Do you ever see someone working with such focus that you think “how do they do that?”. The truth is, dialing in on your work isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you can learn. We’ve got some tips for concentrating that will help you build this skill.
1. Get More Sleep!
The mindset that you need to be hustling 20 hours a day and running off 4 hours of sleep is just bad advice, plain and simple.
Study after study consistently shows the importance of sleep and that chronically poor sleep leads to lower alertness, thought processing, reduced concentration, and lost productivity. So, if you want to focus more, focus first on getting a good night’s rest!
Eliminating phone use, too much caffeine, and having large meals before bed can help more than you think!
2. Make The Time
Listen, we’re people pleasers too. When someone comes to us with a task, we usually want to try and help right away. However, you’re not the bad guy for saying “I can’t help right this second, but let me find some time for it later.”
Pick a task and give it your full focus. You might feel like you’re being more productive by multitasking, but you can’t give your full attention to two things at once. Not to mention stretching yourself too thin is a ticket straight to burning out.
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3. Take A Break
This might sound like we’re ignoring the point above, but there’s a nuance to it, we promise.
Yes, you need to make the time to focus on a single task. However, very few people can dial in on something for an extended period of time and maintain full attention throughout. Your focus will naturally wane the longer you’re working on something.
Buckle down and get in some honest-to-goodness hard work. But when you feel focus starting to diminish, grab a cup of coffee, tick off a smaller task on your list, or stretch your legs and spark up on conversation. A short break can reinvigorate you, so you can focus once again.
4. Unplug
It’s hard to stay in the zone when every few minutes you feel a little vibration in your pocket or a *ding* keeps sounding off because another email has arrived.
We’re not all brain surgeons or bomb squad operators.
Sometimes you need to be available, but few emails, phone calls, or notifications are so important that they can’t wait 30 minutes. If you really need to get something done, try switching your phone to silent, turn off email notifications, or if you want to fully commit, disconnect from the Wi-Fi for half an hour.
This elimination of distraction also helps reduce something called attention residue. The idea that after switching from task A to task B, a portion of your thoughts still remain on task A.
5. Stick To The Plan
Many people believe that our decision-making processes are a resource, one that depletes and refills over time. With that in mind, there are some ways to make sure your tank stays full for longer.
With every decision you make, you use a little bit of fuel. So, creating a plan to eliminate smaller decisions can leave you with more brain power for larger tasks. Try planning your meals for the week, pick out your outfit before you go to bed, and make a to-do list that you can complete in order.
Second-guessing every decision is exhausting. It’s much better to set your GPS ahead of time than figure out where you need to go at every turn. With this simple mindset, the planning is done, and you can focus all of your energy on executing flawless performance.
Use these 5 tips for concentrating, and you’ll be cracking off stellar work in no time!