Confidence and focus are strongly tied together. The better our focus, the more confident we become and vice versa. Both are like our physical skills in that regular practice can increase our ability. Below you will find some exercises that if performed regularly can increase your ability to stay focused on the task at hand.
*Focus grids: Use the grid provided below or create your own by randomly filling in the boxes 0-99. Start a timer, find 0 cross it out, then find 1, then 2, etc. all the way to 99. Record your time. Each day create a new grid and see if you can beat your own time. Or you can race against others. Options: Start with 99 and go backwards. Or in numerical order find all even numbers first then find the odd numbers.
*Count numbers: Count backwards in your head from 100. Time yourself and/or race against others. Options: Count backwards by 2, by 4, and by 7
*Count words: Read a paragraph and as you read count the number of words in the paragraph. Do not use your fingers to keep your place while reading.
*Games: Play the Concentration game or similar games that require complete focus.
*Puzzles: Solve a Sudoku or similar puzzle.
*1 object focus: Stare at an object and see how long you can keep your thoughts solely on that object. Start with 3 minutes. Gradually increase your time.
*Watch the clock: Watch the second hand on a clock complete its circles. Remain focused on the second hand for five minutes.
*Sit Still: Sit in a chair without moving. Keeping your body relaxed, see how long you can sit without twitching or moving.
For best results, focus needs to be worked at daily. Working on your physical skills randomly or here and there isn’t going to produce significant results. The same with mental skills. However, working at something consistently will. Commit to at least 5 minutes a day.
FOCUS GRID
Tami Matheny is a Mental Game Coach and Author of “The Confident Athlete: 4 Easy Steps to Build and Maintain Confidence” https://r2lc.com/the-confident-athlete-4-easy-steps-to-build-and-maintain-confidence/ and “The Confidence Journal”. Both books can be purchased online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. For group discounts contact http://tami@r2l.mysites.io.
Tami owns and runs, Refuse2LoseCoaching which provides mental coaching for athletes and teams at all levels. For more information on mental training contact tami@r2l.mysites.io, follow us on twitter @tamimatheny and @r2lcoaching and visit our website: https://r2lc.com.
For daily confidence tips, sign up for the monthly confidence calendar: https://r2lc.com/monthly-confidence-calendar-newsletter/.
If you are on Facebook join the group Parents and the Mental Game for daily advice, tips, and motivation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1491446574332599/.
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