Productivity

5 Ways To Boost Your Concentration Skills

Do you lack focus and/or the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time? If you are like the vast majority of human beings, I’m sure that you answered, “Yes!”

A Microsoft study found that, on average, humans have an 8-second concentration span. And that number is probably shrinking as we speak because we’ve got used to everything being fleeting and prompt.

The modern world with the vast bank of knowledge via the Internet and 24-hour news stations, plus social media networks have made us a race of people that want everything NOW!

This lack of patience plays havoc with our ability to maintain concentration and focus on tasks for more than a very short period of time before our minds wander, and add FOMO (or the Fear Of Missing Out) into the mix and it’s a wonder that we can maintain any concentration at all!!

But no matter how much you try to shrug it off, there really is no substitute for paying attention. No matter what your environment is, your ability to get things done depends on your ability to pay attention.

Being able to concentrate can skyrocket your productivity which can be a real boon for your business (if you are a business owner) or can make you a really viable candidate for that promotion or bonus if you work for a company as it will make you stand out from your colleagues.

So, how do we even begin to develop our skills of concentration?

Well, the good news is that you can learn to focus more and focus better. All you need is to alter your mindset, take charge and apply these 5 simple tips to boost your attention span and become a master of concentration and productivity.

Prioritize Your Tasks

You’re at work; you have deadlines, meetings, projects, tasks – all things that need to get done within the span of a few hours. What to do? You make a list, of course.

Many successful people swear by their lists because it has everything on it, from the most important to the things that can wait until later.

Another great tip? Write your list the night before so you’re not bombarded with many things at the start of the day. This is like stretching before a workout – it doesn’t take a lot of time, but you can’t start without it.

Many of the world’s most successful people swear by making their to do lists the night before because they can hit the ground running first thing in the morning and they will already know what their number one priority for the day is going to be.

Why not try it for yourself and see what difference it can make to your day.

Take Scheduled Breaks

Francesco Cirillo, owner of the Cirillo Consulting firm in Berlin, devised an ingenious system that manages time by breaking it down into intervals.

For example, once you’ve started on a task, set the timer to, say, 30 minutes.

During that time, focus completely on that task. Once the timer rings, you take a 10-minute break to get some coffee or just walk around your desk for some quick exercise. Then, every 4 30-minute work intervals, you can take a longer break of 20-30 minutes.

The way this technique works is that you have to refrain from picking up your phone to check your email or social media every 5 minutes.

If you want to know more about this type of system of breaking tasks down, take a look at this post here which explains a technique known as the Pomodoro technique.

Research has proven that it takes us nearly 25 minutes to get back to our original task once we’ve been distracted, which means you’re spending the entire day just on trying to regain your focus but not really achieving it.

A smart way to avoid this when it comes to your phone is to put it on silent or stick it in a drawer to ward off temptation. An even better way to do this is to carve out half an hour at the start of the day, or in the afternoon, to get all that out of your system so that you’re not constantly thinking about it.

Declutter

While it may seem pretty straightforward to everyone that working in a calm, organized environment boosts concentration and, hence, productivity, it may not be as easy as it sounds.

Even if your choices are limited or can’t get away with changing too much of your workspace, you can do wonders with a few add-ons here and there.

But all you need are a few basic items:

a desk organizer to store away whatever you’re not working on at the moment
a plant or two because it’s been proven that being surrounded by nature peak concentration levels and extend your attention span
a good source of lighting
a calming piece of artwork or photo
soft background music or sounds of nature to put you in the mood to concentrate

Stay Healthy

Most people don’t make the connection between eating right and having strong concentration and memory skills.

Studies show that foods high in trans fats and processed sugars have a negative effect on your cognitive abilities.

Enjoying a balanced diet rich in minerals and vitamins, on the other hand, boosts energy levels and gives you the mental stamina you need to concentrate on the task at hand.

Water is also very important to prevent dehydration. Staying hydrated throughout the day prevents your mind from slowing down. Exercising regularly also boosts cognitive powers and mental stamina.

Play Games

There has been extensive research that shows just how much how solving crossword puzzles, problem-solving exercises and other types of mental games can improve cognitive abilities, reasoning, memory and attention spans.

