Yes, I said Hocus Focus intentionally!
While there’s a lot of research with varying and conflicting results, the general belief is that our attention spans are much shorter than they were 20 years ago.
On the one hand, when you’re working on content for your online business or prepping for a presentation, how often are you distracted and reaching for your phone?
On the other hand, when you’re reading a great book or watching your favorite streaming series, can’t you just get lost for hours?
Not to mention, kids who sit and watch TV or play video games – the roof could be falling in but they’re 100% focused on the screen!
So, movies and video games aside, I think we all agree that there are times we could be more focused. And being more focused leads to increased productivity.
The question is, how do we become more focused on the things that will produce positive results?
The first thing to realize is that our brains are highly programmable. That means we can program or teach our brains to be scattered – like when we’re non-stop scrolling through social media. However, we can also teach our brains to be focused.
I want to share with you an easy but really effective 3-step process to help you get focused and stay focused!
Step 1: Stop and take 10 deep breaths in and out.
You can use a mantra if you want. One of my faves is “I breathe in relaxation…I breathe out tension.” The breathing helps to sending a calming signal to your brain. The calmer your brain, the easier it is to focus.
Step 2: Make a list of everything you’re trying to focus on right now.
In other words, your to-do list. Now, go through the list and choose the top 1 or 2 tasks that really need to get done. They might be tasks unto themselves, like laying out your social media for the week or prepping what you need for your monthly meeting with your bookkeeper. The tasks might be steps toward a larger goal like finishing up a chapter for your upcoming book. It’s important to realize that our brains aren’t really designed for multi-tasking activities that require our full attention. Sure, you can safely drive to work while listening to a podcast on marketing while also thinking about what you’re going to make for supper. However, our brains function best if we’re just focusing on a single task at a time.
Step 3. Use the Pomodoro Technique.
You might have heard me talk about this before. Basically, the technique involves working on a task in 25-minute segments, followed by a 5-minute break. That’s considered to be one Pomodoro. During the 25 mins you’re focusing on your task, your cell phone is on silent, all notifications of any kind are off and, if you work from home, your pets and children are otherwise occupied. No distractions allowed! After 4 Pomodoros take a 30-minute break.
I invite you to use this 3-step process. See for yourself how much easier it is to not only get and stay focused, but also to be more efficient with less effort. This will also free up bandwidth for your self-care and fun time with your family and friends.
*Training yourself to be focused on tasks that will make the most difference is a great way to Go From Your Stressed Self to Your Best Self™!*
Be sure to download your free pdf, 3 Ways to Break Through Burnout & Boost Your Brain Power. Click Here to access!
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