Distractions Taking Over? 4 Tips to Help You Focus
Working with a lot of high level business people, I see how constant distraction directly hurts their general productivity. Understandably, you’re involved in everything – but that means that the things that really need your attention don’t get the time that they require.
One of the solutions to help with that is to create a focused work session and conduct 1 or 2 of those a day. Focused working sessions are essential for getting anything done. But with distractions pulling us in every direction, it can be difficult to make them happen.
Here are some tips that will help you focus as you work:
- Plan your session. Just like an essay has an introduction that tells you what the essay’s going to be about, a focused working session starts with a plan of what you are aiming to accomplish. Pick some goals, and think about how you’re going to go about achieving them.
- Eliminate distractions. Set aside anything that might interfere with your focus. Close your office door. Put your phone on silent and out of sight. Close your email and your internet browser. You get the picture – anything that can be a distraction that you can’t control should be blocked for the duration of your work time.
- Take breaks. This might sound contradictory, but taking breaks actually clears your head and gives your brain a rest so that you can focus even better. Suggested break times are 5 minutes for every half hour that you’re working. http://pomodorotechnique.com/timer/ has a helpful timer to let you know when it’s time for your next break.
- Summarize and plan again. Stop a few minutes before the end of your work time. Review what you set out to do, what you accomplished, and what you need to do next. Write a note for yourself so that you can easily pick up where you left off.
I’d love to hear about any other tips or tools that you know of. What tools have you found helpful in letting you focus? Please comment and share.