10 Simple Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Attention and Concentration

Stress is becoming a real part of our lives these days. People trying to cope with their problems at college, work and even at home. We are all stressed! Even students are trying to find the quick essay writing service to do their papers in time and not to get bad marks. 

 
As you age it is important to pay attention to your gray matter if your aim is to represent clear mind, perfect memory and ability to concentrate quickly. People got used to the informational flow, million ideas, pictures and feelings which may appear at once. It comes as no surprise that when you want to concentrate on your work this fullness turns out to be emptiness. No panic! The scientific phenomenon known as neuroplasticity proves that a human brain has an incredible ability to reshape itself according to the new changes and experiences. 

How to improve memory and concentration without wasting your time on reading special books and learning sophisticated algorithms? Check out these 10 simple exercises for boosting brain strength at any age.

#1 Lotus Pose from Yoga
Yogic philosophy suggests that practicing yoga is a perfect way to improve concentration. Just sit straight, cross-legged, close your eyes and relax. Stay focused on your breathing. Sit until you feel completely at peace. That’s it! Practice at least 5 minutes. You can also try other yoga poses and meditation technics. The main point is to find a place where you can be alone and undisturbed.

#2 “Name That Color” Test
This exercise is also called the Stroop Test. It is used in neuropsychological evaluations to measure mental flexibility and can help to train your attention. You should quickly say aloud what color you see in every word you read. Go from left to right, from top to down. Train until you do it without mistakes. Ready, set, go!




#3 Read Long Stuff Slowly
A recent study proved that one in four read no books. Only 5% of readers who start an article online will finish it. How is it possible to pay attention if you’re scrolling all the time from one website to another? If you are limited in time to read books, just make a rule to read one or two long articles a week.

# 4 Double Benefit from Food
Take a fruit, an orange, banana or any other fruit and hold it in your hands. Examine it carefully, while keeping your whole attention focused on it. Take note of its color, shape, smell and sensation it gives you when you touch it. Do not let yourself to be carried away by irrelevant thoughts.
Actually, after doing this exercise you can use blender and prepare some brain-boosting, delicious and health-giving drinks -smoothies. Moreover, you can build your own well-balanced diet by taking small steps.



You should use a timer to break down work into 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Chose a task that you need to accomplish. It could be anything from studying to an office task. Set the timer to 25 minutes. Focus on accomplishing the task for these 25 minutes trying to avoid all distractions like checking your profile notifications or talking on the cellphone. Take a break. The exercise is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.

#6 Exercise your body
Physical exercise helps your brain stay sharp. Oxygen comes to your brain more intensive and helps to prevent disorders such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or memory loss. Physical activity stimulates new neuronal connections. Regular exercises improve cognitive function, slow down the aging process and help to be focused on the life goals.

#7 Laugh before learning
Researchers at Loma Linda University showed one group of adults in their 60s and 70s a short comedy while the other group watched a humorless TV program. As a result, those who watched the comedy had lower levels of cortisol which can impair learning and memory. Release of endorphins and dopamine will provide a sense of pleasure, so the act of laughter is the best start of your mental work.

#8 Use mnemonic device to improve memory
Associate a visual image with a word you need to remember. Use chunking for breaking a long list of numbers if you need to remember a phone number. Example: 555 765 990 instead of 555765990. Try to find new ways of learning and don’t forget to convert them into good habits. 

#9 Breathe deeply
When you take a walk, concentrate on the odor of flowers and plants. See how many different kinds you can detect. Then try to sense only one. It helps to develop concentrated attention and control your mind.

#10 Planning before Doing
Always make a plan for whatever you are up to. Without a purpose, you are wasting your time. A day planner can help you keep track of activities and can also serve as a journal in which you write all things you would like to remember. Don’t forget to find time for your concentration exercises!



8 Types of Social Media Posts That Generate More Engagement

Without engagement, your social media marketing efforts are a lost cause. Comments, shares, links, and answering your calls to action in other ways are your rewards for creating and curating amazing content. One thing that you may be noticing is that some of your posts get more engagement than others.


Worse, you may be struggling to produce content that gets much engagement at all. Here’s the truth. There are simply some types of social media posts that earn more engagement than others. Keep reading to learn more about the eight types of social media posts that are more likely create buzz among your followers.

1.      Educational Content

How do I do this? What does it take to accomplish this goal? What does this mean? Take a moment to think about your motivation when you look something up on the internet. In most cases, it’s because you want to learn something.

It may be a snippet of information, or you may be seeking out the series of steps you need to follow to solve a problem. Because of this, content that simply instructs and educates is always a hit.

2.      Content That is Completely or Mostly Visual

The infographic is the most shared type of content on the internet. That’s a pretty significant fact if your goal is to increase engagement. It doesn’t take much scrolling through Facebook and other social media pages to see that other forms of visual content such as memes, gifs, videos, and collages are popular as well.

3.      Content That Simply Entertains

Quick! Take a look back at the last ten things that you shared on social media. Chances are, at least a few of them were shared simply because you thought they were interesting or funny. You aren’t alone. The truth is, much of our social media participation is motivated simply by our need to assuage boredom by consuming entertaining content.

In fact, if you check out brands such as Chipotle or Kate Spade, you will find that large amounts of their most viral content marketing efforts are focused on producing content that entertains.

4.      Touching And Inspirational Content

Speaking of the posts that you share on social media, it’s likely that more than a few focus on stories of inspiration or advice that is either touching or motivating. Stories of people who have overcome difficult challenges, inspirational quotes, memes, and other content meant to inspire can quickly earn shares and start some amazing conversations.

5.      Lists

Yes, it is still true. The list post remains one of the best types of social media content when it comes to generating engagement. Even better, list posts provide endless opportunities to revitalize and repurpose content. Remember that list of tech tools that you created two years ago, or maybe you wrote a top ten post of vacation destinations? You can revisit these on an annual basis and update them with new information.

This type of content may receive frequent criticism. However, the bottom line is this. List posts are extraordinarily effective. In fact, the best websites still rely heavily on the list post because of their nearly magical engagement boosting properties.

6.      Data Backed Content

Case studies, research reports, and other content that can be linked to verifiable data sources are always popular. If you have audience members who love to dig deep into big data in order to discuss and explore, consider taking a look at the most academic side of your niche.
7.      Conversion Oriented Content

You’ve probably read that your content should be 80 percent focused on information, entertainment, and education. What about the other 20 percent? The truth is, the content that you use to push people further down the sales funnel is important as well.

One thing that you will notice is that conversion-oriented content produces a lot of engagement. Even better, this engagement is extremely valuable because the conversations tend to focus on your products and services.

These conversations are where dialogue happens about how your products work, troubleshooting, shipping details, and other information that is useful to people who are close to making a purchase.

8.      Your Story

Any content that involves you giving your audience an insider’s view is going to result in engagement. People are more likely to form bonds with and engage with content that educates them about your brand’s story, the hard work, and dedication that has gone into building your business, or even your personal struggles.

Share interviews and profiles of your team. Link to the founding story of your company in your blog. Curate content that speaks to you personally, and let your audience know why. Your followers will return the favor by commenting and sharing their own stories and insights.

Conclusion

If you haven’t been experimenting with the eight types of content listed here, it may be time to begin. If you want to increase engagement and improve SEO, you might consider investing more time producing the types of content on this list. You will soon find that your audience share increases greatly and that your relationships with those audience members are strengthened significantly.



About the Author: Janet Anthony is a blogger from Kansas City who has been writing professionally for five years now. She mostly writes about social media, marketing, and blogging. Her motto is “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows”. Find Janet here: facebook