Hard to Focus?

Let’s face it: We live in an age where Twitter has 304 million monthly active users, the third Transformer movie had 293 explosions, and many of us, if we’re honest, rely on our Smartphone as an adult version of a favorite security blanket. It’s not a stretch to say that our ability to focus has diminished as a result. We lead such busy, multi-tasking lives that we often lose track of what we need to work on, resulting in lost productivity at work and at home. So how do we get some of that back?

• The Device. Down. The concept of Smartphone-as-blankie comes from the idea that when we leave it behind, we feel a bit lost and fearful that we’re missing something important. In reality, the pings that come from the phone usually signal a social media update, and it’s probably not an important one. It’s just another distraction. When you need to concentrate on a task, put the phone on “silent”…and close your work email for a period of time to reduce the constant interruption. Once you’re no longer responding to every inbound message, you’ll find yourself fully immersed in those other important projects.
• Break down tasks. When you view a large project in its entirety, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it, leaving you unsure where to start or stop. If you can sequence it, break it down into small chunks and give each a specific end date. You’ll find it’s much easier to focus on one specific part and put all of your energy into it. Once that one’s done, you can place your attention on the next part. People who use this method tend to get projects done more efficiently because they waste less time. Plus, those small ongoing accomplishments are energizing!
• Take some time before you start. Sometimes it helps to sit down and take ten minutes to think about what actually has to get accomplished that day/week/month. This concentrated thinking will also help you improve your overall focus. Then take a few minutes to write down your plan of action, continuously prioritizing the most important, the most time-consuming, the most challenging to fit in, etc. While this may seem overwhelming if you have a big and busy day ahead, taking the time to prioritize will help you accomplish each critical task and let you enjoy crossing it off the list. Congratulations – You have created a plan of action and can focus on each part by planning ahead how you will get things done.
• Make the clock work with you. Many of us underestimate how long a task will take. If you build in extra time, you won’t feel constantly stressed and pressed for time, which generally causes a lack of focus and productivity. You may even want to schedule time to do nothing…sometimes you need to schedule in a break for yourself in order to wind down, recharge, and regain your focus a bit later. Consider this as well: The 80/20 principle suggests that 20% of your activities produce 80% of your positive results. So figure out where and when you’re most productive and schedule the big tasks to get them done.

Finding your focus and increasing your productivity can happen…you may have to take some steps beforehand, but the time you take will bring you good results in the end.