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
Why not design a focused, purposeful life instead of settling for an ordinary one? One that makes you happy, enthusiastic, and fulfilled.
Finding your primary interest, passion project, or life mission has several advantages. Don't you want to have a life that is less routine?
Finding your passions and your purpose in life will help you stay motivated and inspired to learn new skills. You'll discover that you are driven to develop in order to achieve the objectives you set for yourself.
A potent self-development technique in and of itself is determining your purpose. Following it will allow you to grow as a person.
One of the main advantages of pursuing your passion and leading a purposeful life is improved focus. This is due to the fact that you will have clearly defined your goals and your plan of action.
You will be able to concentrate on bringing about positive change in your life and yourself thanks to the goal-setting and preparation that you do.
Your ability to go forward toward your objectives will be fueled by the realisation that you have a purpose that motivates you and inspires you to make changes in your life.
You'll be motivated to keep moving forward since you'll be continually comparing your results to your plans and goals. At each stage of your journey, you'll want to experience the satisfaction of reaching your objectives.
Your sense of happiness and wellbeing will grow if you have a purposeful life. To feel a sense of pleasure, encouragement, and success, you need to have goals and a strong reason to get out of bed in the morning.
You will realise that you are in control of your future and that you have the absolute power to alter your life as a result of all these positive emotions.
Your health is very important. Even if you have major health problems, you can manage them so that you can design and lead the life you want.
Make sure to follow a balanced diet and get plenty of water. Regular exercise will improve your fitness and release endorphins, which are feel-good hormones.
You will notice that when you improve your circumstances and mindset by taking positive action every day, you will feel happy and your anxiety and stress levels will decrease.
Giving yourself a purpose can make you more motivated to look after your health and wellbeing so that you can keep working toward your objectives and living the life you really want.
It is important to keep in mind that you may wish to schedule frequent exercise, rest periods, nutritious meals and snacks, as well as adequate sleep. That way, you'll get the most out of your new meaningful lifestyle.
You can develop personally by leading a life that is filled with passion and purpose. It will give you access to networks and interests that will push your intellectual, emotional, and potentially even physical limits.
You will learn more about who you are, your interests, and your needs as you travel down these new roads. As you move closer to living the life you actually want, you will enjoy the process of setting objectives and revisiting them.
The advantages of designing and leading a purpose-driven life are numerous. Why not consider what you truly desire from life and pursue it so that you may learn what they are?
You have a purpose now, but are you living it to the fullest? Do you believe you ought to be pursuing the American Dream?
You might believe that fame, riches, and perhaps even fast cars and travelling the world make up the ideal life.
Living your best life, however, is not about pursuing the American Dream, fast cars, travelling the world, fame, or wealth.
Living a successful and happy life is what you should strive for as your best life. There will be common threads even though the specific components of your own best life will be unique from someone else's.
What are the components that will enable you to design and live the life of your dreams? Let's find out…
While most people need to work to put food on the table and a roof over their heads, some people are fortunate enough to have enough money that they don't need to work. The issue is not whether you need to work or not.
The issue arises when your work takes over the bulk of your life and everything you do becomes centred on it. If you find yourself working too many hours and not getting enough rest or socialising too much, it will have a bad impact on your life, health, and relationships.
It's important that you make sure that you have a work/life balance that allows you to enjoy time with family and friends, as well as on outside interests.
You are aware of the significance of goals, but do you actually set any? Both your personal and professional life require goals. You may effect change for the better by possessing them. Now is the time to make a change if you're lagging behind and lacking inspiration.
What are your goals in life? What inspires you or makes you feel energised? What do you want to be able to look back on and be proud of?
Write down the measures you can take to reach your goals after considering what you want.
How would your ideal life feel and look like?
Everyone requires relationships. They offer support and a sense of connection. Look at the individuals in your life who just add to your toxicity or irritation.
Think about somebody who drains your time, enthusiasm, and positivity while providing nothing in return but tension and worry. If you can cut them out of your social circle, they won't have the time or space to continue to have a bad impact on you.
If entirely removing them is not possible, devise strategies to ensure that you can engage with them without feeling resentful or used.
Develop and nurture the connections that make you happy and provide you love, companionship, and support. Those partnerships that require a bit of give and take.
Consider hiring a life coach to help you create your best life. This could be one of the best investments and relationships you make.
Discover your passion What gives you the sense of being alive and that life is worthwhile? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning eager to seize the new day? When you discover the answer, you will know how to live each day to the fullest.
The life you build is the best life you can have. It won't simply appear. It will demand that you dream, prepare, act, and create, but the effort will be worthwhile.