It also boosts your skill and speed on tasks which have to do with memory and reasoning.

So, take a few minutes out of your day to challenge the grey matter to boost your ability to concentrate. And they can be fun too.

Want to learn more about productivity? Then, download the featured free report below, read it and take action 😊

7 Morning Routines For Peak Performance

If you are like the vast majority of people, I am sure that you will want to be more productive and be able to work at your peak more frequently and for longer.

Working at peak performance will allow you to get more done in a shorter time and you are much more likely to achieve your goals when working in a peak state.

This acts as a positive reinforcement loop and you will get even more done so it is a key skill to develop if you want to get the best out of life and be a success in whatever you set your mind on.

Peak performance and how to achieve it is not a secret. You just need to follow and model how the super peak performers, achieve the success that you also desire.

This means sacrifice and being more than willing to step up and do things you never thought possible.

When you mention “sacrifice” people shudder and puts many off before they even give it a real shot, but nothing worth achieving is going to be easy.

Peak performers have a certain mindset, and you will need to develop this if you want to work at your peak.

They will also have certain habits and daily routines that they will use to help to put them into a peak state first thing in the morning and to stay there throughout the day.

If peak performers are using habits to start their day in a peak state, don’t you think that it would be worth developing some habits and morning routines that will help you in this way? Of course, you do!

These routines aren’t rocket science or weird; they are just simple things that can help you to start the day in a positive state and to help you make the most of the day ahead.

OK, here are 7 morning routines that you can use to develop peak performance from the minute you get up! Don’t be fooled by their simplicity, but give them a try and see what kind of difference they can make to your day and you performance and productivity.

Take A Cold Shower First Thing In The Morning

This will definitely shake the cobwebs out of your head. Besides the alertness factor, you will be boosting your metabolism.

If you lack energy, then having a cold shower first thing in the morning will fix that.

Start with luke warm water and gradually head to a full cold shower. You should build up this practice by slowly increasing the time under the cold spray.

Perhaps start at 2 minutes the first day and go to 3 minutes the second day. Work on your tolerance at your pace rather than someone else’s.

Note: If you have health issues such as high blood pressure, check with your GP first to make sure cold showers aren’t going to affect you adversely.

Get Some Exercise

Exercise right after your cold shower. If you are in the martial arts, chances are you already do the cold showers and know how it improves your performance. Pick an exercise that makes you sweat. You want to work on your heart rate, flexibility and strength.

This means having some equipment at home or doing bodyweight exercises.

You can also hit the gym if you don’t mind the fees and other issues.

Doing exercise before you start the workday, helps with your energy levels, avoiding procrastination on work and elevating your mood.

When you get your exercise done first thing in the morning, you get a “happy,” blast of feel good natural chemicals coursing through your veins. People who suffer from depression or low moods, can use exercise to change how they feel.

Getting a good dose of oxygen from vigorous exercise works marvels for your mental health and ability to perform at peak levels.

Write It Down

Write in your journal, while you relax for a bit after a workout.

Write down how you are feeling at the moment and what you may need to do in order to keep your brain activated for peak performance.

Journaling helps you to sort out your thoughts into a logical order instead of a jumble in your head and can give you clarity and focus which are critical for peak performance.

Practice Meditation

Once you have written in your journal, why not meditate about what you have written today for 5 to 10 minutes? Just be calm and let your mind flow. Inner calmness is what makes peak performers great.

As high performers get hit with adversity during the day, it flows off them and they do not allow it to affect how they feel or perform.

Meditation and mindfulness really do help you to cope with any unforeseen obstacles and can keep you focused on the task(s) at hand.

Practice Gratitude

State what you are grateful for today. You should be grateful every day you wake up and have a new chance to make it happen.

Start by being grateful for the breakfast you are about to eat for nourishment and work your way through everything else.

Be grateful for the people in your life and the ability to perform and contribute to others.

You can also ask yourself questions that can make you feel grateful and really lift your mood. Try questions like these:

“What am I really grateful for in my life right now?”

“What about that makes me feel grateful?”

“How does that make me feel?”

