14 Ways to Stay Focused That Increase Productivity
Productivity doesn’t happen by accident. Accomplishing all the things you need and want to do requires judgment and planning, along with a continuous supply of motivation and focus.
Losing focus usually leads to both slower work and drop output. And when you have a long to-do list, a team to lead, and a business to grow, your output matters each & every day.
So what small, simple changes can start making today? Here are fourteen practical things you can do right now that will improve your focus at work.
1. Set daily goals.
Get organized by split your day into goals, each with a clear purpose. Think of this as a detailed to-do list of prioritized daily tasks. Keeping a to-do list is the simplest and easiest verify tool to ensure you stay focused and increase your productivity. Set reasonable targets for each day. All you need to get organized is a pen and paper, or even just an app on your smartphone.
2. Take consistent breaks
It may sound counter-intuitive, but taking a planned crush can really help improve your focus.
Short breaks, even if only for a few minutes, will allow you to maintain a consistent level of execution. Taking them will allow you to rest, recover, and reset so that you can get back to your work with revived energy and concentration.
What happens if you don’t take breaks? Well, you’ve probably experienced it before – lower effectiveness, feeling cloudy, burnt out, tired.
No good.
Be sure to take breaks, then, so that you can recharge and resume your work with more clarity and determination.
This is one of my favourite (and easiest to follow) tips for how to stay focused and motivated in the long term. Breaks are a simple thing that you can start doing to give yourself the jolt of focus you need.
And if you’re feeling a little sluggish, here are some strategies to help you get motivated.
3. First things first.
You only have so much time and energy, and chances are you’ll never have enough of both to accomplish everything (you think) you need to do every day. What you really need to do is focus on the most important tasks first. Not everything on your list is urgent.
Take a moment to analyse your Most Important Task (MIT). This is the most critical thing you must get done -- get it off your plate first thing. By knocking out your huge task, you’ll ensure that you’ll have a productive day no matter what.
4. Each morning, clear your head of clutter.
When you're working, the point is to be only focused on the work. If your mind is consumed with runaway thoughts about your family, conflicts, or anything else, you aren't paying full attention to the task at hand.
Try taking some time each morning to write down those thinking (or to think about them during a short meditation). Then trust you'll get back to them at the end of the workday.
5. Train your brain to do deep work.
To truly harness the full power of your mind, you need to train your brain to do deep work. This is the ability to produce at your peak level for expanded periods of time. It may sound easy, but we rarely do it.
You can start by setting aside a couple of hours each day during which you can completely focus on one task without pause. Doing so will allow you to more fully engage your brainpower and make significant progress and important breakthroughs on a critical task.
6. Have a plan for your time
One of the better ways to help you stay focused is by having a plan for your time. Creating a plan for your time each day will protect that you:
• Know what needs to be worked on
• Work on things that actually matter
• Make progress in a positive direction
• And are productive with your time each day
It’s a way that you can better harness your time for maximum effectiveness. In fact, this is one of my favourite tips for how to stay focused on a task because of how important it is.
Create a plan for your time and watch how much more productive and more focused you will be.
7. Put away your cell phone.
Our smartphones and mobile devices have become a pervasive part of our lives, to the detriment of our productivity. Research has found that U.S. consumers spend at least 5 hours a day on their mobile devices, with about half that time spent on social media, messaging, and entertainment apps. By simply putting your phone away for periods of time, or at least move off notifications, you’ll gain hours of productivity and focus.
8.Turn off your notifications
When it comes to how to continue focused while studying or how to stay focused at work, this tip is mandatory.
Turn off your notifications!
It is such a simple thing to do, but for some reason no one does it. But, notifications are incredibly distracting.
Just look around.
If you’re sitting by someone, watch them for a more 30 seconds. More than likely some new thing is going to pop up in front of them, completely distracting and derailing their focus.
If they give in and check the notification, they’ll be distracted, lose their focus, and then have to spend time trying to recognize where they left off.
Or almost worse, if they don’t check the notification they’ll still be doing their work, but will be wondering the entire time about that notification and what amazing promise of entertainment it possesses.
It’s a lose-lose.
So don’t even play that game by turning off your notifications. You can:
• Mute group texts
• Turn off new-email pop-ups
• Disable social media notifications
• And silence your chats (Slack, Skype, G-Chat) too
There is so much noise coming at you all the time. Do yourself a favour and limit some of that noise so that you can focus on the things that absolutely matter.
Because when it comes down to how to be productive and how to stay focused throughout the day, turning off notifications is a must.
9. Know your body clock.
Schedules give our days structure and a timetable to revolve around. However, not everyone functions on the same timetable. We all have natural rhythms that influence our ability to focus and produce.
The key is to match your highest priority work to your most productive hours of the day. Pay attention to your body clock. Most people tend to be most alert in the morning, and our concentration often starts to slide in the afternoon.
10. Work in 90-minute cycles.
A growing body of research indicates that we naturally work in cycles of 90 minutes. During these cycles, we’re more able to engage and focus. This is followed by lower frequency brain activity for about 20 minutes, when we’re apt to feel “brain fog” and may have a harder time focus. Harness this natural cycle by working in 90-minute increase, and give yourself a break in between.
11. Take mental breaks.
A strategic break can be an amazing push for your brain. Even a short break can give you that break of inspiration and creativity you’ve been looking for. Taking a prepare break from work allows your mind to reset and restores your motivation. When you feel mental fatigue sets in, try stepping away from your desk for a few minutes. You can try stretching, going for a walk, or spending a few minutes outside enjoying nature.
12. Set a timer.
Train your brain to hyper-focus on a task by accepting the Pomodoro Technique. Named for the tomato-shaped timer (although you can use any timer, including the one on your smartphone), you first decide on a task you want to achieve. Next, set your timer for 25 minutes and work carefully for that time. Take a small break (5 minutes) when it rings, then reset the timer and go again. After 4 Pomodoro’s, take a deep (15-30 minute) break.
13. Exercise often.
We all know exercise is good for our bodies, but it’s also good for our brains. Working out is an effective way to improve our attention, increase our learning potential, and boost our memory. Exercise improves our mood and reduces feelings of stress and anxiety. But studies have also shown that people who work out have higher volumes in the parts of the brain that control memory and thinking.
14. Declutter your workspace.
A clean and tidy space has a way of putting your mind at ease and increasing your ability to focus and go full-bore throughout your day. A desk in disarray will make your brain feel as cluttered and overflowing as your inbox.
Researchers have found that when there is too much stuff in your field of view (like a messy desk), it has a measurable impact on productivity. They found that too much clutter causes people to lose the brainpower necessary to focus.