As you probably already know, having a strong mindset is critical to any attempt to finding your purpose and passion and staying focused on them, so click on the featured resource below to get a detailed free report on how to develop a strong mindset. Download, it read and take action 
It's no secret that productivity is the key to success. But what does it really mean to be productive? And how can you achieve it?
Simply put, productivity is the ability to get things done efficiently and effectively. It's about using your time, energy, and resources to achieve your goals.
Unfortunately, achieving productivity is easier said than done. It often feels like there's just not enough time in the day to get everything done.
But there are ways to boost your productivity and get more done in less time.
Here are 10 tips to help you get started:
The first step to increasing your productivity is to set clear goals. What do you want to achieve? How will you know when you've reached your goal?
Be specific, realistic, and achievable i.e. try to use S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely).
And make sure to write your goals down so you can refer back to them later. If a goal is too big, break it down into smaller goals; it’s important that you can feel that you are making progress or you may become demotivated.
Once you have your goals set, it's time to make a plan. What needs to be done to achieve your goals?
Again, be specific and realistic. As mentioned above, break down your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks. And be sure to schedule time for each task.
And don’t forget to reward yourself when you achieve a goal; this is a sure-fire way to keep yourself motivated to continue.
One of the biggest productivity killers is trying to do too many things at once.
When you're trying to focus on multiple tasks, your brain gets overwhelmed, and your productivity suffers. Instead focus on one task at a time. Turn off all distractions and give that task your full attention.
Once it's done, move on to the next task.
Many people like to brag that they can multitask, but this is a myth. The most productive people have laser like focus and deal with one task at a time.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to multitask because it is a road to having many tasks ‘in progress’ but none actually completed and this can be very demoralising because your task list never seems to go down!
It might seem counterintuitive but taking breaks can actually help you be more productive. When you take a break, your brain gets a chance to rest and rejuvenate.
So, don't be afraid to step away from your work every once in awhile. Go for a walk, take a nap, or just take a few minutes to relax. You'll be surprised at how much better you'll feel and how much more productive you'll be when you return.
If you find yourself struggling to focus on a task, try setting a time limit. Tell yourself you only have to work on that task for a certain amount of time.
When the timer goes off, you can take a break or move on to something else. But knowing that you only have to work on that task for a short period of time will help you focus and get it done.
Try using the Pomodoro technique to break tasks into time chunks; if you want to know more about using the Pomodoro technique, check out this post.
A cluttered workspace can be a major productivity killer. If you can't find what you need, it's going to take you longer to get your work done.
So, take some time to organize your workspace. Make sure everything has a place and that you know where everything is.
You'll be amazed at how much time you'll save (and how much less stressed you'll be) when you're not constantly searching for things.
If you're trying to do everything yourself, you're never going to be as productive as you could be.
Instead, learn to delegate. If there are tasks that someone else can do, let them do it. You'll be able to focus on more important tasks and get more done.
As a business owner, you really want to be working on your business rather than in your business, so delegation and outsourcing are important skills to learn and use.
Distractions are one of the biggest productivity killers. If you're constantly being interrupted by phone calls, emails, or other distractions, it's going to be difficult to get anything done.
So, eliminate as many distractions as possible. Turn off your phone, close your email, and let people know that you're not to be disturbed.
Just switching your phone off will remove all sorts of distractions; social media, email, instant messaging, texts (and even the occasional phone call, if you still use a phone for calling 😊)
You'll be surprised at how much more you can get done when you're not constantly being pulled in different directions.
If you're not taking care of yourself, you're not going to be very productive.
Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. When you're taking care of your body, you'll be surprised at how much more energy you have and how much better you'll feel.
One of the biggest productivity killers is procrastination. If you're constantly putting off tasks, you're never going to get anything done.
Instead of waiting around, just start. Even if you're not sure how you're going to complete the task, just start. Once you get going, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can get it done.
If you're looking for ways to be more productive, try out some of these tips. See which ones work best for you and stick with them. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all solution, so find what works best for you and stick with it.
With a little effort and some trial and error, you can find a productivity routine that works for you and helps you get more done in less time.
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
It’s one thing to hear negative talk about yourself from your enemies, but quite another to come to the realization that you’re your own worst enemy because of what you do to undermine your self-confidence and sabotage your efforts.
You may have experienced so much self-loathing that you come to believe what you’re saying. That’s a dangerous place to be because you’ll be frustrated, indecisive and unmotivated to follow a path that will lead you to success.
Imagine talking to a good friend or child with the same negative and hateful words that you use to talk to yourself. If you love that friend or child, you’d never think of using those tactics.
So, why do you berate yourself? The answer is that the demoralizing voice inside your mind has its own game plan – and that is to make you doubt yourself so much that you fail miserably.
