Full concentration, please!
Where were we stopped again? Oh, sure, it's about thinking better. And that means in plain language: concentration. Not so easy, between - moment! Shortly answer a mail! - Pending e-mails, ringing mobile phone and everyday worries mentally to really stay on the ball. Full concentration is a great feeling: completely lost, barely notice what's happening around it, and exhausted with a solved task, but very satisfied to reappear. That could be experienced more often? Yes, you can: More concentration is possible! If you follow a few rules.
To gather
Check emails, go to the bathroom again, put a glass of water on the desk, close the door and start: That's how the day of work of the auditor Stefanie Hagenmüller begins. The musician Sibylle Tschopp prepares gymnastics before practicing, provides green tea, cleans the strings of her instrument and begins with scales. And also important: "The living room in which I practice must be absolutely neat." Disorder distracts me. "
"To gather" is also said to concentrate, and small rituals help there. They condition the head and body in such a way that it is clear: Now concentration is required. For this to succeed, the most important work utensils must be within reach. Because good preparation facilitates the descent enormous: "I make a to-do list the evening before, which I work off the next day," explains Stefanie Hagenmüller.
Start with a jerk
"From the first second I'm sitting at the radar screen, I have to be fully in. I decided the moment I'm fit," says the air traffic controller Birte Cordua. Concentration is also a matter of will. "If you can not concentrate, think about whether you want to concentrate at all, if you prefer to write mails, chat with colleagues or do the laundry at home, then do that, but do not fret They do not bring it to spiritual heights, "says the concentration expert Karl Westhoff, professor of psychology at the University of Dresden.
You really want? Let's go! The concentration trainer Verena Steiner speaks of an inner jerk in the concentration: Like a long jumper, which takes a run and puts all their energy in exactly this jump, you can also jump into the concentration phase. An example: "If I'm not feeling fit and full, I'll tap my body and face with my hands before the start of work, and then it's time for work," says Bremen air traffic controller Birte Cordua.
Focus
"Trying to do several things in parallel is the main cause of the feeling of lack of concentration," says Professor Westhoff. Professionals avoid any kind of multitasking in phases of highest concentration: "If I practice violin, then I only practice violin," says Sibylle Tschopp. The manager Stefanie Hagenmüller takes during her concentration phases, the phone only when it must be necessarily, the closed office door frightens plauderlustige colleagues from, even e-mails she answers later. Instead, she works one task after another from.
Keep your head clear
"I deal with annoying thoughts as if someone is talking to me, and I do not care: I just do not notice them," says Stefanie Hagenmüller. Whoever fails to push away thoughts that intervene from the back of his head, that should Write down your thoughts quickly to clear your mind.
"When emotional stress disturbs my concentration, I consciously decide that I will take care of it later," says Sibylle Tschopp. One can, for example, a clearly outlined Plan brooder phase in the evening, If there are appointments, such as a telephone call or a meeting, set the alarm clock - then you do not have to constantly look at the clock.
Treat yourself to a break
For air traffic controllers, the rules are clear: no one is allowed to sit on the screen at the Radar Control Center in Bremen for more than two hours - for safety reasons. There will be a half to one hour break before the next assignment. "We have rest rooms, I often lay down for a quarter of an hour during the break and sleep, or I sit on the treadmill in the gym to freshen up," says Birte Cordua.
Learning from the pilots means: Schedule breaks in the daily routine, at least every two hours. "It's best to plan according to the time of day, not after completed work steps and not only when you can no longer", recommends psychology professor Karl Westhoff. The trick here: If you could actually go on, you are not exhausted, so that 10 to 15 minutes are enough time out. The re-entry is easier, because you still want to finish the job.
By the way: You can fully concentrate on office work a day for a maximum of about five hours. The rest of the working time can therefore be used with a clear conscience for less concentration-demanding activities.
Create habits
"I can concentrate anywhere and at any time, even with jet lag or when I have a fever," says the chess player Elisabeth Pähtz. She trained this ability from an early age, concentration has become her habit: "You just do it." The more often and the better you concentrate, the easier. "The brain prefers to do things it is used to," says psychologist Karl Westhoff. At some point, concentration will not require any special effort.
Step one to more concentration endurance: set goals and see things sporty. For example, work through an hour, if that works out, stretch the time a bit. And: to train bad habits. Do not jump at the first impulse "Now a coffee", but disciplined wait for the break. Concentration can also be practiced while meditating, in sports such as archery or playing music. Every exercise is worth it, then it will eventually work even in delicate situations. Air traffic controller Birte Cordua no longer hears the voices of her colleagues around her in the huge control room. "You can hide background noise - that can be learned."
Sink completely
"Flow" scientists call the state of highest sinking, when you forget the world around you and is one with his task. For anyone who succeeds, concentration is no longer exhausting but pure happiness: "For me, practicing the violin is like meditation, if I manage to be in the moment when I consciously perceive every single sound, not yesterday and not at think so, that's a great condition, "says Sibylle Tschopp. Two things are necessary for this: You have to get involved in the task. And that must not be too easy or too heavy. "When there is a lot going on, when you are working close to your own limits, then the work is the most fun.
Difficult are phases in which hardly any aircraft are traveling. It's not so demanding, but it's still not allowed to digress. "Brain researchers confirm this: When the brain is underutilized, it begins to deal with itself - disturbing thoughts come in between, the concentration drops.
But also seemingly boring jobs reveal, viewed with mindful eyes, often completely new qualities: "I see in my files not only naked numbers, I see the history of the companies behind it and find that really exciting," says Stefanie Hagenmüller. With annoying activities one can expose oneself a reward. Or enjoy the happiness of full concentration, which professionals like Stefanie Hagenmüller quite often experience: "If you really manage to sink into the work, that is very satisfying.The time is racing, and you are afterwards proud of how much you did it. "
These are the four women who have to concentrate very well and who here reveal how they do it:
Birte Cordua, 33, has been working for 12 years as an air traffic controller at the German Air Traffic Control in Bremen. "Pilots and passengers rely on my work."
Sibylle Tschopp, 37, concert violinist. "I have to know every sound very well, know exactly what I'm doing to be able to play by heart on stage."
Elisabeth Pähtz, 24, best German chess player. "With me already a wrong move, even if I lead - and it costs me the victory."
Stefanie Hagenmuller, 34, certified public accountant and manager in Hamburg. "I have to switch over very often, get used to new problems quickly - and under time pressure, since my working hours are limited."
