Perhaps you wish to concentrate on a particular task but discover that you get sidetracked quickly.
Your mind wanders, you worry constantly, or you may simply have too many things to accomplish to choose just one to start with, making it difficult for you to concentrate on what you are doing.
Here are some helpful tips for sharpening your focus.
Make an effort to set aside at least 30 minutes per day for meditation. You can still practice a quick breathing exercise if you can't commit to that much time.
Concentrate on your breathing, paying close attention to the air as it enters your lips and hits your nose. What does it feel like as it flees? There's a chance that you'll daydream and have an infinite stream of ideas. When this occurs, shift your attention back to your breathing. For a few minutes, keep doing this.
Your circulatory system will relax, and you'll feel more at ease if you can control your breathing.
Listen to music to help improve your focus.
Really concentrate on the music.
Try to focus on a single instrument.
It's ok to have an end goal to work towards, but don't concentrate on it to much while you're working on it, as this can hamper your progress because it may appear to be too difficult to achieve.
It might not seem like you are getting any closer to the end, and your results won't come quickly enough. Instead of focusing on the overarching objective, divide it into shorter-term objectives that you can accomplish in a matter of days.
As you accomplish each smaller goal on your list, cross it off.
Work within the time that your body finds most comfortable. Perhaps you perform your best work just before dawn. Or maybe later at night. Work during your most productive times.
For instance, many authors start their writing early in the morning, whereas painters frequently do their best work later in the day.
Have you ever consumed a substantial lunch while working only to feel sluggish and heavy all afternoon? A large meal slows you down and induces sleep.
You can regularly engage in a brief juice fast if you feel the need or desire to. It will keep you attentive and help you maintain good physical health.
Every day, give your body and mind a workout. Complete crossword puzzles. Participate in spirited debates. Create something innovative.
All you need to maintain a healthy body is a simple daily stroll for 30 minutes.
When you're feeling lazy, you might need to exert some effort and push yourself. However, if you are experiencing a mental block, step away from the work for a while. Do something else until you can refocus on the initial work.
It will take time to learn how to focus better, but it will be worthwhile.
Start by incorporating one or two of these suggestions into your daily routine to start improving your ability to focus.
You'd be shocked at how many individuals have no real where their time goes. Although people may believe they are concentrated on a particular task, are they really?
Keeping track of your time spending for a week is one approach to find out. You might realize that you've been idly spending time by, for example, checking Facebook once every hour.
Here are some of my tips for sharpening your attention and boosting your productivity:
1. Track your time. Analyze the results after a week. Tweak and get rid of time wasters.
2. Plan your week. Find a quiet area at the end of the week to plan out your week's tasks. Make a list of important projects and any related tasks. Don't forget to include any family activities in which you take part.
3. Prioritize your list. Sort your tasks by importance, from the most important to the least important. Use a calendar to schedule chunks of time (anything from 15 minutes to 1 hour) to work on each one.
4. Eliminate what isn’t essential. Delegate what you can for tasks that you need to complete but aren't your strong suit. This can range from mowing the lawn to employing a virtual assistant to manage your social media accounts for the week.
5. Set your goals. Break down big or long-term goals into smaller weekly or daily goals to make them easier to focus on.
6. Set aside a specific amount of time each day for checking/answering email and social media. It can be the first task of the day that takes 30 minutes, the last task that takes 30 minutes, or perhaps the task that takes 15 minutes before lunch. But only do it once every day. Stay away from pausing mid-task to check your email. The same holds true for social media platforms.
7. Do away with multitasking. Learning to concentrate on one project at a time takes some practice, but if you stay with it, it will become second nature. Before beginning the next project or task, complete the previous one. Focus entirely on one task at a time. Your productivity will actually boost as a result.
8. Make a distraction to-do list. We can easily get easily distracted thanks to the Internet. We immediately use the Internet to conduct searches whenever we need to look something up. "I'm curious what's going on Facebook." "What actor played that character in that movie?" " Tomorrow, how long will it take me to drive to the zoo?"
It usually takes us around 25 minutes to return to the original task after becoming sidetracked in this way. As a result, the next time you want to research something or have an idea, write it down on paper (or use an app like Evernote).
9. Learn to say NO. If you already have full day’s task list, don’t feel like you have to take on another project for someone else.
10. Create an environment that works for you. Do you need a peaceful area free from background noise, from people, phones, and televisions? Organize your workspace to suit your needs.
Decorate it with calming hues, motivational artwork, and a cozy chair. Put papers and periodicals away or file them if you prefer to work in an organized space. Eliminate clutter. If you can concentrate better while listening to music or hearing ambient noise, then use that to your advantage.
11. Take a break when needed. When working on a large project, short breaks help prevent boredom and burnout. Get up and walk around for a few minutes. Practice yoga stretches.
12. Break up or Chunk it. Divide your activities into manageable time blocks with brief rest periods in between. Work on a task, for instance, for 15 minutes at a time.
Imagine you're writing an eBook. Try not to complete it all at once. Break it down. Spend 15 minutes creating your outline. Take a brief rest. After that, spend 15 minutes reading the first chapter. And so forth.
13. Use an app on your phone to boost your productivity and concentration. You can stay organized and keep track of distractions with apps like Evernote. You can download another app such as Brainwave to your iPhone. You can select options in this software such as Brainstorming, Concentration Boost and Problem Solving, or Memory Boost and Creative Thinking. Other apps might also assist you in maintaining your focus and productivity.
There are countless ways to increase your level of concentration and focus. Create a list. Eliminate all distractions. Create the environment that you want. You must decide what suits your working style the best.
Well, as I’m sure you can appreciate, there is a lot more to be learnt about increasing focus and productivity; far more than can be covered in this short post, but if you'd like to know more about this, then click on the featured resource below where you can pick up a free report, Stay Focused For Success, that covers this topic in more detail. Download, read it and take action
