In today’s world of technology, multitasking and never-ending distractions, we are constantly bombarded with things that make it difficult to concentrate and remain focused.
As someone who identifies as neurodivergent, or as someone who supports a neurodivergent teen or young adult, understanding small, but meaningful tools to improve focus and attention is important.
Self-monitoring is one of those tools.
In this post, we’ll share some of the best self-monitoring techniques you can use to enhance your concentration and focus.
Click here to jump to the TL;DR summary.
What Do We Mean By “Self-Monitoring”?
Self-monitoring involves the act of paying attention to your own thoughts, behaviors, and actions. It’s how we observe and understand our own reactions to external stimuli.
By engaging in self-monitoring, we can better manage our emotions and behaviors, outside of needing external supports.
For those of us who are neurodivergent, self-monitoring can provide a sense of control and stability. We often have unique sensory experiences that can be overwhelming and anxiety-provoking. But by paying closer attention to our own reactions, we can develop coping strategies that help them regulate their behavior and emotions.
Self Monitoring Examples
Here are some concrete examples of self-monitoring in action:
- At the end of the day, journaling about situations that triggered a negative reaction, and learn how to prepare yourself for them.
- Keeping a record of your thoughts and behaviors in a smartphone app.
- Chart progress on successful quiz scores over time and make adjustments to study schedules to help the scores improve.
- Documenting moments during the work day when you become easily distracted. When a pattern arises, implement solutions such as breaks or time limits to help sustain focus.
Benefits of Self Monitoring
Among all the other tools you can give your neurodivergent teen or young adult to progress towards their goals, why does self-monitoring continue to rank high among parents, teachers, AND students? Because it has so many benefits backed by decades of executive functioning research.
Some of the many benefits of using self-monitoring include:
- Getting immediate feedback – Your teen doesn’t need an adult to let them know they’re on the right track. By giving them self-monitoring tools, they can provide themselves with immediate feedback and make changes faster than a teacher or parent might do.
- Engages teens in their learning and personal development – Ever feel like you’re working harder than your teen to keep things moving forward? Self-monitoring puts the responsibility back on the learner to achieve and maintain success. Successful programs show high rates of engagement and motivation from teens.
- Facilitating communication – With self-monitoring, your teen is observing their behavior, and there’s often a product (graphs, data collection forms, app reports) that you and your learner can examine together. Rather than pointing fingers or telling your teen what they did or didn’t do correctly, the data guides communication.
- Focused on individual performance – No need to compare your teen to others in self-monitoring. Instead, they’re simply looking at their performance and how it improves over time.
This increased awareness on one’s own performance allows individuals to develop strategies that both suit their individualized needs and optimize performance.
8 Self-Monitoring Techniques for Improving Concentration and Focus
Self-monitoring can help us be more aware of what triggers us to veer off track – and it can help us develop strong habits that we can take with us into any setting. Here are some of the best self-monitoring techniques to start you off on the right foot!
1. Identify Off-Task Warning Signs
Help your teen take the time to identify their off-task warning signs. These are the behaviors or thoughts that take your teen’s attention away from the task at hand. Set up times to observe your teen doing work, or have them video record and watch a work session at a later time. Then ask, “what are the distractions?”
Once you’ve identified your off-task warning signs, you and your teen can take steps to avoid or limit them.
2. Write a Script To Get Yourself Back on Track
Internal scripts are a tool that’s practiced and rehearsed outside of distracting situations and then applied when needed the most. Help your teen develop a script or statement that reminds them of the importance of staying focused. For example, “I need to finish this task now so I can play video games later.” Whenever your teen’s focus begins to drift, remind them to repeat this script to get back on track.
3. Keep a Small Notepad While You Work
One of the most effective ways to improve your concentration and focus is to write down anything that distracts you and get back to it later. Encourage your teen to use an “inbox” or a notepad they carry with them throughout the day. When they begin to get off task, quickly jot down whatever is pulling attention away, along with any additional thoughts, and return the work at hand.
