The ability to stay focused can help you complete various tasks in both work and private life, such as passing an exam or finishing work an hour early. There are several steps you can take to focus better and stop checking your Facebook page or phone every fifteen minutes. To stay focused on what you need to do, resist distractions, create a to-do list (including breaks) and don't give in to the temptation to do a thousand things at once.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Organizing to Focus Better
Step 1. Organize your workspace
Whether you're working in the office or studying at home, a tidy workspace will allow you to stay more focused and get the job done right. Eliminate anything that might distract you or that isn't relevant to your task. Clear your desk keeping only what you need, leaving at most a few photos or memories that can instill a sense of tranquility.
- By carving out 10 minutes a day to clean your workspace, you will be able to maintain this organization.
- If you don't need the phone, put it away for a few hours. That way, it won't add to the things that risk piling up on your desk and distracting you.
Step 2. Make a to-do list
It will help you stay focused and encourage you to continue your work. Prepare it at the beginning of each day or week. Regardless of how mundane the items you enter, you will feel better as you cross out one task and move on to the next. It will also allow you to focus on one task at a time.
- List commitments based on their priorities. Put the most important or difficult ones at the top of the list: you should leave the simpler or more manageable tasks at the end of the day, when you are more tired and have little desire to dedicate yourself to the more complex ones. If, on the other hand, you postpone them at the last minute, they will be a looming threat all day.
- For example, a to-do list might include: "Call Mom. Order her children's birthday cake. Call the doctor. Go to the post office at 11:00."
Step 3. Set a time limit for each matter
Time management goes hand in hand with the list of tasks to be performed. Next to each task on the list, note how many hours it might take you to complete it. Be realistic with your estimates. Then try to complete it within the established limits. That way, you're less likely to slack off or waste time texting friends.
- You can alternate longer and more burdensome commitments with shorter and simpler ones. By doing so, you will not feel overwhelmed by pressing and tiring responsibilities and the faster tasks will seem like small rewards.
- For example, you might write: "Make coffee: 5 minutes. Respond to emails: 15 minutes. Attend the staff meeting: 1 hour. Typing the meeting minutes on the computer: 30 minutes. Correct reports: 2 hours.".
Step 4. Find time for breaks
Even if you think it is counterproductive to establish intervals, this organizational criterion actually favors concentration. Take at least 5-10 minutes every hour or 3-5 minutes every half hour. This way, you will be more motivated to finish your homework, you will be able to rest your eyesight and have time to mentally move on to the next task.
- You can also schedule an alarm every 30 or 60 minutes of work to know when an interval begins. If you are very focused, you can skip a few breaks, but it doesn't have to become a habit.
- If you have a smartphone, try using an app, like Pomodoro, to schedule your work day by inserting breaks.
Step 5. Give yourself breaks in a place away from distractions
Intervals won't be of any use if, for example, you keep checking work emails. So, get up during one of your breaks, look out the window, take a little walk outdoors, or climb five flights of stairs to get your blood circulation going. This way, you will return to your chores more refreshed.
For example, you can set a goal of reading half an hour over the course of three hours. By giving yourself a break to rest your eyes from the screen and finish a chapter of a book, you'll get your work done with greater stimulus
Part 2 of 3: Improving Concentration
Step 1. Increase your energy to focus
Even if you think you're an easy target for distractions, you can improve your ability to focus with a little motivation. All you have to do is choose a task and apply yourself for 30 minutes on that task alone without getting distracted or getting up. Go on and see how long you can prolong your attention.
- After a couple of weeks, when you are able to stay focused for 30 minutes, see if you can hold on for another 5-10 minutes.
- While you should give yourself a break at least every hour, training your ability to concentrate over a longer period of time will make it easier for you to finish your tasks faster.
Step 2. Don't put off urgent things
Avoid postponing chores to the next day, week or month. Instead, finish it as soon as possible so you can move on to the next project.
- For example, if you know you need to call a particularly demanding customer this week, don't put it off until Friday afternoon. Make the phone call on Monday or Tuesday morning so it doesn't hang like a sword of Damocles all week.
- By always postponing commitments, you will compromise your concentration and drastically lower your performance.
Step 3. Avoid multitasking
Many people mistakenly think that doing a thousand things together is an exceptional skill because it saves time. Conversely, multitasking confuses the brain, delays activities and prevents full involvement in any task. Every time you switch from one thing to another, you are forced to reset the mind by slowing down its processes.
In these moments, the to-do list is crucial: it encourages you to get the chores done, one at a time
Step 4. Avoid virtual distractions
Distractions are the enemy of concentration because they completely reset it. If you want to concentrate fully, you need to learn how to avoid them. There are different types of distractions that you need to get used to avoiding.
