You’re finishing your work at hand, and suddenly, you witness something urgent coming up. You don’t consider the vitalness of a distraction- all you do is give it some attention. Five minutes, seven minutes, and even an hour sometimes… Getting back to work seems like impossible.
Does a similar situation ring a bell to you? You aren’t alone!
Inabilities of staying focused at work and becoming less productive are the first steps of letting your valuable effort and time go off. And, all you do is witness losing your momentum, and the creativity peaks. Now that you’re worried about the deteriorating performance , you read through different success stories. All these accomplishment stories have one thing in common, and that’s determination. Success is known to demand many things – willpower and determination top the list.
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”
Steve Jobs
Determination always has ways to harness when you undertake tasks effectively. You might believe that there are no chances of shutting down the world when you’re busy. However, it is not as difficult as you think. After all, the decision to stay focused at work is your choice. It is more about finding out the right set of techniques and knowing your priorities while sticking to them.
With so much said, you still hover upon ways to stay focused at work. Quite confused? The descriptive guide is sure to help you attain a sigh of relief. You will also witness a noticeable evolution after you practice what’s preached here. Can’t wait to know more? It’s time to take a deep dive into the pool of knowledge to charge your mind and develop a laser-like focus:
- Begin your day with exercise:
One of the most important things that you can do for your body, mind, and overall well-being is to begin the day with a healthy dose of exercise. You don’t have to go to the gym and workout like an Arnold for three hours. A twenty-minute exercise routine is more likely to suffice your body needs. Exercise is a way to get your blood flowing and spark your mind to help you develop a more robust focus all through the day.
Some great activities that you can undertake are racquetball, cycling, swimming, and yoga. These exercises have a low impact on your body. Also, these are more fun than running mindlessly on the treadmill each day.
- Organize your Workstation:
Is your workstation stuffed? Well, too many things at your workstation atop can distract you. After all, how to focus when you have so many things piled up on your desk. Thus, put the unnecessary things away on a shelf or desk drawer. Define an area specifically for your bag and other personal items. But, have these accessible so that you grab them instantly without losing your focus.
- Always Find Fun in What you’re Doing:
A meaningful task takes a large part of a person’s focus. So, always ask yourself why you’re doing a particular job and why you should be doing it. Diving deep enables you to have an output you’re looking towards — hence the value of a task also increases.
Now that you know the vitality of a particular task, you’ll be finding ways to make it more fun. Allow your creativity to play a pivotal role in the process. Never stick to the borders for approved output and have all your options open for new ideas. You’ll be more focused at work when you have something that you value.
- Eliminate Distractions:
The very first thing that must be on your mind is to get rid of distractions. Doing away with everything isn’t possible, but you can always reduce as many distractions as possible. Begin with the simplest things:
- Move to a quiet area
- Turn off your phone notifications
- Close your office door
- Instruct the people around not to distract you for a particular amount of time.
- Close all the apps and programs unnecessary to you.
- Practice the Pomodoro Technique:
When you’re focused, you can do more work in less time. It might sound effortless but gets difficult to put into practice. So, the next time someone questions about how to focus , turn a keen eye to the Pomodoro technique. The technique helps to train your mind to stay on a task for shorter periods. All you’ve to do is:
- Set your timer for 25 minutes before getting to work
- Take a 5- minute break as the buzzer sounds
- Set the timer again and resume work now
Repeat the process four times and take a more extended break now. The interval can last for 20-30 minutes now.
- Prioritize your tasks:
Studies show that people are the most productive during the first hour of their work. It is because all the energies of the body are yet to be spent. Manage your time and schedule in a way that you put all the complicated and challenging tasks during the very first office hour. Follow these tasks with the less pressing work and then end the day with the tedious tasks.
Indulging in these methods enables you to focus on work in a better way. You will also have to spend your precious time on less important projects. You won’t be stressed with essential tasks at the day’s end.
- Set a SMART goal:
If you’re losing your focus due to a complex project, it’s time to break it into smaller parts. Plug the smaller steps into a SMART formula.
SMART stands for:
- Specific: What should you do exactly?
- Measurable: What should be your maxims of tracking the progress?
- Achievable: Is the goal realistic? Can you do the same by a deadline?
- Relevant: Will the smaller steps fit with the overall plan of action?
- Timely: By when will it see results?
Breaking down a large project into smaller bite-sized tasks, you’ll have a boost in your abilities and be able to concentrate on specific tasks. That is because you’ll end up with goals that are easy to accomplish.
Conclusion:
It is not an easy task to master focus. Nobody evolved with ways to cope with distractions by birth- it is a practice that takes the credits. However, by stimulating your brain, you can eliminate the distractions in the best possible way and also increase your focus.
What other hacks do you have to improve your focus at work? Share and help others dwell in tranquillity!
This is a Sponsored Post – the author has requested this post be shared on Women in Ecommerce and WE were compensated for sharing.