5 tips to stay focused

In this modern world of technology, there are a thousand things that can shift our focus. Social media and news are always keeping us distracted. We cannot complete any task completely if our focus is not on it. When our thoughts go on roller coaster ride every minute, the task we are doing slides down from our focus and becomes a stressor. Fortunately, there are ways that help you get less distracted and more focused.

1. Organization improves focus

     Learn to be organized in whatever you do. An environmental organization is a must if you need to focus on your task solely. Eliminate all the things that do not matter to your task from the table. Only keep the notes or documents you need on your desk. Always keep the needful things with you before starting any tasks. Avoid wandering about and searching for something that you need between the tasks.

     Always prepare a to-do list at the beginning of the day. Choose what you are going to wear, eat and also the route you are going to take to reach work beforehand itself. These are small decisions that occupy our heads take most of our morning energy. So, make a list of your day prior and take charge of it. Taking charge of your day will improve your focus and it will reduce distraction.

2. Avoid procrastination

     We always procrastinate on the hard things. We pile up the tasks that we find hard or not interesting to our side by procrastination.

     Our mind always remembers that it has more to be done. You might not be able to concentrate much on the task you have taken because you are already worrying about the task that has to be done.

3. Building focus stamina

     All the successful people in the world have one thing common - will power and determination. They are not super humans who were born with will power. They harnessed their power and worked towards their goal with determination and focus. The need to achieve their goal was higher than their distractions. The determination to achieve their goals is higher than the urge to check social media for every five minutes. Their goals were important than that TV show.

    You also can easily improve focus with a little bit of motivation. All you have to do is pick a given task, and give yourself 30 minutes to work on only that task without any distractions—without even getting up. Keep going and see how long you can build up your focus stamina.

    After a couple weeks, once you've become adept at focusing for 30 minutes, see if you can extend that focus time by 5, or even by 10 minutes. Though you should take a break at least every hour, learning to focus for longer will make it easier for you to complete the tasks ahead and to focus for even a shorter period of time.

4. No multitasking

    Many think that multi-tasking is cool and it might help them complete more tasks at the same time. But the reality is the brain gets confused when you work on more than one task at a given time.

   Every time you switch back and forth between two tasks, you'll have to slightly reset your mind, which will slow you down. This is where the to-do list comes in handy: it will make you more motivated to finish your tasks one at a time.

5. Avoid distractions

   The best way to be focused is to avoid distractions. Avoid online distractions such as checking social media often for no reason. This will make your brain work slowly and bringing it back to focus is quite a task. When you fix timing to complete a task, focus only on the task. Just set the priority of the task before starting to work on it. Say to your monkey mind that it should not jump to distractions because it is no important than the task you have in your hand. When you instruct your mind, it will follow you. You just have to have a hold on your mind to work efficiently.

   When you are at office avoid taking frequent breaks in between your tasks to just chill. Of course, you need to take breaks, continuous working is exhausting. But, you have to make sure you avoid chit chat and gossips between your work. Keep on reminding yourself that concentrating on the task will yield you more long term benefits than the short term fun distractions.