Is it just me or is it becoming harder and harder to remain focused on the task at hand, and to effortlessly see it through to completion? There are so many distractions, not to mention the demands of living a very busy lifestyle, that it almost seems impossible to finish off anything well. Instead we muddle our way through things, giving them half of our attention, because we feel overwhelmed and distracted by everything else, and ultimately we cannot focus with clarity.
Because we live in the digital era, we feel the need to constantly multitask, as a means of anxiously ‘keeping up’ with everything, that we end up making silly rushed mistake and not giving each and every project solid individual attention. We then rush to finish projects, take on more than we can handle, and ultimately never finish our work properly.
We need to be aware and more mindful of training our brain like we would a muscle. In order for our brains to achieve maximum mental focus and concentration, they need to be exercised and challenged and stretched to do so. That may mean being more intentional about putting a few things in place in our day-to-day lives, that will help retrain and encourage our brains and bodies to focus for longer periods of time with greater impact.
Train your brain to focus better
Get more sleep – Getting enough sleep allows us to feel rested, which in turn encourages our brains to think more effectively and with more clarity.
Create a schedule – This could be a weekly and daily schedule that you follow that includes all the details from admin, through to meetings, deadlines, and other outside activities: gymming, social meetings and so on.
Work on one task at a time – Avoid multitasking, this only serves as a distraction, and ends up watering down your level of work. Instead focus on one thing at a time until it’s fully complete.
Silence the noise – Wear earphones if it encourages you concentrate better.
Stay hydrated – Water not only flushes out unwanted toxins, and hydrates us, but it also helps us to stay focused and concentrate for longer.
Breathe more deeply and consciously – Often we don’t realise that we end up shallow breathing whilst feeling stressed or very preoccupied at work. Take moments when sitting at your desk, to breathe slowly and deeply.
Switch off distractions – Switch off anything near you that serves as a distraction when you are at work. This could mean disabling social media or YouTube whilst working.
Incorporate exercise into your weekly routine – Exercise allows for oxygen to flow through your body and brain, encouraging a more stress feel and upbeat lifestyle.
Allow for mental breaks – When working for long periods of a time, take a few minutes in-between to let your mind rest and reboot itself.
Do the bulk of your work when your brain is most alert and focused – Find out when you feel like your brain is at its most focused, and then get stuck into your work. Every person is different, and may feel that they have the most energy at the start of the day, whilst others work better a little bit later.