Do you ever find it hard to focus? We all do.
There are times when we find it difficult to get “into the zone” and be productive, particularly if you work on a computer everyday and your tasks are pretty monotonous.
Binaural beats music can help you access that zone of deep concentration.
There are so many distractions that can take your mind away from what really needs doing:
- Checking your emails every five minutes
- Getting involved in Skype conversations
- Receiving Facebook or Twitter notifications
- Being distracted by news articles and blog posts
What's strange is that often we don't want to be distracted but we seemingly get lured in to these things on autopilot.
Before we know it, we have wasted yet another 10 or 20 minutes flicking through some mindless Facebook posts or watching a video clip on Instagram.
Sound familiar?
It can become quite frustrating, because we know we're wasting time when we could be getting the things that we really need doing done.
Why We Become Distracted & Can't Concentrate
This attraction to distraction happens because the mind is not settled; it isn't zoned into a state conducive to high-level concentration and productivity.
Your mind has a radar on, open to distraction and easily drawn in by something new and seemingly more appealing.
The problem is, the things we most want to complete and succeed in are often difficult and require a lot of brainpower.
When approaching these things, humans will naturally seek the path of least resistance, the path of least suffering.
If we can delay the pain, so to speak, we often do by prioritizing other less important things.
However, this isn't always conducive to our well-being and prevents us being productive.
Sometimes we use comforts to help get us settled and focused. For example, some people will load up on coffee or other stimulants like sugary sweets to give them comfort in approaching a task that requires high level concentration.
But these stimulants can cause you to become more distracted, anxious, and stressed, causing the the mind to hop around and focus on many different things.
Accessing The Flow State
There are times when we need to “just get on with it and get it done”, but there's that mental block.
It's not just boring work or study when we need high-level focus, either. There are also times when you want to voluntarily block out the external world and cultivate that laser-focused state of mind that produces your best work.
Perhaps you're a writer, painter, musician or songwriter; or perhaps you do woodwork, gardening or some other hobby or profession where you enjoy zoning out of external distraction and zoning into your mind's intuition and creativity.
You want to be in a highly concentrated, focused and highly productive state of mind, a state of mind where you are completely immersed in the task you are doing and enjoying that task in its entirety.
This is essentially a state of mindfulness; when you are completely engaged in the present moment.
This state of mind is also know as the “flow state”:
Also known colloquially as being in the zone, the flow state is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
We all know how great it feels to be in this state of mind. And the good news is that there's a way to turn it on, at the touch of a button.
Using Binaural Beats to Access “The Flow State”
Meditation has been used for centuries to access higher states of consciousness, and indeed meditation music is a great way to relax and zone out.
The problem is that meditation is not something you'd do simultaneously while working.
And meditation music can often be be slightly too relaxing and actually have the opposite effect: Instead of concentrating, your mind starts to drift off into deep thought or lethargy. You may feel tired and too relaxed to work.
Indeed, as this study showed, the wrong type of music may negatively affect your productivity.
But we also know that music has the power to increase attention, as this study proved:
The study suggests one possible adaptive evolutionary purpose of music, said Jonathan Berger, PhD, associate professor of music and a musician who is another co-author of the study. Music engages the brain over a period of time, he said, and the process of listening to music could be a way that the brain sharpens its ability to anticipate events and sustain attention.
Our special meditation music combines the relaxing sounds that relax and center your mind, with binaural beats frequencies that are designed to create an attentive, focused state of mind.
For this purpose, we generally use Alpha frequencies: because Alpha sits between the more relaxed Theta state and the higher energy Beta state.
Alpha waves run from 8-14 Hz, and between 11-14 Hz is considered the sweet spot for focussed awareness.
The Alpha state is associated with the following attributes:
- Relaxed focus (Flow state)
- Positive thinking
- Stress / Anxiety release
- Accelerated learning
For example, our Zen Focus track is ideal for those who want to zone in on a task that requires hours of continuous work. The recording remains steady at 14 Hz to keep you in that “Zen Zone”, which is relaxed but focussed and attentive.
We also have a specific Flow State track, which is ideal for preparing your mind for peak performance prior to any event in which you want to perform at the top of your game.
You'll notice positive thinking in that list of benefits too. For this, we have a recording that uses 12 Hz Alpha frequencies, along with some Theta entrainment too.
You can mix and match these tracks when you want to deeply engage with your work or other activity and promote a positive, stress-free, focused state of mind.
How Our Music Helps Your Brain to Concentrate
The research team showed that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory.
We have an in-depth run down on how our special music works on our about page, but here's just a quick overview for you if you're looking to get started quickly:
Binaural beats work by creating a specific frequency for the brain to follow along to: this is know as ‘frequency following response'. This could be a frequency meant for relaxation, pain relief, or focus.
As you listen to the music in your headphones, a different frequency is sent to each ear through your headphones. The mathematical difference between the two frequencies sent to your ears matches the frequency required to induce the desired state of mind.
For example: If the left ear is sent a sound frequency of 200 Hz, and the right ear is sent one of 214 Hz, your brainwaves begin to vibrate at the difference between these two frequencies (i.e. 14 Hz).
Your mind is then gradually entrained to the desired state of mind.
It's that simple.
You will need to wear headphones while listening to get the full effect. This is actually ideal for concentrating because headphones create a closed-in headspace that assists in blocking out external distraction.
It is worth noting here that binaural beats music in the high Theta, Alpha and low Beta ranges can be very helpful for those with stressful jobs that require high level concentration and the use of a lot of brain power.
The same goes for students that need an extra dose of concentration for difficult assignments and exam study periods.
We actually have a specific brain power recording that uses Alpha and low Beta frequencies to help increase cognitive ability and assist in retaining and absorbing information.
In Summary
Binaural beats can help you focus and overcome the usual sporadic nature of the mind, which causes us to become easily distracted by new, interesting, brightly colored and visually or audibly appealing images and sounds.
The result is a more productive you. Additionally, being highly engaged in a task makes the task more enjoyable and rewarding.
Binaural beats in the Alpha range simultaneously work to relieve stress and anxiety, which is something many people struggle with in turn affects their ability to focus.
Stress and anxiety may also be associated with the task itself, particularly if the task is challenging and has negative associations with a past event.
You can tap into the Flow State with ease and improve your focus and productivity naturally, without stimulants.
Simply slip on your headphones and press play!
