On completion of this training sequence,
you will know how to concentrate on the work,
how to relax during job and during breaks,
and what type of exercises you could do
to improve your mental and physical health as a professional.
This is the agenda.
We will first look at what it means to stay focused at work.
We will then concentrate on how to adopt a proper posture when sitting.
And finally we will see how to relax
thanks to some easy breathing exercises.
Concentrating is the act of focusing one's attention.
When you concentrate,
you focus your mental effort on one subject, thought or object.
While doing so,
you exclude any unrelated feelings, thoughts, ideas or sensations.
Learning how to concentrate at work is essential
for succeeding in your career as a respeaker.
Maintaining concentration will enable you to first of all be less stressed.
Eliminating distractions from your work
means you reduce the likelihood of falling behind
and thereby have less stress in your day.
The question is how to concentrate.
Regular exercise strengthens the body,
but the mind also benefits from purposeful mental exercise
that improves memory and concentration.
Here are some steps to take.
Meditate.
Meditation is beneficial for many reasons.
It reduces stress,
helps you feel calm and can boost your attention span.
Research even shows it increases gray matter in the brain,
which benefits your memory and cognition.
Exercise.
Exercise helps boosting your brain’s ability to ignore distractions.
Maintaining your weight is also a great way to keep your memory in top condition.
Develop willpower.
To better hone your willpower, focus on one goal at a time.
Be specific and clear about your goals and commit to them.
Some of the previous tips naturally help strengthen willpower,
such as meditation or setting a timer,
so you are only focused on a single task.
The more you can develop your willpower and resist temptation,
the more focused you will likely be.
Work on memorization.
Memorization is not only great for retaining information,
but it also exercises your memory muscles.
Memorization can lead to increased vocabulary and improved writing.
It can also help you stay focused on important tasks,
because you are used to working out your brain.
Aim to memorize a poem, a quote, or some verses each week
to help train your brain.
Read more.
Even though access to reading material has increased exponentially
with the rise of the digital age,
the amount of time most people spend reading said material has not.
More so,
online scrolling habits tend to make people less engaged with written content.
Be more attentive.
Practicing attentive listening is an essential interpersonal skill
you will need in the workplace.
Start being more attentive in the conversations you have
with loved ones and coworkers.
For instance, you could make it a point not to check your phone
while you’re eating lunch with a colleague.
Active listening involves listening with all the senses.
You should use both verbal and nonverbal cues,
to convey your attentiveness to the speaker,
including nodding your head, agreeing and maintaining eye contact.
Work when you are most productive.
People do their best when they are alert,
so it is important to identify your most productive period of the day.
This may mean you are more productive right after lunch,
as opposed to a coworker who always seems to finish their work early in the morning.
Know when to recharge.
Productive workers know when to step back
and leave an important task for another day.
Try to avoid working overtime
and only check company emails during work hours.
Those who work from home may want to take a 20-minute nap,
in the afternoon, to recharge.
Even quick 30-second breaks throughout the day can help you regain focus,
and look at a task with refreshed concentration.
Declutter your surroundings.
Set aside some time to declutter
and organize your files and mail every day,
so your workspace is less distracting.
If you have allowed paperwork to pile up, for instance,
file the documents in a stacked tray or drawer,
until you are ready to work on them.
This keeps your desk free from clutter,
so you can focus on the task at hand.
Having personal effects on your desk is okay,
but avoid displaying too many photos or collectibles.
Ideally, you should declutter at the end of the workday
so you can come in the next morning without feeling stressed or distracted.
Choose sound or silence.
Some people work better in a completely quiet environment.
Others cannot concentrate without background music.
Learn whether silence or sound boosts your concentration,
and figure out how to implement it at work.
For example, you might need a pair of noise-canceling headphones
if you prefer silence but you work in an open office.
If you work better with music,
choose music you enjoy that doesn't feature distracting lyrics.
Set the ideal temperature.
Feeling too hot or too cold, can reduce your ability to concentrate.
While you cannot control your company’s preset thermostat,
you can keep a light sweater, for example, or desk fan on hand.
In offices where the preset temperature is an issue for many employees,
speak with your manager
about setting a temperature that is most comfortable
and conducive to productivity.
Eliminate distractions.
Distractions impact work in many ways.
Yet it is difficult to fully eliminate them.
Checking your email, text messages,
social media or favorite websites during the workday
takes away from the time you could be spending completing a task.
The key is to identify common distractions and eliminate them.
When respeaking, it is important to have a proper posture.
According to Cornwell University and the University of British Columbia,
the ideal typing posture,
which is important when you introduce text by typing,
or you are correcting something,
is such that the keyboard is below your elbow height when seated. ​
Your wrists should be straight.
Here are the key steps
to achieve the most ergonomic and comfortable typing position.
The keyboard should be placed just below elbow level​.
The elbows should be in an open angle,
between 90 and 110 degrees.
This is relaxing your forearms and shoulders.​
The keyboard should be flat on the desk,
or sloping gently away from you.
You can also place the keyboard on your lap.​
Your wrists should be kept straight.
Not flexed upwards or downwards​.
Keep both feet flat on the floor.
When typing,
how you sit dictates the posture of your hands and fingers.
As such, it’s critical to sit properly as well.
According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
maintaining the right posture is important to maximize your productivity
and mitigate the risk of work-related deseases.
Sitting in the right posture also boosts your respiratory system.
The American Council on Exercise explains
that a poor posture compresses the thoracic region,
thus preventing the diaphragm from opening up fully.
The result? Low oxygen intake and decreased energy levels.​
Similarly, the right sitting position is also fundamental when respeaking.
According to Medical News Today this entails:​
Resting your back against the chair for maximum support.
If the chair does not provide adequate support,
consider using a lumbar pillow.​
Resting your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.
The idea is to have your thighs parallel to the seat pan,
so that your legs form a 90-degree angle at your knees.​
Looking straight ahead without leaning forward,
as it may exert too much pressure on your discs.
To avoid this hunchback posture,
you should position the top of your monitor
so that it’s the same level or slightly below your horizontal eye level.​
Positioning your knees at the same level or slightly lower than your hips.​
Relaxing your shoulders.
If you suffer from back pain,
adjust the back of your office chair to between 110 and 130 degrees.
This backrest angle helps relieves back and neck pressure.​
Finally, breathing is super important when respeaking.
Here are some tips for belly breathing.
Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.​
Put one hand on your belly, just below your ribs,
the other on your chest​.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
and let your belly push your hand out.
Your chest should not move.​
Breathe out through pursed lips,
as if you were whistling.
Feel the hand on your belly go in,
and use it to push all the air out.​
In the previous slide we have seen some very basic breathing exercises.
Here I'm proposing you some more advanced breathing exercises.
Put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest,
as in the slide before.
Now take a deep, slow breath from your belly,
and silently count to 4.​
Hold your breath, and silently count from 1 to 7.​
Then breathe out completely
as you silently count from 1 to 8.
By the time, try to get all the air out of your lungs.​
Repeat 3 to 7 times this exercises, or until you feel calm.​
In this video lecture we have seen how to implement strategies
for enhancing concentration.
In particular, we have seen what it means to concentrate in the workplace,
how to adopt a proper posture when respeaking,
and how to do breathing exercises to relax.