Stay Focused – Things to Avoid and Things to Do

Many things can get in the way of your focus, but there are three primary obstacles. Let’s look at these and then look at what you can do to increase your focus.

Whether you usually work from home or not, it’s vital to discover what you can do to make the path to achievement smoother. These ideas should help you stay focused and less distracted – so you can get things done.

Not enough information

Not having enough information can be an instant focus killer. You may think you’re in a flow and making progress, then come up against a gap in your info. This isn’t very pleasant and can prevent you from making the progress you thought you would.

Although this can’t be avoided every time, it can be reduced by doing your research upfront. Ideally, you’ll get all the information you need before you sit down to work on your project. Although sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until you need to use it, you can cut down on these situations by getting as prepared as possible.

Not enough rest and too much stress

Getting enough sleep is imperative to your focus being laser-sharp. It’s vital to get an early night so you can get a solid night’s sleep. Avoid stressors and throw in some exercise, and all should be well.

We all should take time to take care of ourselves, including spending time on pleasures such as hobbies or relaxing in our favourite ways at the end of the day. You will be able to sleep better and get more done when it’s work time. Please don’t feel guilty for taking time out for yourself, as it will pay off in the long run.

Distractions

Even if you’re feeling your best, distractions can be the root of disaster! Interruptions and distractions can be the death of all focus.

The best approach is to remove distractions – whether stopping your phone from alerting you of WhatsApp messages or turning that ding off that alerts you of new emails. If you get dozens of these a day, it’s going to take you a long time to get things done. Invest a few minutes in finding out what is distracting you and get in your way of producing some outstanding work and do what you can to stop them.

3 Ways to Boost Your Focus

Of course, it can be an absolute challenge trying to stay focused on any task. Us humans are easily distracted. However, it’s like a muscle, and the easier it will be, the more you do it. Here are some simple tips to give your focus the boost it needs to get more done.

Write Your To-Do List

Once you are clear on what you’re meant to be doing and have broken that down into small steps, it’s a lot easier to work through your list. Your focus will increase as you know exactly where to put your priority, and you’ll waste less time. Once you’ve completed a task, you can move onto the next one.

When you sit down at the desk, spend a few minutes getting clear on what you want to accomplish. If you make your list the night before, it’s even better as you’ll be on a roll faster. Before you put your pen down for the night, write the list whilst your mind is on it, and you’ll get one step ahead of yourself.

Use a timer

We all work a bit better when we’ve got a deadline to meet. Try the Pomodoro Technique, which means you get 25 minutes or so to work with a deadline. It will help you to zoom in and focus on the task at hand as you get more done in less time.

The time can be set by doing a google search for 25 minutes timer or even the clock on your phone. Then assign your task to that 25 minutes and work until the timer dings. Then you take a break for 5 minutes and move onto the next 25 minutes session. After you’ve been through this three or four times, you can get a more extended break.

Play some music

If your mind is always wandering around or you are working in a noisy and distracting spot, then put on your headphones and listen to some music. Your mind will be far more focused as the noise will be cut down, and you can keep your mind on the job at hand.

On YouTube or Spotify, you’ll find some music designed to stay focused whether you’re working or studying. Quite often, these are instrumental music pieces. However, you might want to experiment with a couple of different styles to see what suits you when it comes to staying focused.

In summary, learning how to stay focused is a vital skill in reaching your business dreams. Whether you’re a copywriter, e-commerce seller or you have another type of business; these tips should help you to do your best work.