The Necessity of Concentration Concentration is the ability to focus the mind on one item or task.
Concentration is a mental discipline that is essential for good studying.
It is so important that it is one of the memory principles that help move information more readily through the information processing model. The focus of this chapter is on strengthening your ability to concentrate while you are studying. When you have difficulty concentrating while you are reading or studying, identifying the source of your poor concentration is one way to begin the process of strengthening your ability to keep your mind focused. Common sources of poor concentration may be stress, worries, lack of interest or motivation, or the presence of disrupting influences in the environment in which you are trying to concentrate. Once you identify the sources as internal or external, you can begin to use concentration strategies to remove the barriers to concentration.