Why Don't I Have Concentration During Japa?

Swami Paramatmananda, "Why? That's because our daily life is one continuous distraction, one after another. We have very little attention in what we do. So, that nature comes with us wherever we go. And when we try to meditate (or do Japa) the same mind is there. You cannot simply put it in a package and keep it aside. So, you try to concentrate on a thing and the tendency to start thinking about something else automatically comes up. Then, you can't make the mind stay on one point for even a short time.... you need attenmtion in your action. When we eat, we should eat, only eat. We shouldn't talk. We shouldnt be watching TV.

Because what happens is your mind get split into two parts. You're neither fully watching the TV, nor are you fully eating, nor are you fully talking. Everything like that: when you walk, you walk... It is for this reasons: to decrease the tendency of distraction. So,.....we should be attentive to the work we do and try to repeat our mantra while we're doing it so that we can get disengaged from the work, Usually ,we're so attached to what we're doing, we're really into it and our mind is running even faster because of that. So, if we can stand at a distance from what we do, then our mind becomes more peaceful and when we meditate (or do Japa), then it's much more peaceful. 

Note: the words in parenthesis are the Administrator's interpolations.

(pgs. 27-28, Talks, Vol.2)