It's a common problem: You want to get something done, but you just can't. You're distracted by the internet, your phone, and all sorts of other things. Here are some tips that'll help you stay focused on what's important and keep you from getting distracted by all the not-so-important things in life.
1. Make time for learning
It’s easy to get bogged down in the daily grind of work, family and other commitments – especially when you want to learn new things but never have time for it. But learning is a key part of staying focused and motivated at work.
Staying up-to-date with what’s happening in your field is important for gaining knowledge and improving your skillset. You can do this by reading articles related to your industry every day, watching webinars or interacting with other people in similar fields on social media. The important thing here is staying connected so you don’t fall behind on what matters most in your line of work.
2. Use the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. This is something we use when we need a little boost or we find ourselves procrastinating! It's an easy way to stay focused on your tasks and avoid distractions.
You'll need:
A timer (or the clock app on your phone)
A pen or pencil and paper for each task you're working on
One Pomodoro timer per task or project you want to complete
3. Remove distractions
If you’re anything like me, your phone is a constant distraction. It buzzes every time you get an email or text message, and it can be hard to resist checking that notification.
Even if you don't check it, there are still other distractions on our phones: social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are designed to pull our attention away from what we're doing and into their app world (where they can show us more ads). And then there's the internet in general—it's easy to get sucked into hours of YouTube video watching when you should really be focusing on your business or social media plan. Yes you....we see you 😉
And this isn't just about using our phones as productivity devices; there are many other ways we distract ourselves throughout our days—whether it's having a conversation with someone else when we should be writing down ideas or browsing through Facebook for hours when we could be finishing up that report.
4. Enjoy yourself - a little bit
Take a break every hour.
Walk around the office or your home. Pop into the garden and take in the fresh air.
Drink some water (or any other beverage) to keep yourself hydrated, especially during the hot summer days.
Talk to someone else, just for a few minutes, don’t forget that staying focused on one thing for too long can cause burn-out or boredom!
5. Learn to stay focused, and you'll be more effective every day.
The first step to staying focused is to set your priorities. This means identifying what you need to get done and then focusing on that for the time being.
For example, if you have a list of tasks with “email mum” at the top and “read this book” at the bottom, then it's going to be difficult for you to stay focused on emailing mum because all of those other things are calling out at once: "Read me! Write me! Call me!" There are tons of distractions all around us, but if we're able to keep them out of our minds while we work on one thing at a time, everything else will fall into place automatically.
The key to staying focused is to find a system that works for you. There are many options out there, and with some trial and error, you’ll find one that works well for your needs. It might take some time, but keep at it! And if all else fails, book a call with us and we’ll help you out.