.......
Does anyone use other activities (not necessarily pool) to help build longer and longer periods of concentration?
I've started using a non-pool related method that has improved my focus and concentration. I got the idea to try it after reading "Bounce", by Matthew Syed, while sitting in a very noisy airport waiting on my flight.
I was so engrossed in the book that I was able to tune everything else out. We've all probably been able to that on occassion, become so consumed by something (like a movie or tv show or book or conversation) that we lose ourselves in it and tune out everything else around us. But it doesn't happen all the time. The reason it doesn't happen all the time is because we aren't in the habit of making it happen all the time.
So now, when I read, I purposely turn the tv on, or I turn on some music, or I go to a place where there's constant noise and distraction, like the mall or coffee shop.
My intention was to create the habit of being able to control my focus and concentration at will, despite outside influences/distractions, to be able to completely lose myself in one task anytime I wanted to do so. And it works.
If you're not a reader, try it with music. Turn the tv on and set the volume to a normal listening level. Then put some music on and just listen. It takes practice, because a good amount of directed focus and concentration is required, but you can tune out that tv noise and make it so all you hear is the music. This is harder for me than tuning out background noise while reading, but it still works. And it carries over into other aspects of your life where 100% focus is important.