4. Set Timers
Timers are a valuable self-monitoring tool that can help your teen focus on the task at hand. Set a timer for a specific amount of time and work until the timer goes off. (see our full article on The Power of Visual Timers for different techniques.)
This technique helps you stay accountable by establishing working intervals where you have to concentrate for a specific period. By doing this, your teen can increase productivity and maintain concentration and focus.
5. Try the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a popular self-monitoring method used to improve concentration and focus. This technique involves breaking your workday into 25-minute intervals, with a 5-minute break in between.
After four 25-minute intervals, take a more extended break of up to 30 minutes. This method helps you stay focused and engaged by keeping your brain fresh and energized.
6. Add Mindfulness or Meditation to the Daily Routine
Mindfulness and meditation are practices that can help with self-monitoring, along with reducing stress and anxiety, improving overall well-being and emotional control, and increasing focus and concentration.
Encourage your teen to set aside time each day to practice mindfulness or meditation, even if it’s just for a few minutes. If you’re a classroom teacher, start each class period with a 1 minute mindfulness activity. If you’re a parent or caregiver, use downtime like waiting in the drive through to turn on a mindfulness podcast for you and your teen.
Deep breathing exercises, guided meditations, or simply focusing on the present moment are all helpful ways to help you clear your mind and be more aware of your thoughts and feelings. These all ultimately build self-monitoring skills over time.
7. When You’re Stuck, Switch Tasks
Sometimes, no matter how hard they try, your teen just can’t seem to concentrate on a specific task. When you hit a wall like this, self-monitoring skills can help you recognize when it may be helpful to switch to a different task.
Alternating between high energy and low energy tasks can be a natural brain break from one particular type of task. Switching tasks can avoid frustration or escalating to a full-on meltdown. Teaching your teen to strategically switch tasks can help them avoid burnout and keep their mind fresh throughout the day.
8. Monitor Physical Health
Self-monitoring can include tracking other behaviors that might inadvertently be impacting your teen’s concentration and focus. Helping your teen evaluate what might be contributing to their inability to stay on task. Are they consuming too much sugar or caffeine, consuming a poor diet, or getting insufficient sleep?
All of these factors can contribute significantly to your concentration and focus levels. By identifying alternative variables affecting the ability to focus, your teen can make necessary changes in lifestyle or routine.
One tool to evaluate your teen’s sleep is a sleep log. Check out our free .pdf download to help your teen self monitor how their sleep may or may not be impacting concentration and focus.
Final Thoughts
By applying the tips shared in this post, you’ll be on your way to maintaining a high level of concentration, achieving your goals, and increasing your productivity.
Remember, there is always room for improvement – and with consistent practice, you’ll develop the habit of maintaining concentration and focus without even having to think about it.
TL;DR – (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
In today’s tech-dominated and distraction-filled world, maintaining focus and concentration can be challenging, especially for those who identify as neurodivergent or support neurodivergent individuals.
This blog post explores the concept of self-monitoring as a crucial tool for enhancing attention and managing emotions and behaviors.
Self-monitoring involves paying close attention to one’s thoughts, behaviors, and actions, enabling individuals to develop coping strategies and regulate their emotions.
The post outlines various self-monitoring examples, such as journaling, using smartphone apps, and charting progress. It emphasizes the benefits of self-monitoring, including immediate feedback, engagement in personal development, improved communication, and a focus on individual performance.
Additionally, the post provides 8 practical self-monitoring techniques for improving concentration and focus, ranging from identifying off-task warning signs to incorporating mindfulness and monitoring physical health.
The techniques aim to help neurodivergent teens and young adults progress toward their goals by fostering self-awareness and optimizing performance.
Further Reading
- IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University: Self Monitoring
- Rebekah Pierce: Quick Tips to Improve Self-Monitoring Skills
- Rebekah Pierce: The Power of Visual Timers
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Optimizing Attention: Self-Monitoring Strategies
- Harvard University: Tips to Improve Concentration
- Wikipedia: The Pomodoro Technique
- Amy Sippl: Building Emotional Control: Strategies & Supports For Diverse Learners