Productivity Boost – How to Maintain Focus
A number of clients begin their first session with me by venting about all of the different people or situations that interrupt them throughout the day. I hear this quite often:
“If I didn’t have to work with people, I’d get so much more done!”
Sound familiar?
For one of their first assignments, I ask them to track their time for three days. Many realize how beneficial this is and continue to track for a full week. Much to their surprise, the amount of time they lose to their loss of focus is the same as or greater than the amount of time they lose to those aforementioned interruptions. It hits them: If they could learn how to maintain focus, they can have more control over their day, even when they’re interrupted by others.
If you’re in the same situation, there’s good news! A loss of focus is self-imposed. Anything that’s self-imposed can be un-imposed. Rejoice! Here are some simple steps you can take to slash your loss of focus in half:
Create a plan for the day.
The more realistic the plan is, the better your focus will be throughout the day. Plus, when something or someone unexpectedly knocks you off track, your plan can help you refocus more quickly.
Determine your time leaks.
What self-imposed distractions cause you to lose time? Procrastination? FOMO? Perfectionism? Random thoughts? Identify the biggest (i.e., the most time lost) time leak to battle first.
Identify your triggers.
What are you doing when you slip into this loss of focus mode? Is it a certain type of email, person, situation, time of day, etc.? Become familiar with these signals.
Disengage from autopilot.
You’ll be tired at the end of the day from being fully present in every moment, but this intentionality will allow you to…
Catch yourself in the act.
Once you identify your triggers, and you’re fully present, you’ll recognize when you’re stepping into the rabbit hole of your time leak. Upon this realization that you’re about to lose time to a distraction, you’ll be able to…
Redirect ASAP.
To help you be successful with this redirection, develop a mantra to repeat or question to ask yourself to help you step away from the rabbit hole back to working productively. Two examples of questions to ask are:
“How did doing this work out for me last time?”
“How will continuing with this distraction benefit me?”
When you have a clear objective and plan for your day, that will help your brain maintain focus. But when your brain is fatigued or you’re facing a task that’s less than fun or a decision you don’t want to make, even with a plan, your brain might decide to escape the situation by losing focus.
When you implement the recommendations I shared with you, you’ll be able to refocus and get back on track faster.
For more productivity strategies and tips no matter what generation you are or aren’t, peek at The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.
