Do you tend to get distracted in the workplace? These tips will help you maintain your focus!
Concentration in today’s fast-paced world isn’t always easy. With our brains taking in thousands of distractions on an hourly basis it’s easy to lose focus. Once you allow yourself to get distracted, refocusing your mind can be a difficult task.
Since we’ve only got a few months of 2018 left, it’s time to get serious and focus all your energy on achieving your goals! (Read my article on how you can still make 2018 your year)
I often get asked how I manage to keep my focus whilst running multiple businesses. Here are some of the things that have helped me over the years:
MAKE YOUR BED:
It may seem like a menial task but according to new research, making your bed in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Making your bed gives you a sense of accomplishment. Think of it as the first thing on your to-do list that you tick off. You’ll feel more organized, focused and ready to take on the day. This might be a bit tricky if like me, you’re married and you tend to get up before your partner, but if you get the chance- always try to make the bed!
EXERCISE:
If you read my articles and follow me on social media, then you’ll know that I start each and every day with some exercise. Exercise isn’t just vital for the body. Exercise is vital for your mind!
The best time for me to exercise is first thing in the morning. You’ll always find me working out between 5 and 6 am and I know I’m a more productive person because of it.
Discipline and focus go hand in hand with exercise. By training your body you are without a doubt training your mind.
PICK YOUR TASKS CAREFULLY:
Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do. Yes, you might think you’re able to do two things at once, but you can’t focus effectively on multiple tasks.
Focus occurs in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Many think that because their body is functioning without their conscious thought, that they’re multitasking, but in actual fact, a lot of our physical actions such as breathing are directed from a different part of our brain. As a result, there’s no channel conflict. When you focus, however, it’s like shining a spotlight onto what matters. It’s something that’s front and centre. This kind of concentration can only happen on one thing at a time. Take on two things and your attention gets divided. Take on a third and balls will be dropped.
STAY IN THE ZONE:
Before knuckling down to the task at hand, turn off your phone or put it on silent (not vibrate). I’ve deleted all social media apps off of my phone so that I’m not distracted whilst I’m working. Don’t get me wrong, social media is a great tool that can do great things for your business, but I find that it works best to allocate a certain amount of time per day for social media so that I never lose focus on my tasks at hand.
Another common cause of distraction is people. If people tend to distract you at the office, put up a sign of some sort to notify your colleagues that you don’t want to be disturbed. Don’t worry about offending people. You’ve got a job and you need to get it done.
DO WHAT INTERESTS YOU:
A common misconception is that you either have focus or you don’t. Focus is a discipline and according to research, it takes, on average 66 days to develop a discipline into a habit. Richard Branson who is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time battled with ADHD growing up. Similarly to me, he disliked school and had a hard time concentrating on anything said during class.
When I was nineteen I realised what I wanted to be. And for the first time in my life, I was truly interested in what I was doing. I would wake up at 4:30 am every morning and drive an hour into London. Between 6 and 7 am a group of us would receive dynamic sales training, but if you weren’t there early you weren’t allowed in. I loved what I was learning, so naturally, I was always there front and centre.
I hear a lot of stories these days about people suffering from burnout. Yes, life can be stressful but if you truly love what you are doing then it won’t feel like work. Your passion gives you energy to do what you love each and every day. I’m excited when I wake up in the morning and I hope to always keep it that way.
SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF:
If you want to achieve success in your life you need to know exactly what you want. One of the most powerful things I learnt early on in my career was how to set clear and definitive goals. I knew what I needed to do each day and I got those things done.
When setting your goals it’s important to tackle one thing at a time. Set a timeline in which you aim to achieve these things and stick to it. When you know that you’re working on a deadline, you tend to get things done faster.
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS:
The mind is an incredibly powerful tool; it just sometimes needs some fine-tuning. Focus on your goals, focus on your success and focus on making it happen!
