What it Takes to Break Your Concentration?

It's not what the noise is that disrupts my attention relative to the noises frequency.

Loud and constant isn't anywhere near as nerve breaking as soft and sporadic.

The only noise that disturbs me is total lack of it.

On the farm, in the woods, everywhere I am most comfortable, silence preceeds disaster.

Cattle go silent just before they stampede

Birds stop singing if a predator is near

My kids are usually up to something if they are silent

I can sleep through blaring music, study in a crowded train, even read technical manuals with machinery running all around me. Kill the noise, and I get nervous and can't concentrate or sleep.

Funny really, I am the same as farmatt.

I used to live and work in and around London. Noise all around me especially from the emergency services 24 hrs a day and it never affected me, I was aware of the noise but no affect.

One weekend I went to stay with family in Lincolnshire, a small village surrounded by farmland, no motorways, no sirens no noise........ nothing. Now one would imagine that is the right environment for a good nights sleep - wrong, I could even here my heart beating, by the time I dropped off to sleep (just bfore dawn) the neighbours cockrel woke me up. I could not wait to get back to London to the noise and get a good night sleep.

In Indian way, the capacity of concentration can be increased by meditation.

But few people have that gift. Richard Feynman used to prefer reading the books in dance clubs (where every body used to be engage with the dance and no body were there to disturb him)

Other people are always out of concentration by any sort of noise.

I have not gained it by meditation, but can concentrate in almost any sort of noise.

I can just neglect the noise of any type and intensity while sleeping or during sleeping if it is known that the noise will be there. But if at some remote place where there is real silence and no noise is expected, during sleep, with very small sound I get alerted. It is gift for me.

If I am on the phone involved in a conversation, just about any noise bothers me and distracts from my concentration. It is harder for me if the person I am listening to talks softly or has an accent. I know today's phones have a volume button but I have found that the background noise still distracts.

However, I used to study Bernoulli's principles while listening to the Clash, Bob Seger, the Ramones, etc.

So I guess if I am concentrating on external sources of information, albiet mostly sound, the noise does bother me. But for internal concentration, no bother.

I would add, I love the sound of nature's silence. The sound of traffic does cause me fatigue but does not break my concentration.

"It is harder for me if the person I am listening to talks softly....."

It's even more difficult when that person is right next to you and I have to keep saying 'Pardon?'. Almost as if they're talking to themselves in the middle of a conversation.

If you want to increase your concentration power, follow the meditation method.

Just close the eyes, chant anything... name of the god, name of your beloved or even your own name, in mind. Initially you will be disturbed, but slowly you will aquire the skill of neglecting (automatically) all other noise, movements around you.

Then same will be useful while reading, doing any job or for anything.

Wow just reading your instruction made me relax.

Now, if I could just get these voices in my head to SHUT UP!

Concentration ? What's that?

Actually there seems to be no real need of it actually after reading various views in this thread.. after all, what could be more important than watching a pretty young thing .. this kind of break in concentration was intended by nature. Even in deep meditation, Rishi Vushwmitra was distracted by the beauty of Menaka....

Wait a minute .... who is that going past the window....

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering ~ Winnie the Pooh

True...

To listen for the bees!

Even in deep meditation, Rishi Vishwamitra was distracted by the beauty of Menaka....

Menaka is ultimate level of distraction. We are talking about the normal levels of distractions. (Now body wishes not to get distracted if Menaka or Urvashi provokes)

Well, at my age, even Menaka or Urvashi are unlikely to have any effect.

Looking another way, at my age, practically any young woman may have that effect

Anyway, seriously, i have no problem in concentrating when i am working on something i love. When i am working on something that has to be done, but is boring, any small thing is enough to break it. i suppose it happens to the best of us.

Well, at my age, even Menaka or Urvashi are unlikely to have any effect.

Age is what you think. What was the age of Vishwamitra, do you think, when Menaka did Tapobhanga (breaking his meditation _{^{Explaination for non Indians). If I am not wrong, he was elder than you.}}

_{Just joking. I respect your elderliness.}

Thank you. You are quite right that age is in the mind. i feel quite young when in the company of young engineers at my clients' places and i am helping them learn something new. i also learn in the process.

However, sometimes, the body is unable to keep up naturally. To give another meaning to the old saying .... "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak "

What really breaks my concentration, is someone who insists on continuing a conversation while I am trying to butt in.

Another: "Why boys, you act as if the sword of Damocles were hanging over my head." "Lady, you must be psychic!"

I find the low frequencies to be the most "disturbing" that is they grab me attention no matter what I am doing. A heavy truck in my otherwise quiet neighborhood always prompts me to investigate.

As for routine distractions, it really depends more on what I'm concentrating on. A hated and despised task can be derailed by something as subtle as a cloud passing overhead.

When I'm deep in the throes of a meaty challenge, I could ignore the building being on fire. I once looked up from my desk to realize that the fire alarm had evacuated the department. It was the abnormal firetruck traffic that finally got my attention q.v. above. I was accused of being asleep, but the logs vindicated me. :)

I too appreciate the comments about "silence" cutting through concentration, it was a sad yet funny day when the kids learned that silence was giving them away during their nefarious activities. Suddenly cookies and sweets were disappearing. The vanishing of the treats concealed by the background noise; disappearing from locations that had formerly been protected by that intruding shroud of silence.

My neighbors chainsaw and weed wacker...yet amazingly my own is music to my ears. LOL!