Find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and think about nothing for a period of 2 minutes. Thinking about thinking about nothing, as well as not being mindful of yourself are actions to be considered a break in focus.
Do this exercise until you can practice it for 5 minutes with less than 4 breaks in focus. After you can do this comfortably, increase your practice time to 10 minutes and practice until you can go the entire 10 minutes with less than 5 breaks in focus.
Exercise #9: Focus on Multiple Aspects of an Object at the Same Time
Redo exercise 8, but instead of just focusing on one aspect of the object, focus on two at the same time.
A good example: If you chose a soda can as your object of choice. You could focus on both the material, and the feeling that the material makes when moved.
What Not to Do: Do not focus on one aspect of the object, stop, and then focus on the other aspect during the course of your practice. Please focus on two separate aspects at the same time.
Choose something in your room to focus on. Handheld objects such as pens, pencils, phones, coins, or soda cans seem to be better for this task. Sit down in a quiet area where you will not be disturbed with the object you chose. Spend 5 minutes focusing on the object. What is meant when I say to focus on the object is that you should focus on one specific aspect of an object. An example here might be to focus on the material of the object, but nothing else.
Choose a common letter at random from the alphabet. Good choices here are “S”, “W”, “T”, “I”, “A”. Try to avoid speaking and/or typing this letter. Saying, typing, or thinking about saying or typing the letter is to be considered a break in focus.
Try not to continue unless you can go for three days in a row with less than three breaks in focus.
Choose an uncommon letter at random. Avoid the letters “X” and “Z”. Good choices include the letters “Y”, “H”, or “J”. Avoid saying and/or typing this letter in daily conversation. Note your progress in your journal. Saying, typing, or thinking about saying or typing the letter is to be considered a break in focus.
Choose a common word at random. Examples of good choices include common words such as “and”, “is”, “or”, or “I”. The author chose “and” for this exercise. If you type a lot and don’t go anywhere, you should probably apply this exercise to typing. Otherwise, stick to avoiding the actual word in conversation. For me, it was a lot easier to make mistakes as I was talking because I tended to think less about what I was saying, versus what I was writing.
Choose a topic which occupies your mind frequently. For example, if you usually play videogames for an hour a day, choose video games. Try to avoid topics that you must confront. An example might be avoiding thinking about school when you are a student. Avoiding thinking about work when its not work time.
You should go about your day trying to avoid thinking of this topic. Make note every time you think of this topic,as this is to be considered a break in focus.
Exercise #1: Passively Allow Images to Arise in Conscious Thought
Sit down in a quiet space where you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and attempt to remain passive. That is, try to think of nothing, but don’t shove thoughts out of your mind if you become distracted. Try to avoid “losing yourself” or daydreaming. We will consider “losing yourself” or daydreaming for the purpose of this exercise a break in mental focus. Allow images to rise to your conscious mind.
