Topic : Attention
The Fast Lane
Writer Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it.
“I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day,” he recalled in his book Stress Fractures. “Before long, things around our home started reflecting the patter of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable.
“I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin, and I’ll tell you really fast.’
“Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me—and you don’t have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.”
“I’ll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’”
Quotes
- Attention is like a daily bouquet of love. Bob Keeshan, “Captain Kangaroo”
- The average adult attention span is 6 minutes. That’s why the Tonight Show has a commercial break about every 6 minutes! - Anon
Memory - The Art of Attention
Improving one's memory is not all that difficult. Most of us simply don't expend the time or effort required. 'the true art of memory,? wrote an English historian, "is the art of attention.? We can improve our memories by simply putting our minds to it and by following a few simple rules:
1. Remember to remember. Telling yourself that you want to remember this or that fact and concentrating on it will improve your memory immediately. We remember what we WANT to remember.
2. Sharpen your observation. Pay close attention to what you see and hear. Use images. Shut your eyes and try to SEE it. Notice details. Really LOOK at things. Few people actually do.
3. Practice recall. Forgetting is most rapid soon after learning. It helps, therefore, to make a deliberate effort to repeat and review immediately. Repetition will help fix the fact or image in our minds.
4. Concentrate. Eliminate distractions. The mind is at its best when it is centered on one thing at a time. Avoid such things as fatigue, noise, and competing visual images during the time you are trying to learn.
