‘If only he’d look back and just see how pretty I looked today’.
Kachy sighed dreamily as her attention span shifted from the Professor, and she stared at the back of Jimmy’s head. He was sitting two rows in front of her, drinking every word Professor Otunba spat out. ‘Why did the Professor wear that shoe? It looks like the fish that swallowed Jonah…’
“Miss Kachy, wake up!”
Kachy jolted her head up to find the professor frowning at her. The entire class stared at her. Oh, dear.
“I-I wasn’t sleeping, sir.”
“No. But you seemed to find my shoes very amusing.” Some students sniggered. “Can you tell us what I just said Combinatorics and Basic Set Theory Notation is all about?”
“Em, no, sir.”
“Would you like to talk about my shoes, then?”
The class burst into laughter, and Kachy wished the ground would open and swallow her as she saw Jimmy laughing at her too.
makeameme.org
Let’s be real, not all of our lecturers have the time to make a topic like ‘Combinatorics and Basic Set Theory Notation’ exciting. If your mind tends to wander like Kachy, don’t worry, you have to make conscious efforts to improve your attention span to come out of the universities in flying colours and delve into the business world, focused.
To improve your attention span;
Meditate
Fast Company talked about research carried out by undergraduate students of the University of California.
They took a class in mindfulness and meditated four days a week for two weeks for 10 to 20 minutes, and scored higher on memory tests and activities that needed concentration than students who modified their diet and concentrated on healthy eating as a way to boost brainpower.
Listen to soothing sounds
Listen to music that helps you relax your nerves and mind. If your distraction level has a Masters Degree, then choose little soothing tunes and not songs with actual lyrics that compels you to sing along. This will be very helpful while you’re reading.
Be Interactive
Instead of staring at the lecturer or the speaker all through, be interactive. Ask questions, drop suggestions and answer questions. That way, you stay in tune with the class or meeting.
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Go traditional with your note-taking
In order words, use your pen and book. As much as we like recording lectures now or typing them on our phones or systems, they can be very distracting as messages keep popping in. Also, how many times did you enjoy listening to the droning voice from your recorder? You know the answer to this one.
Exercise
Exercising not only enhances your physical fitness, but it also increases your concentration. Others are chewing gum, drinking water or tea and joining study groups. So, do what you need to do, to improve your attention span in school and other essential meets in your life.
Has your mind ever wandered off while you had a lecturer droning on a topic in school? Drop a comment.
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