If you are a Christian or have a spiritual belief then you can do the same thing with prayer, giving thanks to God.

This is completely different from the questions most people ask themselves in the morning, such as “Why do I have to get up so early in the morning?”

Those types of questions make you feel lousy and will put you in a poor state for the whole day if you aren’t careful, so be very mindful of the questions you are asking yourself, especially those when you first wake up as they will impact the rest of your day!

Review Your Goals Daily

Those goals must be firmly implanted in your mind.

With the daily review, your subconscious mind will get involved and work to make things happen. Your subconscious mind will be driven to help you succeed and become a peak performer.

Remember the saying, “You are, what you think about all day long.”

And don’t forget to enjoy the journey as well as the destination (goal). If you want to learn how to focus on enjoying the journey too, take a look at this training called Enjoy The Journey.

Practice Visualization

Visualizing achieving those goals is another way of firmly implanting what you desire and then allowing the universe to completely understand how much you want to succeed.

When you have goals centered on peak performance, visualizing them helps to make them real.

This can take some practice, but visualization is a really powerful skill to develop so take some time to do so and you will reap the benefits.

OK, there are 7 morning routines that you can use to supercharge your day and to put you in a peak performance state so that you can be super productive and achieve anything.

Improve Your Productivity: 5 Tips To Clear The Clutter

Is clutter standing in the way of you doing your best work? Likely it is. In fact, it’s one of the biggest challenges to your productivity.

When your environment is filled with clutter, you may feel like you’re constantly reacting rather than responding. You may feel a general sense of unease or anxiety. You may feel mentally exhausted even though you haven’t yet started your workday.

Are you constantly searching for client files, notes, or even something to write with?

Is it a nightmare to find a file on your hard drive or the cloud because you lack an organizational structure and/or an effective file-naming convention?

Do you have a dozen tabs open on your computer at any one time? Yes, that’s a form of clutter, too.

Are there stacks of books, papers, or even coffee cups or dishes sitting on your desk?

Are your file drawers crammed with paperwork that’s no longer needed and which belongs in the trash can?

No wonder it’s hard to focus or get anything done. And, even if you do accomplish anything, you’re probably not feeling your best when you work under these cluttered conditions.

Across the board, clutter is often fueling these uneasy feelings and your lack of productivity. It has a way of sucking the life out of you, distracting you from what’s most important, and derailing your success.

5 Tips To Clear Clutter In Your Workspace

You can’t increase your productivity by reading a book or taking a class. You actually need to take action.

The first thing you need to do is to “set the stage.” Nothing’s going to happen until you do. Setting the stage is all about taking action to clear the clutter.

After that’s done, you’ll start to see the effects — increased productivity.

Let’s focus on some basic components of your work environment.

A cluttered and messy office is no place to expect your best work. And, while some people believe that’s where they get their best work done, imagine what they could accomplish if working in a completely upgraded environment! Here are some simple tips for helping you to create an environment for success.

Put It Away!

Put away everything that belongs in your desk drawers or file cabinet.

If you find things that don’t belong in your office, then take them to wherever they belong and put them away.

If you find things that have “no home” right now, put them in a box with a lid, so you won’t need to look at them. Remember the old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind.” In this case, that’s a good thing!

Bonus tip: Discard anything you haven’t used in the past year. If you haven’t used it in that time, odds are you never will.

Clear It Away!

Clear everything from the top of your desk and wipe it down.

Prior to placing things back on top of your desk, evaluate each item to make sure you actually need it front and center.

If not, then put it away or throw it away. Reduce visual distractions as much as possible.

Bonus tip: Wipe down your desk phone and/or smartphone. They’re a haven for germs.

Review

Gather all your Post-It notes and scraps of paper.

Review all these “notes” and discard what you can. If any tasks can be handled quickly, schedule a time in your planner and get them done during a focused work session.

For the remainder, type them into a digital document for safekeeping.

Bonus tip: If they include items you need to reference, keep the one page document easily accessible on your desktop or stored in a top desk drawer.

Clean Up!

If you have boxes or stacks of items on your office floor, go through them and discard everything you can. Again, if you haven’t used something in the past year, discard it or give it away.

