1. ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐จ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ – One of the biggest reasons we struggle to focus is distractions. The problem is distractions come in many forms, from the cat sitting on your laptop while youโre trying to work, to notifications on your phone, to a call from a colleague needing some help. To be up there with the best, itโs a case of subtraction. Rather than using up your precious willpower (which is not infinite) to resist distractions, do everything in your power to avoid them instead. You can disable all the notifications on your phone, you can use desktop apps that stop you from using certain websites (yes, that includes the daily mail!). Put your phone on airplane mode so you canโt receive any calls. Whatever it takes!
2. ๐๐๐๐ฎโ๐ง๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐จ – Sadly, most of us are under the false illusion that being hard on ourselves is the best way to motivate ourselves. In walks, the internal Army Sergeant yelled at us to stay focused. The problem here is this is short-term thinking which can have devastating long-term negative effects. While fear can motivate us temporarily, ongoing fear (which in this case is directed at ourselves by ourselves) impacts our self-confidence and can lead to anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem, but worst of all it kills what little motivation you had. Highly focused and productive people understand that self-criticism only sabotages your ability to stay focused and do your best work. If you start procrastinating, remind yourself that thereโs nothing wrong with wanting to procrastinate. It happens to everybody.
3. ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐พ๐ก๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐ช๐๐จ – The real secret to staying focused is to work on things you value. The good news is working on things you value doesnโt necessarily mean only working on things that you feel completely passionate about. No person is that lucky! However, when you are really clear on your values, you will find that many aspects of your work contain your values deep within them if you just took a look. If you take the time to identify and clarify the values behind your work, the focus will take care of itself. P.s. If youโre consistently working on things you donโt care about, perhaps itโs time to look for a new job!
4. ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ฎ – Imagine if procrastination wasnโt the real problem? Ever considered that the real problem is not knowing how to procrastinate properly? Highly focused people donโt fight procrastination…they embrace it. All you need to do is find activities that you can do when you find yourself procrastinating, that will still lead you to be productive in the long run. Maybe talk a walk and put on a podcast that you know if going to help your work. Or read all the emails with market insights that you have been letting build up. You will suddenly find way more mental energy when you stop fighting procrastination and criticizing yourself for feeling the urge. In fact, it will be easier to start working again, and remember the urge to procrastinate is completely normal!
5. ๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ – If you want to be highly focused then a good routine is your secret weapon. Have you ever thought to yourself that someone who is in a deep state of focus does not look exhausted or frustrated? In fact, they make it look easy, they are in a state of โflowโ or โin the zoneโ. So how do they do it? How do highly focused people make intense levels of concentration easy? Well, they create little routines around their work. These routines are often small and to some might seem insignificant, but just as we warm up and cool down when we work out, creating a routine that bridges a task that needs a lot of focus, allows our brain to understand what is about to happen. The result is that itโs both easier to start working and stay working for long stretches of time.