Week 4 – Lesson 1

Introduction to Concentration
This video is an introduction to the concept of concentration and
understanding why concentration is one of the most important tools to
cultivate in your personal and spiritual growth. This video also explores how
and why distraction can hinder this growth. When you are done watching
Lesson 1, answer the worksheet questions for Lesson 1 before watching
Lesson 2.

Worksheets

1. Define concentration exactly as I did in the video. (Type your answer in the text
box below)

2. When your awareness moves from one thing to another, you are practicing
__________.

3. Based on what you heard in this video, list two reasons why most people can’t
concentrate?

4. What is the key to getting good at concentration?

5. Ideally, how much time do you need to spend practicing concentration to get good at
it?

6. Self-Assessment: Do you allow technology to control where your awareness goes in

your mind?
Yes

No

Most of the time

Some of the time

7. Self-Assessment: Do you live in a state of reacting and responding to people and
things around you?
Yes

No

Most of the time

Some of the time

8. Self-Assessment: How many hours a day do you think you practice distraction?

9. True or False: If you practice distraction all the time, you will be good at being
distracted.
True

False

10. True or False: You become good at whatever you practice.

True

False

11. What is an area in your life you currently practice distraction?

12. In this lesson, I gave some examples of things that train our mind to be distracted,
such as watching the news and having your awareness bounce between the video, the
newscaster, the stock market, breaking news, etc. List 3 things in your life that train you
to be distracted.

13. True or False: One of the byproducts of practicing concentration is that you now have
the ability to consciously choose if you want to get engaged in something or not.
True

False

14. List areas in your day where you can practice of concentration?

15. True or false: How well you practice concentration throughout the day determines
how good you are at it.
True

False
16. Select the relevant answers: If you’re serious about concentration, you need to…
Have a zero tolerance for distraction policy.

Multi-task throughout the whole day to get as many things done as possible.

Let people around you know that you don’t support distraction and distracted behaviour.

Practice concentration for 10 minutes each morning and not be concerned with it for the rest of
the day.

17. True or False: By gently and lovingly training the people around you, you create an
environment that supports you in your pursuit of concentration. And you begin this
process of loving education with the people closest to you.
True

False

18. List some ways you can implement a non-distraction policy in your life?

19. True or False: I am efficient when I am distracted.

True

False
Daily Exercise

Find 5 opportunities in your average day that you can practice the fine art of concentration. These
opportunities should be something that is part of your daily routine and not a new practice that you
create in your life.

Here are some examples:

Opportunity 1: Every time I speak with my spouse I give him/her my undivided attention. If my
awareness drifts away then I gently and lovingly bring it back to my spouse. As I practice this
throughout the day I am practicing the art of concentration.

Opportunity 2: Every time I speak with my children I give them my undivided attention. If my
awareness drifts away then I gently and lovingly bring it back to my children. As I practice this
throughout the day I am practicing the art of concentration.

Opportunity 3: Every time I drive I am focused on the road with both hands on the steering wheel.

Opportunity 4: Every time I speak on the phone I give the person I am speaking to my undivided
attention.

Opportunity 5: …..

It is so important to integrate the practice of concentration into our daily life by doing one thing at a
time.

What I would like you to do is to integrate the first opportunity on your list into your life in the first
month of practice. Ignore the other opportunites for now. After a month of practice if you find that
you can, for example in the case above, give your spouse your undivided attention consistently
then in the second month integrate the second opportunity with the first one.

Practice concentration in both of these daily opportunities until you can consistently perform them
before integrating the third opportunity. By approaching learning and practicing concentration in
this small incremental way it does not become overwhelming to us and allows us to become good
at concentration over a period of time. Before long concentration will be part of your whole day.

The self-evaluation worksheet is for you to assess each day how well you’ve practiced the art of
concentration. At the end of each day evaluate how well you you’ve done that day by rating yourself
based on the rating system given on the worksheet. Strive to improve a little bit more each month.
This was how I was trained as a monk in the monastery.
Worksheets - Answers

Question
1. Define concentration exactly as I did in the video. (Type your answer in the text box below)
Answer
Concentration is the ability to keep your awareness on one thing for an extended period of time.

Question
2. When your awareness moves from one thing to another, you are practicing __________.
Answer
distraction

Question
3. Based on what you heard in this video, list two reasons why most people can’t concentrate?
Answer
1. No one has taught them how to concentrate
2. If they have not learnt concentration then they are not practicing it, and if they don’t practice
something, they can’t become good at it.

Question
4. What is the key to getting good at concentration?
Answer
Practice

Question
5. Ideally, how much time do you need to spend practicing concentration to get good at it?
Answer
Ideally, you practice all day. What you practice, you get good at.

Question
6. Self-Assessment: Do you allow technology to control where your awareness goes in your
mind?
Answer(s)

Question
7. Self-Assessment: Do you live in a state of reacting and responding to people and things
around you?
Answer(s)

Question
8. Self-Assessment: How many hours a day do you think you practice distraction?
Answer

Question
9. True or False: If you practice distraction all the time, you will be good at being distracted.
Answer(s)
True
Question
10. True or False: You become good at whatever you practice.
Answer(s)
True

Question
11. What is an area in your life you currently practice distraction?
Answer

Question
12. In this lesson, I gave some examples of things that train our mind to be distracted, such as
watching the news and having your awareness bounce between the video, the newscaster, the
stock market, breaking news, etc. List 3 things in your life that train you to be distracted.
Answer

Question
13. True or False: One of the byproducts of practicing concentration is that you now have the
ability to consciously choose if you want to get engaged in something or not.
Answer(s)
True

Question
14. List areas in your day where you can practice of concentration?
Answer

Question
15. True or false: How well you practice concentration throughout the day determines how good
you are at it.
Answer(s)
True

Question
16. Select the relevant answers: If you’re serious about concentration, you need to…
Answer(s)
Have a zero tolerance for distraction policy.
Let people around you know that you don’t support distraction and distracted behaviour.

Question
17. True or False: By gently and lovingly training the people around you, you create an
environment that supports you in your pursuit of concentration. And you begin this process of
loving education with the people closest to you.
Answer(s)
True

Question
18. List some ways you can implement a non-distraction policy in your life?
Answer
Question
19. True or False: I am efficient when I am distracted.
Answer(s)
False