Whether you’re a digital nomad working from the beach, or currently hitting up the coffee and to-do list from a physical office, it really helps to have some tricks up your sleeve for maintafinivng focus. After all, everyone loses their train of thought from time to time or becomes distracted by other things. So, if you’re keen to maintain focus and productivity, avoid wasting time and become a productive high-achiever, try these tips to maintain your focus at work.
Find Out Your Chronotype
By identifying your personal chronotype, you can better match your intrinsic energy patterns to your task list. Some of us are naturally early birds and others are night owls, for example. If you know when you’re likely to be firing on all cylinders, you can organise your most challenging jobs accordingly – and get everything done faster and more easily.
Know Your Motivation
Why are you working today? Do you just need to get routine jobs done and out of the way? Have you lined up a creative day? Are you excited about a new career direction or project, or do you simply need to pay the bills? Find your motivation and tap into it to help focus your mind and your energy levels. And if your motivation no longer serves you, then it might be time to revisit your work, your goals and your direction.
Have a Structure
There are plenty of tools and approaches available to help you prioritise your work. You can use a master list; keep a grid that organises your tasks into important, not-important, urgent and not-urgent quadrants; bullet list or use digital productivity tools and apps that help you to keep on top of your priorities.
Schedule Breaks
Your mind works best when your body is refreshed and energised. Schedule time for regular walks around the block, go for a quick coffee and have a chat with a colleague, do some squats or simply go and look out of the window for a few minutes and decompress. This is particularly important if you work at a screen as your eyes need to rest too. Look at the horizon and follow the 20-20-20 rule – every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will relax your eyes and prevent eye strain and headaches.
Do Things That Excite You
If you’ve got a long day ahead, mix it up so that you have different things to enjoy and look forward to. For example, you could schedule a creative planning meeting for the afternoon if you get your budget and administration done in the morning. Do the routine and important-but-dull tasks first to get them out of the way, then enjoy the focus and energy rush that comes from doing something you love – knowing that you’ve taken care of your less enjoyable tasks first.
In Summary
There are various techniques you can use to stay focused at work and to get as much out of your working day as possible. Try these tips and you’ll make sure you never waste hours procrastinating again!
Article written by Mavis Miller