Another technique you can use to extend your attention span is to give your concentration a workout. This is similar to brain training, but you are using an actual task and attempting to focus on it.
Here are some of the most common tasks used for this technique.
Focused Reading
Find a book that you would like to read and sit down to read it for 30 minutes. Whenever you find your attention wandering, gently guide it back to the book and start again. Set a timer to go off every five to ten minutes and check in to see how your concentration is faring.
Focused Eating
Pick something to eat. It can be a snack, a dessert, or an entire meal. Sit down and eat it slowly, paying attention to each bite. Taste the food, savour it in your mouth, and notice how it makes you feel. Do this until you are finished. This is a great one to try if you’re trying to lose weight as it helps you notice properly, what you’re eating.
Focused Counting/Alphabet Work
If you like math, this may be a good concentration workout for you. You can choose many options for this workout. Count down from 100 to 0. Count up to 100 but do it by 2s, 3s, 4s, or 5s. Recite part of the multiplication or division tables you learned in school. Any set of numbers that makes you concentrate will work.
If you do not like maths, you can do the same thing with the alphabet. Try doing it forwards or backward and skipping letters. You can also try coming up with a word for each letter of the alphabet. This is especially challenging if you do it backward!
Memorisation and Recitation
Memorisation requires focus, as does reciting things that you have previously memorised. Pick something that resonates with you – a poem or perhaps a limerick – and memorise it. Later, try to recite it word for word. It will take you several tries to get this workout down, and you can do it as often as you like. You will never run out of material!
Visualization
Find something interesting to look at it. Focus on it for a few minutes and try to imprint it in your mind. Then close your eyes (or turn around) and try to recreate it in your mind’s eye. When you are finished, compare your internal image with the real one. Repeat as necessary or desired with any object. Art galleries and museums are fun places to try this workout. A waiting room is less fun but helps pass the time.
Select whichever technique appeals to you most and give your concentration a workout.