9 Practical Ways To Help You Stay Focused

Your attention is everything these days. As the media, technology, websites such as Facebook and Twitter, and the people in your environment will always give you distractions and find new ways to limit your productivity and concentration, it's even more important to stay focused every time. You don't want the time you spent on work to be wasted, right?

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By doing so, you remain to be “the eye of the storm,” calm and focused. Being focused is more of an art than it is a science.

Here are 9 practical ways and tips to stay focused:

⓵ Choose one or two objectives for the year

I think goal setting is important, but setting too many goals can be a trap. It is merely a distraction for some.

I spoke to a woman earlier this week that is a friend of mine. I sensed that she seemed a little confused. As we got to talking, she told me about the different businesses she works in. I asked her, “how many businesses do you have?” and she replied, “I have three.”

If you ask me, that’s too, too many, and here’s why. Having too many businesses (or objectives for that matter) scatters your focus, energy, productivity, and your actions.

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Instead, choose one or two objectives for the year. In this case, it might mean focusing on one business first. Get it up and running until it runs almost automatic. Then you're ready for your next big project.

What are the objectives?

Objectives are the building blocks that lead to the achievement of a program. Objectives are short, precise statements that are related to what you want to change and why, as well as who you want to change it for, how much you want to change it, and when you want to change it. The idea of setting an objective is one of the smart ways to stay focused.

Why are clear objectives important?

Clear objectives are necessary for determining if your program is accomplishing its goals. It's also crucial to define program goals as precisely as possible in order to provide program clarity and strong assessment connections. When clear goals have been established, evaluating a program becomes considerably simpler.

When writing objectives, keep them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-specific)

⓶ Create a daily ritual

I’m a Life Direction Coach, but I’m also a blogger and I have a newsletter. Since writing is part of the career I choose, I write every morning regardless if I’m going to publish an article or not. It’s become a very powerful morning ritual that keeps me focused to increase my productivity.

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This daily ritual is the same process that helped me write my ebook when I was working full-time mode as an engineer. I wrote every morning for 25 minutes to an hour and finished a 16-page ebook in 8 weeks.

The Difference Between a Daily Ritual and a Routine

The distinction between a daily ritual and a routine is in your perspective. It is your perception of how you control your activities and how you stay your brain to stay focused. Are they routine tasks that must be done, or are they meaningful activities that add purpose, learning, or pleasure to your life? It's all up to your attitude.

A daily routine is a collection and schedule of activities that you perform in the same sequence each day. For instance, rising and heading to work, loading the dishwasher, cleaning your teeth, and preparing the children for school. A routine may seem dull and uninteresting simply because it is required. You can automate your routines to support your daily productivity. While routines may be effective, they are not always inspiring or pleasant. They are seen as a burden that can be somewhat distracting.

Daily rituals are comparable to daily routines in that they both consist of a set of activities performed in the same order. However, a daily ritual is distinct in its purpose and cannot have the same features as daily rituals. Daily rituals are significant activities that are self-motivated, else they may offer both energy and pleasure while also providing structure and efficiency. A ritual is a key method of doing a job that has a feeling of purpose and a beneficial side effect in addition to the accomplishment of the work.

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⓷ Do the most important first

Ask yourself, “Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?” This works with the 80/20 rule. 20% of your actions create 80% of your results. If that’s the case, then are you focused on the 20% that will get you the most powerful results?

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If not, then why not? Are you inventing things to avoid the important? In most cases, you’re avoiding the important actions because there is a fear of rejection built into those actions.

Realize this: You've mastered your life when you know it isn’t important what others think of you – it’s more important what you think of you. Take your most important actions today and yield the greatest results.

⓸ Give yourself daily quiet time

I like the way John Assaraf puts it. He says, “You want to slow down inside so that everything speeds up on the outside.”

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Take a manual transmission car for example. When you shift from first to second gear, the engine slows down but the car speeds up. As you shift from second to third, the engine slows down again, but the car speeds up even more.

You want to do the same thing: slow down on the inside so that you speed up on the outside.

These are tips to make a daily ritual to meditate, breathe, or visualize every day to become calm of mind.

⓹ Trim the fat & eliminate the noise

Environment plays a big role and affects your inner world; it can affect your mind. These distractions can control your brain and make you stay out of focus thus affecting your inner game and productivity.

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Don't let distractions get onto you. The key is to get rid of any nuisances that distract you. You should stay focused. If you want to do the heavy lifting you have to trim the fat. And that means eliminating the distractions in your life that prevent you from staying focused; things such as: watching the news, listening to media via the radio, surfing the internet, spending time playing mobile version computer games, browsing websites and apps, or checking email excessively.

I spend a maximum of an hour each day surfing websites and most of the time it’s for google research or marketing. I also check my email twice per day. Once at mid-day and once at night. Trim the fat and eliminate the background noise in your life.

⓺ Take care of yourself

You have to remember that if you’re going to stay focused you must be able to perform. And you can’t perform unless you take care of yourself first.

 

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Make sure to include a daily or at least weekly ritual to experience the things you really enjoy. In my case that means playing hockey twice per week, getting to the gym, and reading inspirational books. Give yourself the time to do the things you really love to do. Take care of yourself and you’ll be able to take care of others.