You certainly wouldn’t want a friend to fail because of what you said. When you begin to acknowledge and understand the power that the thinking process has over you, it’s time to do something about it.
To overcome your own self, you have to be able to discern which inner words are unrealistic and begin to discard them from your vocabulary. During the self-analysis process, ask yourself if you appreciate the small things in your life.
It’s great to have grandiose goals and dreams such as a new house, car and plenty of money in the bank, but have you thought about the pleasure of a cool breeze on a hot summer day or the way the rain makes the world seem clean again?
Those are the small things in our lives which must also be appreciated for what they are and what they add to your life. When you learn to appreciate the smaller things in life, the satisfaction and pleasure you feel can make the negative thoughts easier to see for what they are.
When you’re focused on the important things in life, such as your health and all of the blessings that have come your way, it’s more difficult for negatives to take root in your mind.
Selling yourself short by practicing negative self talk can damage and perhaps annihilate your full potential. You’ll hold yourself back from experiences that can make you happy and fulfilled and make excuses about why what you want to do will never happen.
Try not to focus on things you have no control over and concentrate instead on your capabilities. Pat yourself on the back once in awhile. When it comes to Internet marketing, every day you show up to serve is a day worth celebrating!
If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Successful entrepreneurs have all experienced moments of self doubt, but also have an amazing ability to move past the lack of confidence and force themselves to go on.
That ability comes from experience and knowledge that even failure provides an advantage of knowing that you tried. Newbies to online marketing can sometimes find themselves in a perpetual state of self doubt.
They lack the experience to know they can overcome obstacles on the way to becoming a successful entrepreneur. That self doubt can make or break even the most successful entrepreneur and paralyze him or her so that no action is taken, and failure is imminent.
Remember your school days? You were required to sit at a desk, learn, turn in homework, and take tests to see what you’ve learned. Now, you have to take that initiative on your own.
Learning, experimenting, and brainstorming new ideas is a bit like learning to ride a bicycle. You’ll likely fall several times, but eventually you’ll get on that bike one day and move on down the path like a pro.
After you’ve ridden the bicycle a few times, you don’t even think about how it works – you just do it. As an entrepreneur, you know there’s always something new to try or think about.
You can either choose to give it all you’ve got – or leave an idea by the wayside and move on to something else. An idea may work for some, but it may not be for you. You’ll learn to be discretionary in latching on to new ideas or different ways to do things.
Eventually, that ability will be so innate that you won’t even have to think about it as you move forward to meet your goals. Sometimes, you’ll try something that backfires or simply doesn’t work out the way you thought it would.
Rather than doubting your ability and becoming paralyzed by the situation, take a step back and remember what got you where you are in the first place. Even newbies can think back and remember what decisions led them to take action and become a marketing entrepreneur.
It’s likely a decision based on goals you’ve achieved in the past or a deep interest or appreciation you have for the possibility of making more money and having a business of your own.
And then forgive yourself for any mistakes you may have made. These mistakes give you the advantage of knowledge and you can now move ahead knowing you won’t make that mistake ever again. Your ability to succeed has just increased.
Excuses stem from self-doubt and may occur when you least expect it. For example, you may be on the verge of a big launch that you’ve worked on, thought about and strategized for a very long time.
All of a sudden (maybe in the middle of the night), you break out in a cold sweat and thoughts of failure that you can’t squash. Fear can take over your mind, body and life before you know it - unless you can weed out the legitimate fears from those originating from unfounded doubts about your abilities.
Although the groundwork of journaling, affirmations and meditation is helpful to assuage these doubts, fear is bound to occur. Rather than giving in to doubts right away and slinking away in the night, be honest with yourself.
How much of the self-doubt is real – and how much of what you’re feeling, and thinking are right out lies? When your thoughts and fears are legitimate, you should automatically start thinking of ways to turn things around.
By getting your fears out into the open, you can carefully examine them for legitimacy. Your fears may stem from thinking you’re not an expert in what you’re trying to accomplish.
If there’s something you don’t know, it’s fairly easy – with all the powers of the Internet – to find answers. Many times, it’s the experience you get from trying (and even failing) that pushes you toward the status of expert.
And even the thought of being an actual expert in your field may cause you fear and concern. What if you fail or let people down? Think about the worst that can happen if your latest venture fails miserably.
You may lose money and your time and effort may fall by the wayside, but you may also have learned a huge lesson. Try to look for the positives in any failure. They can help ensure your next success.
It may help you quiet your own fears and doubts by realizing that everyone has them. Even the most successful among us have been humbled by negative thoughts that creep into their minds. How they handle the fears and how long it affects them separates the true entrepreneurs from the wannabes.
The best way to stop making excuses and get on with the business of being successful is to replace those self doubting thoughts the minute they enter your mind. Experiment with what method(s) work best for you.
