ConcentrAction

[Book in French].

We find it increasingly difficult to remain focused. Ubiquitous technology, repeated interruptions, stress, fatigue, etc.: numerous factors explain employees’ growing difficulties to progress efficiently in their work. Yet, according to Jean-Yves Ponce, concentration problems are not a curse. Our brain is able to adapt to many constraints; concentration is a competence just like another: we can work at it. To do this, the author proposes his method, described in seven chapters.

First, you need to reconsider your bad habits. Giving in to distraction is often the sign that we are trying to escape from something: the stress or anxiety around failure, for example. Becoming aware of this difficulty is the first step to get freed of it. The next then consists in reinforcing our will power: becoming aware of our influence on our own concentration capacity; managing it as a rare resource—notably by respecting our sleeping time and biological cycles; mobilizing it by setting ourselves both stimulating and gratifying objectives; etc. Lastly, the last two chapters are dedicated to concentration techniques. The reader is offered a complete toolkit to create action plans, sequence long tasks, etc.

A practical and easy-to-read book, full of immediately applicable advice.