You’ll only give what you got.

⓻ Visualize daily

You could make this part of your daily ritual. Spend a minimum of 5 minutes daily visualizing your ideal life in all areas. This could help your track the road that you want to begin with.

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Vision is the magnet that pulls you along your destination. It gives you the juice to move towards a bright future instead of pushing against it. It’s like rolling downhill instead of pushing uphill. Having a vision moves you with the current instead of against it. Stay absolutely focused with a daily visualization.

How visualization works

Visualization is similar to a mental rehearsal for an event you want to bring into your life. It is based on the law of attraction, which states that we attract what we put out. If someone is continuously plagued by negative ideas, it will be difficult for them to notice and attract more positivity into their lives. On the other hand, if someone regularly visualizes oneself at their best, it may help them develop more confidence in their ability to succeed. (It's thus unsurprising that successful individuals ranging from Jim Carrey to Oprah attribute a portion of their success to frequent visualizing.)

By visualizing what it would be like to achieve our objectives, we may also activate the neuromuscular connections that link our brain to our muscles. This may assist our minds in imagining what it would feel like to have already accomplished that objective.

When visualization is practiced on a daily basis, it becomes second nature and it becomes simpler to create effective visual representations.

⓼ Complete everything you start

Make completions a habit. Finish everything you start. These are the promises you make to yourself. If you made a promise to a friend and then didn't do it, do you think they'll trust you? It's unlikely, but what's worse is that you begin to doubt and lose trust in your own self.

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And a lack of trust leads to low self-confidence and a poor self-image. If you have a low opinion of yourself, how productive do you think you’ll be? Here are some tips for you to be productive and have work done:

Take a break from Social Media

If you've ever felt the need to take a break from social media, you're not alone. With our technology today, one could control any distraction just by limiting yourself to the computer. Users should limit themselves by lessening the so-called impact of long screen hours. You don't want the idea to spend your time on google and websites using your android mobile phone.

Even social media users and celebrities need a digital detox. Lilly Singh, a YouTuber from Toronto, recently announced her intention to have freedom and step away from social media in order to concentrate on mental health. Several music celebrities have also left different social media sites throughout the years for a variety of reasons, including receiving too many bad comments or being harassed, being targeted by hackers or publicity stunts, or just wanting a little (or a lot) more solitude.

Benefits from Taking a break with social media:

• Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of one's thoughts and emotions while being present in the moment.
• When individuals are online, they are often seated and inactive. It's wonderful to get up and walk around!
• The opportunity of experiencing nature and away from any distraction
• Additional time for self-discovery
• Additional sleeping time

Install an app or a chrome extension that will keep you reminded of your daily tasks.

No matter how well-organized your to-do list, schedule, and calendar are, you will not complete tasks unless you have a reliable system of notifications for reminding yourself to do them.

Anyone who has spent an hour crafting the ideal shopping list only to discover they forgot to bring it to the store knows the value of reminders.

The only way to get these time notifications daily is to search on google on your android phone a free app or a chrome extension version on your browser that can help you track your daily task.

Reminders of some kind are what elevates a collection of paper products or online services to the level of what David Allen refers to as a “trusted system.”

Many individuals oppose being more organized. Whatever type of chaotic mess they create, their lives continue on a daily basis because they are self-aware enough to recognize that after all that effort, they will almost certainly forget to bring their lists with them when it counts most.

Fortunately, there are strategies for ensuring that we remember to check our lists — and for remembering to accomplish the things we need to do regardless of whether they are on a list.

In most instances, we need some prodding at first, such as via the use of a reminder, but ultimately we build up enough momentum that doing what has to be done becomes a habit — not an exception.

⓽ Develop your willpower

When you start your daily ritual it’s going to take willpower to stick to the routine. It’s never easy in the beginning, but with persistence, you will develop the daily habits to stay very focused.

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Will power is like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you use it. To get started, burn this quote into your mind:

“Do something every day for no other reason than you’d rather not do it or don’t feel like doing it.”~ William James

Start by choosing the daily ritual that will have the greatest impact on your life. Then commit to it for 30 days. It may be as simple as visualizing for five minutes every day. Once you become stronger in one area, you can develop your confidence and your willpower in other areas.

Being “the eye of the storm” is no easy task, but it can be very simple. Choose one tip and commit every part of your being to make it happen. It will make all the difference as you steer your ship through those turbulent waters – and ultimately help you stay focused.

Why is willpower important for good education and life outcomes?

Possessing the capacity to exercise willpower when necessary will almost certainly have a beneficial effect on schooling and overall life results. Consider the following kinds of behaviors that it may encourage:

• A focus on activities that result in improved future results, such as practice, study, and assigned labor.
• A remarkable capacity to forgo ‘fun' activities in favor of more productive ones such as finishing schoolwork or study tasks.
• Increased probability of choosing healthy meals and recreational activities
• A greater capacity to say no to harmful behaviors such as smoking, drug use, excessive drinking, or unsafe sex.
• The capacity to control one's emotions in particular circumstances – includes self-control when verbal and/or physical abuse is used.