Discarding is the better choice so that it can be recycled.

Bonus tip: Go through your bookcase and get rid of any books you also own digitally.

Box up any others that are outdated and either give them to the library or recycle them.

Remove Digital Distractions

Technology produces its own brand of clutter.

Close down any tabs that you have open on your computer except for those that apply to your current work.

Log out of social media accounts as well as your email. Make a habit of working with minimal tabs open on your screen.

Bonus tip: Turn off any gadgets except the ones you need to do your core work tasks. You’ll get more done faster and easier without added distractions.

By implementing these simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to clearing the clutter in your office and reducing distraction.

You’ll love the result. You’ll be more energized, less anxious, and more focused on your work. Investing a little bit of time today to prepare your work environment will make a noticeable difference in your productivity!

How Can Productivity Be Increased?

Do More in Less Time – And Have More Time for Yourself

Getting things done brings such a great feeling of accomplishment, but it can also be overwhelming if the task seems insurmountable. Sometimes, the days just don’t seem long enough to do everything we want to do. When that happens, worry can set in, but it doesn’t have to!

You can do more than you ever thought was possible, and in less time too, giving yourself time to relax and really enjoy life!

It all begins with a solid foundation of time management and scheduling. It’s okay if you’re not a good time manager right now, you can learn to be. It just takes a little bit of practice and you’ll soon be getting more and more done.

When you see how much you’re accomplishing, you’ll work even harder during your busy times, and enjoy those down times more thoroughly.

These scheduling strategies will help you become an expert manager of your time:

Schedule Your Life For Maximum Benefit

You can avoid procrastination and the big stressed-out rush to meet a deadline by scheduling each day and using just a bit of self-discipline to stick to your schedule.

It helps to break things down into smaller tasks. For example, do you have a big presentation coming up at work in two weeks? Don’t try to do it the night before it’s due. Start now. Working for just a half hour each day can help you get that presentation done with plenty of time to spare.

It removes wasteful practices from your day. By scheduling your day according to your priorities, you can better utilize the time that you might otherwise have wasted doing unproductive things, like watching television or waiting for the next item on your to-do list to come to you.

Disallow Doubts From Getting In Your Way

That little voice in the back of your mind that tells you, “It’s too much work,” or “It’s not going to happen,” doesn’t know what it’s talking about!

You can do anything you set your mind to. Keep that thought in mind as you go through your day. The more you think it – or even say it out loud – the more you’ll internalize and believe it.

Remember your capabilites. When you remind yourself how much you’re capable of doing, you’ll work harder so you can reap the rewards of being done with work.

No matter how you reward yourself, make it a point to do so regularly. Finished that presentation? Take the evening off and watch your favorite movie! Whatever reward works for you is a good one – as long as the work’s done first.

Recognize When You’re Getting Stressed

Sometimes, in an effort to get more done, you’ll find that you aren’t getting the time for yourself that you’d hoped for. When this happens, stop and reassess your schedule.

Are you following your agenda? Are you productive during your scheduled working times? Are you meeting your goals? Where can you make changes for better success?

Do you concentrate and get your work done during your working hours? If not, you may find that you still have to work when you should be relaxing. This is a vicious circle that leaves you feeling stressed, while getting nowhere.

Eliminate Stressors And Build In Stress Relief

Think about the following as you go about your workday:

By focusing during working hours, you’ll complete each task much sooner. Get your drudgery tasks out of the way as quickly as possible to make more time for more enjoyable tasks.

Work time is for work only – so avoid distractions. Ringing phones and other issues can stop you from accomplishing your work. Forward calls to your voice mail and establish “do not disturb” times. You’ll be amazed at how much work you can get done without distractions!

If you complete your tasks early, keep working until your schedule says it’s time to stop. Perhaps you can tackle some work for the next day to get ahead. Being a little ahead gives you the flexibility to take care of inevitable emergencies without falling behind in productivity.

Recognize when you need a break. People are not machines so your schedule should reflect that. Realistic break times should be part of even the busiest schedule.

By planning your time wisely, you’ll accomplish more and be able to reap the many benefits of true relaxation when you’re done. It’s well worth the effort!