By Remez Sasson
It is a habit of the mind to wander. What happens when you sit quietly for a few minutes trying to think about something, or just sit down to relax? Next time you do this, try to watch your mind, and you will discover that it flits around like a butterfly, going from one thought to another.
The mind keeps thinking, worrying, asking questions, answering, giving excuses, telling stories, imagining, creating problems and solving them.
This happens not only while you sit down to relax, but also while working, driving, cooking, eating or doing anything else. This non-stop activity weakens your ability to focus your mind, and as well as interferes with your ability to deal effectively with what you are doing at each moment of the day.
A wandering mind can prevent you from falling asleep, finishing your tasks and work, and completing what you are doing. It also wastes your time and energy, and can be tiring sometimes.
Some people would tell you that if you perform more than one task at a time, you will save time and get more done. This might be true at times, when carrying out automatic tasks that do not require your or attention, but you will get done, and more accurately and efficiently, if you focus on just one thing at a time.
How many times have you tried to do several things at the same time, but ended doing mistakes and then having to correct them? When you focus on one task at a time, you do it more efficiently, easily and quickly. Paying your undivided attention to one subject is a sort of meditation, and this action teaches your mind obedience and discipline. When your mind is obedient and disciplined, it stops wandering, and you are more at peace.
How do you stop your mind from wandering? There is no magic formula. The recipe for stopping your mind from wandering is practice, and more practice, perseverance and patience. Don’t look at this as a boring and tiring work. Consider this as a game that rewards you with a precious prize. A prize that is a powerful tool for making your life better, happier and more successful.
Multitasking is an advantage at certain times, but focusing your mind on one thing, and preventing it from wandering to other tasks or thoughts can save you the time you might waste on correcting errors and mistakes due to lack of attention.
How to Keep Your Mind From Wandering:
- Try focusing on one thing at a time.
- Write one email at a time.
- Eat your lunch Mindfully.
- Drink your cup of coffee attentively.
- Read your book with full attention.
- Drive your car with full attention.
- While conversing, keep your mind on the conversation and prevent it from drifting to the TV screen in front of you, to the noises around you, or to people coming and going.
- If you meditate, focus on the subject of meditation, and when your mind wanders, bring it back.
- Align your mind with what you are doing. Don’t do one thing, while thinking about something else.
- When you catch your mind wandering, bring it back to what you are doing. This might not be easy, but if you keep trying you will gradually succeed.
- Become aware of your thoughts, and always bring your mind back to what you are doing.
For him who has no concentration, there is no tranquility.
Bhagavad Gita
Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them.
Johann von Goethe
So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
If you direct your whole thought to work itself, none of the things which invade eyes or ears will reach the mind.
Quintilian
Books with information and exercises that can help you focus your mind:
Willpower and Self Discipline
Peace of Mind in Daily Life
Visualize and Achieve
Remez Sasson is an author and blogger. He is the founder of SuccessConsciousness.com, a website and blog about self improvement and spiritual growth.
Remez Sasson is the author of several life transforming books, containing a wealth of information, advice and guidance.
I definitely have that problem of the wandering mind. The list of things you say to try is easier said than done. I definitely tried focusing on one ting at a time, but then my mind wanders harder.
There are some cases where I am successful though. It is especially hard to align my mind with my actions when what I am doing is boring.
You make some good points. These are things I will work on.
very nice topic & helpful for me,
thanking you for this article.
regards,
Rajendra,
Pune, India.
Yes, I agree with this article about the mind. The mind to me is like a busy traffic, where vehicles and people move to and fro continuously. In this case of the mind, the vehicles and people moving are THOUGHTS, which could be encapsulated with fear, worry, jealousy, mental pictures, etc.
It’ll be a huge blessing to humankind if the average individual can control the mind from wandering and placing positive thoughts through clear mental pictures with ease.
So much is yet to be discovered about the mind because if you don’t control your mind, it’ll control you as the popular saying states.
Controlling the wandering of the mind always requires time, effort and perseverance. If you continue for a few weeks you will start to see some progress, but real concentration requires much more time than a few weeks.
The ability to focus the mind is a learned skill and requires constant work, but other skills also require time, effort and perseverance, like learning a foreign language, becoming a good basketball player or becpming a good cook.
I know how difficult it is to control the wandering of the mind, but I also know that with practice, patience and strong motivation this can become a possiblility.
Timi Michael, I like what you said about the mind, that it is “like a busy traffic, where vehicles and people move to and fro continuously”.
I really enjoyed this article because I have a very wandering mind that’s hard to control. I have so much that I need to accomplish in a day that I can hardly finish anything because I’m always thinking about what I need to do next, or what I should have said or done. It’s like a rollercoaster ride all day everyday.
Good article. Human nature in quest for greater success, competition, fear, anxiety, what others are thinking about them, mostly results in a wandring mind, which rather preventing the mind from being focused on a particular issue to getting the best. Just imagine an octopus on top a roller skate with movement to every side. Little or no progress might be made. Rather, relax and focus ‘cos little drop of water forms a migthy ocean.
thank you for the article and the heplful related links sir
I will read them.
I am currently trying to read a book but found that I have a problem
concentrating and moving on with the next paragraphs.
i liked that article because even i can concentrate on my work and try doing several task together..and all goes wrong….thank you.
My mind never stops thinking about negative thoughts and ideas. I’m too idle, but whenever I try to make myself busy, it still wanders.
Am very much impressed with the article and try to focus on how my mind will stop wandering. Thanks very much.
It’s very wonderful, The article is nicely written.
I got very creative mind so I cant concentrate on one thing at time, always so many thought running in my mind
so sometimes I cannot take proper decision
I try to follow ..
THANKS
I read somewhere and also practiced it with good results. You strap a rubber band on your wrist and try to focus on task that you are doing. So where u notice your mind tries to wander pull the band on your wrist slightly so that it hits your wrist back…this is a great techinique to teach your mind and to keep it from wandering!
Best of luck!
At times wandering of mind is a blessing. When you are tense or in the middle of some very bad situation take your mind to a imaginary wonderful world. You will be able to relax.
You are right Dhar in saying: “When you are tense or in the middle of some very bad situation take your mind to a imaginary wonderful world. You will be able to relax”.
However, this is not wandering of the mind. This is something that you do, because you to decide to think about something else. This is an act of your will. It is the same power that is used when you prevent you mind from wandering – an act of will.
There is a great difference between daydreaming, at the time when you need to focus your mind on a particular topic or task, and between choosing willingly, and for a certain period of time and a particular purpose to think of something imaginary and pleasnt.
Even i am going through the Mind-wandering. Your guideline will help me to perform better and i have started to give attention to task taken in hand(writing this comment).
thanks for the advice, im really having a hard time focusing on one thing , thus everytime i think of somethin else i wander and i forget what i was trying to do