As you can appreciate, a lot of this is dependent on the way you think and if you want to know more about developing a good mindset for success, please click on the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 🙂
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Many people put too much effort into being creative. If you’re not naturally creative, you may be tempted to force it by sitting down and concentrating intensely, just like you would with more serious work.
It has been demonstrated that being a little unfocused can actually encourage creativity, although that may appear counterproductive. People get their creative ideas from a variety of sources.
It’s extremely uncommon to come up with something creative and original by concentrating intensely on one thing. Instead, if you can relax a little, you’ll be able to absorb more information from the world around you, which frequently leads to greater creativity.
This is not to say that being completely distracted will help you be more creative. You’ll eventually stop being creative because you’ll be so unfocused and distracted from your task at hand that you won’t even give it a passing thought.
Semi-focus is the equivalent of taking in all the sounds of the forest while aimlessly scanning the area. It’s not totally losing yourself in an online show and becoming so preoccupied that you lose all creativity.
You could compare it to having tunnel vision. The majority of the time, having it is bad, and this situation is no exception. You won’t notice anything else if you concentrate so hard on one thing.
Your ability to be creative may suffer as a result. You severely restrict your ability to be creative if you shut out all of the other sources of inspiration around you.
It’s crucial that you lose focus when it matters. Social media is a very popular form of distraction, but it usually won’t do you much good, so try to stay away from it if you can.
Instead, you ought to be unfocused and fully present in your surroundings, such as public spaces and residential areas, soaking up all the sights and sounds you can.
There’s always daydreaming if those settings don’t inspire you to be creative. Daydreaming, which is typically regarded as unproductive, may actually help you think more creatively than you previously realised. This is especially true if the project you’re working on is constantly on your mind.
You will occasionally reach a point where you are simply too exhausted from the day to concentrate or be creative. You’re only now completely prepared for a break. You couldn’t accomplish that if you followed the typical 9–5 strict schedule.
Although you’re not required to do that, you can choose to take a short break for your own benefit since continuing to work when you can’t do it well is a poor decision.
You should give yourself a little more time to recover before you start up again if there are times when you simply don’t feel like you can produce quality work or content. You’ll have to redo some of that work later because it won’t be up to par if you’re trying to create content without being either focused or creative.
Knowing when to stop will help you avoid having to redo work later or, worse yet, finding yourself in the awkward position of having to apologise to customers for sending them subpar work.
Even if you don’t want to work, you still need to schedule time for it. This is only for those instances when you truly believe that you are unable to work even just a little bit more. You should give yourself some time to unwind and reenergize once you’ve reached the point where you genuinely aren’t able to complete anything else of quality.
Similar to refuelling your car after a long drive Even if you do have to pause for a while, you must do it in order to proceed with your progress. Making yourself do work you don’t want to do has to be the worst thing you can do to yourself.
If taking a quick break is what’s best for your business, then that should be what you do. Keep your pride at bay so you don’t have to work harder than necessary and produce subpar results. Take some time off, then return to give it all you’ve got.
If you’ve worked closely with clients and consumers as a business owner in the past, you know that it can occasionally be a taxing experience. Some clients can be very aggressive and demanding when it comes to your services, but the majority of clients are friendly, and the entire encounter goes by without incident.
Similar things can be said about some co-workers; although some are responsible and rarely ask you to do something, others will try to force their workload onto you and rely too heavily on you. You’ll encounter time constraints with clients and customers rather frequently.
Customers can be highly impatient if you run a firm that deals in custom-made goods, whether they be images, logos, or even data. Because they may not be aware of how much work you have, they may keep asking you to stop what you’re doing and complete their tasks for them.
Of course, there is a little reciprocity involved here. They shouldn’t be given something they were promised in two weeks just to receive it in two months. However, if they’re asking for it weeks before the time you promised to give it to them, it’s time to set a boundary and stop letting them control you.
It can begin innocently enough, with you assisting them briefly when you have far less work and they are overburdened. Although this is a great gesture, they might grow accustomed to it.
Over time, your co-worker can begin to assign you additional work that they don’t want to perform, making your workload heavier. You should eventually set boundaries and inform them that you need to concentrate on your own tasks.
The development of technology has made this issue even more widespread. People no longer need to go through the hassle of either visiting you in person or writing you a letter; instead, they can just send you an email or instant message, or even give you a call using Skype or Zoom.
This increases the frequency of this kind of behaviour, so you should be on the lookout for it before it drains you.
As you can appreciate, a lot of this is dependent on the way you think and if you want to know more about developing a good mindset for success, please click on the featured resource below for a free Strong Mindset report; download, read it and take action 😊
