5 Tips for improving your focus

5 Tips on How to be more Focused

IMAGE: Siimon Reynolds

Hi Blogsters welcome back to my blog!

If you’ve clicked on this blog – you are probably someone who is always distracted from accomplishing anything or you might actually be a self-confessed procrastinator as well?

If you’re looking for ways to improve your focus, so that you are able to finish that project you’ve been wanting to finish - here are 5 tips to help you improve your focus so that you can be more productive and achieve more things in life.

Tip 1: Prioritize what tasks you have to complete

Sometimes, it’s easy to lose track of what you are trying to achieve especially if you’ve got a bundle of things to do on your list. The best way to tackle these tasks on your to do list is to PRIORITIZE.

Here is what I learned about prioritizing things. Often the best way to complete tasks is by ensuring you complete:

     a.    What is most URGENT.

     b.    What is EASIEST to complete or less complex to get done.

     c.    Then the less urgent and longer tasks being in the last in your list.

To put it in a table of priority it could look like this:

Prioritizing	Non- Urgent	Semi- Urgent	Urgent
Easy  Tasks	7	4	1
Medium  Task	8	5	2
Harder  Tasks	9	6	3

This is just a sample of how you could prioritize – but perhaps something else could work better for you.

After you have done prioritizing your list. It is then helpful to put them down on a list and start having a go at attempting to finish those tasks.

Tip 2: Do not multitask

Although some people maybe gifted with the ability to EFFECTIVELY multi-task, in general it’s not a very good habit I find to practice.

Multi-tasking will not help you focus on what you have at hand and therefore not create a positive outcome for whatever you are working on. Here are some of the negative effects multitasking can do to you.

• You will lose concentration of what you are doing and therefore will affect your productivity.
• You can make frequent mistakes.
• You will be less attentive and therefore miss out on important details of what you are completing.
• You will have poor memory intake.
• You will have increased stress levels, as you may feel too overwhelmed with all the tasks that you have to complete.

If you start cutting back on doing multiple tasks all at once, what you’ll find is that you will achieve more.

In relation to the previous tip, work out your priority – then focus on them one by one and not all at once.

The only time I would probably recommend multi-tasking is when you are doing a mindless chore like hanging the clothes, whilst perhaps listening to a podcast of some sort.

Tip 3: Set yourself a timer

Work on your project as little amount of time possible. This may sound counterproductive however, this will increase your productivity.

What I find, is that the more time that we allocate ourselves to complete a task, the less time and focus we have on completing a task. Often, we will put off doing a task, if we know we have all the time in the world and therefore procrastinate.

Usually the most productive people, are the ones who are nearing the deadline of when they have to complete or submit their project. Whether that’s at work, school, Uni etc.

You don’t want to leave it to the last minute before you start cramming in time to do things. Therefore, set yourself some time to actually complete a task and aim to finish it by that time. I suggest allocating 30 minutes at a time to complete a task. If you’re still focused after 30 minutes keep going if you like – if not, you can take a break to rest your mind – then go at another time.

One of the apps that has really helped me to concentrate is ‘FLORA’ available in iOS Apple devices. It’s inspired by a pomodoro technique – which uses a timer to allow you to focus and not use your mobile handset for a set amount of time you decide. As above, I would recommend allocating 30 minutes for each task you plan to do.

If you do end up using your phone and switch out of the app – you run the risk of a seed planted from growing to it’s full maturity. The aim of the app is to be able to grow as many trees and plants possible, which represents how productive you have been. If you are not focused and are distracted with the other apps on your phone during your pomodoro timer, then your seed or plant may die.

Give it a go and let me know down the comments section below how it is for you. This app has certainly been a good tool to use to help me allocate some time for my blogging.

IMAGE: Designli

Tip 4: Find a suitable place

If you want to effectively study or work on a project without interruption from anything that you would usually have at home – go and look for a suitable place instead.

When you have an environment that is quiet and have less opportunity for you to get distracted, then you’ll be able to focus much better. There are several public places that you can consider, but these can vary depending on your location of where you are.

Here are some ideas to help guide you:

•      Library
•      Park
•      An office space in your workplace
•      A café
•      Study centres

Sometimes it’s easier to focus when you have personal space and in that condition -  your head can be much clearer to really zone in on what you are trying to accomplish.

Tip 5: Have time off from general distractions

Similar to the previous tip, this one is not more so in relation to the environment – but instead in relation to other distractions you may carry with you regardless of where you go.

Some of these distractions, which I’m personally guilty of also includes:

•    Using your phone for social media or games
•     Chores 
•    Errands

If we took into consideration tip number 3 and 4 then - perhaps we can avoid house chores and Social Media. However, some of the other things I mentioned above can be a stumbling block from being able concentrate on the task at hand if you let it.

We need to be able to train our mind to reduce or at least having time off from distractions – to allow us to be more creative, insightful and productive in the project that we are working on.

Allowing ourselves to implement all the things I’ve suggested above will hopefully help you focus and accomplish more in life.

Hope you enjoyed this blog If you like this post, please share it on your social media - be sure to subscribe to keep up to date with all future blogs that I will write. I will write a blog each week to give you Tips to help you be Inspired, Motivated and Encouraged to keep becoming the better person that you are.