The determination to succeed and the willpower to stay determined are two of the most important things in life which will always take you far and help you in achieving your goals. One needs to harness discipline to stay focused and work towards better efficiency and greater productivity.
Remember to focus on quality and quantity will automatically follow as the former is more important than the latter. It is imperative to keep your concentration levels high and remain focused at your workplace so that you can stay away from distractions and achieve professional success in life.
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1) Plan your day the night before
Plan your day the night before with some necessary resolutions to stay focused. It will save time and you will not be diverted from simple and unimportant things during the day.
Basic things like what time you will be leaving for office, how you will be utilizing your lunch hour if the workload is too much, the route you will be taking and how you will be using the time during commute are simple but vital questions whose answers when prepared the night before will help you in their application quickly and will save a lot of time. It is actually all about focus because when you have set your target and planned your activities in advance it becomes easier to follow through.
2) Set an immediate deadline
When we have a deadline before us we put all our energy into giving our 100% to meet it. The pressure of meeting an immediate deadline is a major reason to stay focused. Set small and reasonable daily deadlines which you will be able to fulfill with a bit of focus and efforts.
Do not make it too easy for you otherwise it will not look appealing and will lose its charm. A deadline is a healthy tool that will push you to give your best, utilize it and remain focused to do better.
3) Do the most difficult things first
When we have a difficult project or work sometimes our instincts tell us to leave it for the last. Let us complete the easy ones first is our natural reaction. It is wrong. As the day passes we will remain fretting about it at the back of our mind.
It will make us unfocused and the relatively easy things will take much more time to complete. Reverse your order of preference. Do the most difficult thing first as the day has just started and your focus and attention span is at its best. After it is complete you can relax and complete the others easily as it does not require that much mental stamina and energy.
4) Eliminate distractions
Distractions are part of our life and it is up to us to eliminate them and remain focused on the job at hand. Sometimes it comes in the form of an emergency but that is unavoidable and you have to deal with it at once. But in most cases, it takes the form of simple activities that do not require immediate action.
In such cases, in order to remain focused, you must leave the situation as it is so that either it resolves automatically or you can solve it at a later time. It is the time to become strong-willed so that you can ignore trivial matters. Keeping your phone into mute position, switching off the ringer for emails and messages, shutting down unimportant apps and hanging a do-not-disturb sign on your office door are some major ways to keep the distractions at bay.
5) Take a short break
Sitting in front of a computer desk for a long period of time may lose your focus. It is then the time to take a short break and stretch yourself. Take a few minutes to settle by undertaking either of the activities.
You can keep your head down on the table, close your eyes for few minutes, take a short walk, go to the canteen and take a tea/coffee break or talk for a few minutes to a colleague/friend. Any of these activities will relax and rejuvenate you once again so that you can come back with sharper clarity and increased mental strength to stay focused.
6) Healthy lifestyle
Do not eat a very large meal at the lunch hour as it will make you sleepy. Make sure to eat healthy and balanced food that will keep you fit. Drinking lots of water and eating fresh fruits and vegetables in salads at periodic intervals is a sign of a healthy mind and body.
Make it a part of your daily routine so that it all comes automatically to you and your hunger pangs do not cause you to lose focus. You can start exercises and meditation as both the activities increase memory capacity, mental strength, and concentration of an individual. If you are stressed a lot you can follow some breathing exercises as it is a great way to de-stress and stay focused once again.
7) Focus on one thing at a time
One of the most simple and major ways to stay focused is to pick up one activity you would like to do at that time and put all your onus on completing it to the best of your ability. When you focus on one thing it becomes easier to ignore other distractions and keep on going so that you can meet the deadline.
Avoid multitasking because you will lose your focus as you try to do several things at once. It decreases your capabilities as you miss clues and start making silly mistakes. Although you achieve an emotional high during multitasking it is not recommended when you are on an important project as it can cause several mistakes that could hamper your progress.
8) Use your imagination
Do you even know how powerful a human being’s imagination can be? According to a recent survey, your imagination is one of the most powerful tools you have and you can utilize it for your benefit by giving it a proper direction. Visualize yourself in a situation where you need to complete a particular project or work in a given time frame.
Feel the necessity and importance of your undertaking and in case of failure the repercussions. It will put an additional pressure on your subconscious mind and will urge you to do better and meet the deadline easily.
9) Use a timer
Time is of great essence in the business world and if you are prone to lose focus easily it will be better to use a timer to stay focused on a particular activity. Using a timer will be of great help as it will timely remind you about the work to be done so that you can pay more attention to it. Once you pinpoint that you are losing focus then you will be able to reclaim it easily once again.
Make sure to use a proper timer that is not a distraction in itself. For example, do not set a timer on your mobile as it will attract your attention towards itself. The purpose is to stay focused not to lose your concentration.
A very good example of a timer that you should use is the Pomodoro timer. You can do a google search and you will find out several good pomodoro timers. According to the pomodoro technique, you should do non stop work for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes. After 4 such sessions, you should take a break of half hour. So this is an excellent way to stay focused.
10) Use Reminder Methods
Use a journal that will act as a reminder board. Write about your goals in the journal and about the things which need to be done. You can also visualize and create a board in the mind for your goals. Set aside a few minutes every day.
Prepare it every night and go through it every morning to remind you of the things that need to be done today. Prioritize and arrange in the order of importance. This system is a motivational tool and will act as a constant reminder that you need to achieve your target and meet the deadline as soon as possible.
Above were all the ways in which you can stay focused to your task. Some methods might work much better for you as compared to others. Nonetheless, it is important to be as focused as possible to be efficient and productive in your work.
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