You have probably heard the idea that if you have too many priorities, you have no priorities. You can say the same about your goals. You will find it difficult to focus on anything if you are trying to focus on many things. If you limit and define your goals, you will be better able to focus on them. You will be better able to achieve what you focus on.
Eliminate
Take a moment to think about taking a picture. When you tap a certain area to grab focus, you eliminate the focus on other areas of the frame. If you don’t tap this area, the lens will focus on everything, which is why it gets blurry. You can only give 100% to one thing, but your camera/phone is giving 50% to 500 different things. The camera really can see things you do not simply because you are focusing on only one part of the picture.
The same applies to your mind.
This is also why law enforcement is against texting and driving. Our minds simply cannot focus at 100%, or even close to it, when we are attempting to do more than one thing. You can walk and talk, yes, but your mind is not focusing on walking. Walking is an automatic response that, for most of us, does not require much thought.
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Think about trying to walk on a slippery surface. Can you concentrate on that AND have a conversation simultaneously? I would bet that conversation ceases while you are concentrating on retaining your balance.
Does that make sense?
This step is all about deciding your ultimate focus. Determining what you want to give your 100% to. Deciding which part of the frame you want to be clear and allowing everything else to be a bit more blurred.
It’s the elimination stage; you need to decide what distractions you can eliminate in your life. This is a critical step in the process because, up until this point, you’ve come up with goals and ideas, but you haven’t come up with a way to eliminate distractions. Distractions are inevitable, especially in today’s world, with technology, interconnectivity, and phone dependence. Removing some distractions, therefore, is a must. Follow some (or all) of these steps:
- Schedule it out
If you don’t already follow a planner or calendar, that’s the first thing you should do. In that planner, schedule out your distractions. Yep, you read that right! Schedule some time for your distractions.
You and I both know you’re going to have distractions – whether it’s your phone or your friends or your dog. That’s acceptable. You’re human. Distractions happen.
What isn’t okay is allowing distractions to take over your life. They have the propensity to do that if you don’t allocate time for them, so just make sure to schedule out some time for your distractions.
Suppose you have a favorite show that airs every Monday night at 7. Put that in your planner and hold yourself to it. That way, when you’re trying to wrap up an assignment, and it’s 6, you won’t be tempted to work with the TV in the background because you know you have some R&R time coming up.
- Schedule Time for Others
Depending on the nature of your job, you may often find yourself being interrupted by others. Whether you have an office, or you work remotely, human distractions are everywhere.
Just as you schedule time for personal distractions, schedule some time for human distractions. You may opt for office hours when you allocate 3-4 hours to answering questions for coworkers, family members, or peers. You may also set aside a particular time every day to respond to emails and phone calls. Try to think about what distracts you most. Go from there and use that as a baseline to decide how you want to schedule your time accordingly.
- Define and Defy the Culprit
We’re often inclined to open different things while we’re working on something. You may think to yourself, “I won’t respond to any emails, but I just need to check something really quickly.” The problem with that is you’re bringing up a self-induced distraction.
As soon as you open that inbox or check your phone, you’re welcoming a distraction into the mix. Even if you are good about sticking to your word, that distraction takes up a little piece of your mind. Soon enough, you’re sharing your mind with all kinds of distractions flying in and out of it, and you’re not giving 100% to your current task at hand.
Take some time to think about those distractions. What are they? How often do they happen? Then, work towards defying them. Every time you reach for your phone, remind yourself that it won’t bring any good to the situation. Tell yourself you can check your phone in 15 minutes when you’re done with your work. Whatever it is that works for you, make sure you’re firm about it.
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- Stop Multitasking
We’re so used to the glamour of being a multi-tasker. It feels like such a huge accomplishment, but in reality, there’s a time and a place for multitasking. If you attempt to multi-task 24/7, how are you focusing your energy on other important assignments and projects?
Remember the idea about focusing a camera to take a picture? You cannot multi-task and give everything 100% of your focus. It is impossible. Computers do not even do two things simultaneously. They switch between two tasks. If your computer ever freezes and you have to reboot, I would bet that the computer was trying to do two or more things at once. Since it cannot do that, it froze. If a computer cannot do two things simultaneously, why do you think you can?
Chances are you’re only focusing a portion of your efforts on essential tasks. Your 100% becomes broken into smaller percentages, like 10% toward exercise and 10% toward family time, and so on and so forth.
Use your schedule and force yourself to stop multitasking. It may seem counterintuitive, but it will boost your workflow immensely.
- Target Your Habits
Habits can either be very good or very bad. If they’re good, you’re in the routine of doing things that are healthy and productive for yourself. That may mean working out regularly, communicating well, eating healthy food, and planning your life efficiently.
On the flip side, bad habits can be the death of your success. You may not realize it while you’re doing them, but bad habits are contagious. If you allow yourself to practice bad habits, you allow distractions and bad things to get in the way of your goals, your success, and ultimately, your happiness.
Think about some of your habits – both good and bad. Don’t limit this thought process to work-related practices. Think about your personal life, too! While you’re pondering these habits, you may want to make a list of the ones you’d like to keep and the ones you’d like to rid from your life.
It won’t happen all at once. It takes time to break bad habits and introduce new habits. Once you’re in the mindset of improving yourself, you’ll be more on track to creating an unbreakable focus for yourself.
Do not try to change ALL your habits at once. Pick one and work on that. Recognize that you WILL mess up at times, but that is normal. When that happens, remind yourself how far you have come; do not look at how far you have to go. Congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished.
- Work on Your Attitude
Distractions may always be there, but it begins and ends with you. You’re approaching life a certain way, and it’s up to you how you want it to go. Do you want to achieve big things? Do you want to establish yourself as an expert in your industry? Do you want to have a big, loving family? Do you want to run a marathon?
All these things take focus. You read that right. ALL these things require focus. There’s no way to dream big without being focused on your dreams.
Start with your attitude. Find a way to get yourself pumped up to take on these challenges. Be in tune with your attitude and your energy levels first thing in the morning and right before bed. Think about the result you want to achieve. Get a good image in your mind of the end of the result and remind yourself at least twice a day of that desired result.
You can do this when you believe that you can do this.
If you are still reading, I really appreciate that. Thank you. If you found this helpful, please share it. Your friend might find it helpful also. Please leave a comment and let me know what resonated with you.
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Until next week,
Valerie
Providing information and tools to help harried adult college students earn their degrees without losing their sanity.
Have you ever lost points on an assignment because you forgot to do something?
My assignment checklist can help you remember the details.
Check it out! It is FREE!!!!
updated 23 December 2022