To avoid the distractions of the web, try to open as few windows as possible. The more you have, the more you will multitask with the higher risk of distracting yourself. You can give yourself 5 minutes every hour to check your emails, look at your Facebook profile or interact on another social platform of your choice. Then stop browsing for two hours
Step 5. Avoid distractions present in the surrounding reality
Whether you're working in the office, library or home, don't let anyone distract you. Don't let others divert your attention from what you need to do, whether it's people from your study group, colleagues or friends who are always asking for favors. Set aside personal matters until you're done, so you can hurry up and enjoy your free moments.
- Also, don't get distracted by your surroundings. If you find yourself in a noisy room, listen to soothing music or put on a pair of earplugs. Even if you are tempted to turn your attention to what's going on around you, do it for only 10 minutes so you don't lose focus.
- Work in a productive environment, such as a coffee shop or library. By surrounding yourself with busy people, you will be able to focus and keep your performance high.
- To improve concentration, listen to classical music or the sounds of nature with headphones. Avoid singing songs as they can distract you.
Step 6. Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and encourage attention
If you feel stressed, irritable, or over-stimulated at work, sit down and close your eyes. Take 3-5 deep breaths. The increase in oxygen will stimulate the brain, making it easier for you to focus on what you need to accomplish.
- If you have time, give yourself a longer breathing exercise. For example, during your lunch break, sit or lie down and breathe deeply for 15 minutes.
- Accept the task ahead. If you object, it will seem even more complicated.
Step 7. Chew gum
According to some studies, chewing gum can temporarily increase concentration because it increases the oxygen supply to the brain.
If you don't like them, a healthy snack can have the same effect. Eat a handful of nuts or a few carrot sticks
Step 8. Avoid overdoing the caffeine
While a cup of coffee (or tea) a day can make you more energetic and prepare you for the day, if you have too much caffeine (or theine) in your circulation, you risk getting too excited and distracted, or getting nervous and shaking after a few. hours. Resist the urge to drink too much coffee when you need help to keep your focus.
It's best to keep yourself hydrated and only drink one cup of tea or coffee a day so you don't feel too agitated to work
Step 9. Observe a distant object for 20 seconds
By now almost all of us work in front of the computer or sitting at the desk and, in general, we are used to looking at objects that are within a radius of 30-60 cm at the most. This causes eyesight to become fatigued, causing discomfort and reducing concentration. So, give your eyes a break by looking at a distant object for a few seconds. Together with the mind, they will be able to concentrate better when you return to the computer screen.
Try following the 20-20-6 rule: every time 20 minutes pass, spend 20 seconds looking at something 6m away
Part 3 of 3: Keep yourself motivated when you want to focus
Step 1. Remember the purpose of your work
By keeping the goal in mind, you will have the right motivation to finish your project with maximum concentration. One of the main reasons we lack attention is that we don't see the purpose of what we are doing and would rather devote our time to something else.
- For example, if you are enrolled in college, remember why it is important to study. It is probably not essential to pass a certain exam with flying colors, but you do need to successfully complete a course in which both the exam and the grade count, so it is important to pass this test with a good score in order to graduate.
- Alternatively, if you work, remember why it matters. If your job is a means to an end, think about all the things it allows you to buy or all the fun activities you can do after your work day is done.
Step 2. Identify a goal to work on
If you lose sight of the final goal, you will find yourself mired in a myriad of small commitments that tend to lose focus. A goal to achieve can represent the carrot at the end of the stick which allows you to make sense of the things you need to do.
- So what is the goal you are trying to achieve? Do you just want to finish the day at work or school, save money to buy a boat or make a career?
- Alternatively, you could clean the whole house to throw a great party or run 40 minutes to keep yourself in tip top shape.
Step 3. Repeat or write a mantra to stay focused
Once you are clear about your purpose and goal, try to come up with a mantra to repeat whenever you get distracted. It can be a phrase to say multiple times when you get lost in thought and want to get back on track. If you find it embarrassing to repeat it out loud, try writing it on a post-it and sticking it on your desk.
Your mantra might be: "No Facebook and no television until I finish what I'm doing. But when I'm done, I'll be able to take the exam and get a very good grade!"
Advice
- If you find yourself losing focus often and feel like you're wasting your time, try using a time table to see and understand how you spend your time.
- If you feel discouraged that you have not completed a series of chores, try writing down those that have been completed and those that have remained unfinished. Try to get things done you have left unfinished. This way, you will be more focused on what you need to do instead of getting distracted.
- If you want to refine your to-do list, try breaking it down into three different lists: things to do today, things to do tomorrow, and things to do this week. If you finish the ones you set for a particular day, but you have time left, you can move on to the next set.
- Try to sleep and eat at regular times. Avoid studying too late in the evening.
