Be aware that you are living in the Age of Distraction.
Modern businesses compete for our attention all the time. Facebook for example, is designed to keep you on its platform as long as possible, so that it can run more advertisements on you. Know this acutely: You’re severely exposed to “focus theft” all the time.
To minimize distraction, set SMART goals and take actions daily.
SMART is the acronym for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Time-based. “I want to be an expert on stock investing” isn’t SMART enough, because you can’t measure your progress and there’s no deadline. On the other hand, this is smart enough: “I want to be an expert on stock investing in my country’s market. In 3 months time, I would have understood timeless investing principles. To achieve that, I will read The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham and 3 other books consistently. At the end of third month, I should be able to explain the investing principles to my friends in simple words and make supportive sketches on the go if necessary.” Remember, no SMART goals, no focus.
Value productivity over busyness. Don’t mix them up!
Busyness is about filling your time void with any kind of activities, whereas productivity is optimizing your output/time ratio. Allocate your limited focus on activities which produce the output you expect yourself to produce.
Face your fear, so you can focus in your real work.
It’s not that we can’t focus at all. In fact, we find it easy to focus on movies and computer games. Often times, we subconsciously refuse to focus because we fear the work required to produce the output we want. That’s irrational fear. Nothing sucks more than running away from the real work and suffering the consequences later. You must be courageous enough to put in the work. This leads to the next important point…
Get into your flow state for maximum focus. It’s within you.
Once you build up the boldness to put in the real work, flow state comes almost naturally. Flow state is a state in which you’re fully present in the moment, immersed in your work and don’t feel the time fleeting away. Your mind and body are in optimum conditions to perform. You enjoy the process. You possess maximum focus. You can get into flow state when your tasks are moderately difficult and require moderately high skills. The more you experience flow state, the easier it is for you to get into it.
Avoid task-switching. Perform tasks in batches instead.
If you’re writing, dedicate your entire morning to it and put your emails aside. Switch off social media. Catching up with your friend’s statuses probably isn’t one of your goals. Constantly remind yourself about your SMART goals.
Take intermittent rest. If you truly focus, you deserve it.
Have a drink. Listen to light music. Go for a walk. Take a nap. There’s a Chinese proverb which says, “To rest is to prepare for a longer journey”.
Wear headphones with/without music.
It insulates outside noise. People are less likely to disturb you too.
Sleep well. View sleep as a productivity investment.
Once I treat my sleep as a productivity investment my waking hours become much more productive.
Exercise regularly with moderate intensity.
Science has clearly proven that exercising enhances focus.
Last but not least, focus is an acquirable skill. The key is to start small and build momentum. With patience and determination, focus will definitely become your second nature.
Happy focusing! :)
Source:
Dylan Woon, an educator on Quora
