking a dump, tweeting, and listening to music all at once is a good way to waste your day.

Playing games. I’m playing a very difficult game that requires intense concentration, planning, and strategy. It’s called “texting with my crush.” One wrong emoji and I can blow it. I’m not taking any chances. No seriously, if I put as much thought as I put into Football manager, who is Elon Musk in this game of wealth? Or even Fantasy Football. If my boys discussed ways to progress in life the way they did with Fantasy Football, we’ll all be listed on Forbes 30 under 30. Alas, that is not the case. Concentrate.

The biggest lie you can tell yourself is “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.” Okay, do you remember what it was? Nope! And therein lies your problem. Write that down. No seriously, write it down now! Sometimes I feel my brain is like a Bermuda Triangle. Information goes in and then it’s never to be found again. So I say to my brain, “I don’t like you, and you don’t like me either. But let’s just get this done then you can go back to being useless.” Stubborn guy wouldn’t listen.

Concentration is silence. Out of silence is born concentration, and from that comes learning. You can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what’s wrong in your life, or you can focus on what’s right. Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward to find the answer. If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then is an empty desk a sign?

Don’t drink water while studying. In Chemistry class we learn that concentration decreases on adding water. That ill-advised trip to pour yourself a glass of water could spell the end of your study time. If you are able to continue studying when somebody is shooting a gun down your street, you’ve mastered the art of concentration, my friend. Yes, you might drop but your grades won’t. Speaking of concentration, why do we have five workdays in a row? Why is Monday so far from Friday, and Friday so close to Monday?

Keep promises. A funny thing happens when we start keeping promises to ourselves. We become unstoppable. Notice that people who are wrapped up in themselves make small packages. Don’t let someone who has done nothing tell you how to do anything. Concentration is the key to strength. To be celibate is to concentrate. There’s a lot to be said for celibacy, for the concentration of your physical and mental energy. Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. Once you hack this concentration thing, you stop feeling defeated.

Concentration is the root of all the higher abilities in an individual. It’s all about concentration and repetition. That’s all it is. Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. If you chase two rabbits, both will escape. When you focus on what you want, everything else falls away. Focus on problems, you’ll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you’ll have more opportunities. Dream. Make a wish. Make it happen. If you had difficulty concentrating to read through this entire post, kindly seek medical help.

Yesterday

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346 thoughts on “How to Concentrate”

  4. Yes, Gottfried, concentration is the key, which is exactly why so many students are addicted to the drug “Adderall” around the world. It’s the performance enhancing drug for students instead of athletes.

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  9. You shot us all with a double barreled long range rifle, Gottfried. Many of us can’t concentrate to save our lives.

    Maybe it’s because we don’t know the percentage required to get through life. Is it 5.5%, 12% or 40%?

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