Top tips: How to stay focused
If you’re a habitual multitasker, here are 10 tips to help you break the habit and stay focused on the task ahead. “We’re good at doing rapidly sequential tasks, rather than simultaneous ones” – according to the Psychologists (1)
Top Tips to Stay Focused
1. Check up on yourself
Distractions can be internal as well as external, so start by looking within. If you’re all over the place, ask yourself what’s really going on. What’s the source of your flightiness or anxiety? What do you need to be working on in your life?
2. Pinpoint the cause
Once you have your internal priorities sorted out, look at more external causes. Is it your office setup? An intrusive co-worker? A lack of skill, ideas, or time for something you need to be doing? Burnout? When you can identify the cause, you can fix the effect.
3. Be prepared
All successful leaders are great planners; they make lists for every major and minor objective. When a task comes your way, spend some time thinking about how you will accomplish it. Write down every step necessary from start to finish, with a timeline (even if it’s a rough one). There is a saying that every 10 minutes you spend on planning saves an hour in execution.
4. Go offline
Some of the biggest sources of distraction come from email, social media, and cell phones. If you want real focus, take yourself offline until you’ve accomplished what you need to do.
5. Give yourself a break
One of the keys to doing great work is to know when to take a break. When you start to feel distracted, take a break, and then reassess and refocus yourself. It doesn’t just act as a reward–a short break can help your mind become clearer.
6. Get the endorphins
I’m not saying go to the gym – but get outside and get moving. Sitting in front of a screen all day is no good for anyone and if you’re feeling totally unfocused, get out, have a walk, even better a little jog, and get the creative juices flowing!
7. Tune it out
One of the best ways to tune everything out is to tune in to music. When everything around you is distracting, put on your headphones–find something that can serve as background music rather than music that holds your full attention. Music can help you concentrate, and the headphones signal others that you’re not available to chat.
8. Break it down
Especially when distractions are high, make tasks smaller and break down your large projects into smaller tasks to help you concentrate and give you a sense of accomplishment and progress.
9. Clean it up
What’s the state of your office or workspace? If it’s dirty, disorganized, or cluttered, invest some time in clearing it out so you can focus.
10. Set a deadline
If you’re working on a complex task, it takes an average of 90 minutes to accomplish anything worthwhile–and about 30 minutes just to get your mind on the task. Once you are in the flow, set a concentrated period of time–and when the time runs out, stop. It’s easier to stay focused when you have an end in sight.
Sources:
(1) The Guardian
(2) Thanks to inc.com for these top tips!
Related Dovetail articles:
The art of multitasking?
Dealing with anxiety
Top tips on managing stress in the workplace
Top tips: How to be a better manager
