Focus Is the Track That Leads to All Successes. Here Are 15 Ways to Lay It Around Your Goals.
It’s 1830. Author, Victor Hugo, had 6-months to write a book but couldn’t focus. So, when the publisher said it’s either delivered on time or no book deal, Hugo took drastic measures.
He removed his clothes, had his assistant lock them away, leaving him with no proper attire to leave the house and he wrote furiously. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame was published 2 weeks before his deadline.
Distractions are not a new thing linked with technology. Even Socrates believed that writing things down would dimmish the brain’s ability to store information. So, Aluxers, let’s see how we can build focus with 15 suggestions.
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It’s easier to focus on a fun video, rather than a long article. You can switch to the video version of this article:
With that out of the way, let’s bring our concentration back to the article.
1
Why Are You Not Focused?
Aluxers, it’s not difficult to find the root cause of why you’re struggling to focus. We know ourselves well enough to know that we’re either mentally, physically or emotionally exhausted, or just having a plain downright lazy day. You could be working from home during the pandemic, and trying to look after your kids, keep the house tidy and get your work done – and that alone is all-consuming.
Where possible, eliminate the causes of your distractions. Right, so we don’t mean selling the kids’, but we do mean seeking help where possible.
If you’re struggling mentally or emotionally, book a session with an online councillor to give you the right tools to cope with your situation. If you’re physically exhausted or even just lazy – take that day off and rest, even if it means it’s a back-to-back marathon of the “Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo,” for the kids.
2
Check All the Elements Are in Place
Right Aluxers, so you’re awake and you’re ready to get cracking on your day. But you get to your desk and it looks like a sh*thole. Not very inspiring, is it?
Take 10-minutes and sort your sh*t out. Tidy your desk, wipe it down, empty the trashcan, put all your pens into a stationery holder and take pride in your workspace.
Ensure your desk and chair are set-up correctly, and we mean ergonomically. If you’re spending all day in front of a screen that isn’t at the right height, or your chair doesn’t support your body properly, you’re going to hurt yourself!
Grab a glass of water, your mug of coffee and switch off your mobile device. Now that you have zero distractions, you are ready to work.
3
Have a Work Environment That Inspires You and Boosts Your Creativity, Mood and Overall Happiness
Aluxers, we’ve just suggested giving your work area a good tidy, but if you really want to go to your desk space and work, something has to draw you into that area.
Pinterest is over-flowing with great ideas for a small budget. Even something as simple as a few green leaves in a vase will make you feel healthier and happier.
Print some fun pictures of your family and friends and put them in frames or hang some artwork above your desk that you absolutely adore. A quote that inspires you can also work well. We love this one, “Always remember your focus determines your reality.”
4
Train Your Brain
Aluxers, this is relevant for every age, from little to old. Not only will it help build focus, but it staves off dementia and Alzheimer’s.
As we mentioned in our video, 15 Unusual signs you are smarter than everyone else, “if you find you struggle to remember things or need to be shown something a dozen times before you’re able to do it yourself, you can train your brain to work more efficiently. Our brains need to work out, just like our bodies do.” Brain games like Suduko, Crosswords, Scrabble and Chess are all brilliant to keep your mind sharp and focused.
5
Ditch the Idea That You Can Multi-Task
Multitasking – Screwing up several things at once.
It’s been scientifically proven that multi-tasking is a myth. It is not physically possible to focus on 2 or more things at once, because you are not able to give your undivided attention to a specific task, and one of those tasks will not get all your best parts.
It’s added that you end up taking longer to complete the tasks then if you had just done one at a time.
So, rather work on one task at a time, finish it properly, and then move onto the next. Speaking of moving onto the next. Let’s do it!
6
Supplement Your Healthy Eating With Additional Brain Boosting Foods
Our brains are the most important part of our body, yet, have you ever thought of what would make your brain function optimally?
We need to be feeding our brain with the right foods for it to function at its peak.
Things like fatty fish, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, broccoli, dark chocolate, oranges, nuts, eggs, and even coffee, all contribute to a healthy functioning brain.
7
Watch What and How You Eat
We just spoke about brain food, but it runs deeper than that. At this stage, we’re assuming you’re eating a balanced diet… and we’re not meaning a hamburger in one hand and a pie in the other.
Firstly, it’s never too late to start making better food choices. Secondly, many experts believe that practicing self-control increases your focus and decreases your waistline.
What we do know is that eating mindfully, slowly and properly means that you digest the food, you taste and relish it and very importantly, you appreciate it.
Digestion starts in your mouth, so if you’re wolfing down your food, you’re bound to get cramps or struggle with constipation, which are definitely not good for focus and concentration.
With all these healthy facts in place, we need a cherry on top. Here’s how Healthy Food Keeps You Beautiful.
8
Live in the Moment
As cliched as what that sounds Aluxers, how is it possible to focus on the task at hand when your mind is racing to things that happened in the past or wondering about something that may or not happen in the future.
When we shift our attention to the exact moment, we manage to isolate and assuage other anxieties and worries. And we know that’s not easy, Aluxers, it takes a lot of practice and mindfulness. To help you achieve that, we’ve created a mindmastery course. Go have a look at it at alux.com/mindmastery.
9
Try Warren Buffett’s “2 List” Strategy for Focused Attention
If you’re looking for excellent advice, you can’t go wrong with pearls of wisdom dished out by one of the richest men in the world.
To cut it right back to the basics. Buffet suggests writing down a list of 25 goals. Then dividing the list into 2 lists. One with your 5 most important goals and one with the other 20. Now, ditch the second list. Although those are important to you, they’re not as important as your first 5 goals – don’t waste time and energy on the ones that don’t hold the same weight as the first five.
10
Fall in Love With the Process and Not Just the Goal
Mike Hawkins once said, “You don’t get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the actions that produce the results.”
Accept that achieving any goal is going to be hard work. There are going to be sacrifices, times when you have to turn down exciting invites, or work in the early hours of the morning. But when you fall in love with the process, declining those invites won’t matter, and working till the early hours will have you surprised at how quickly the time has flown.
And Aluxers, only you can get yourself to that point. Nobody else. So, we suggest the following.
11
Change Your Rhetoric
We’ve said this many times and we won’t stop saying it. Change the way you speak to yourself. So, instead of fuelling your mind with negative thoughts and self-doubt, start feeding it with goodness, and value.
But when it comes to focus, we take it a step further.
If you have to work late, or you’re exhausted and are just not amped to be working – instead of saying, “I wish I didn’t have to be doing this right now,” or “I’m just too tired for this,” rather say, “how lucky I am to be able to do this right now,” or “I can sleep as soon as I’m finished xyz.”
Do you know how many people would love to be where you are right now? So, be grateful for where you are, how far you’ve come and the journey that you’re still going to embark on.
12
Have a Place for Everything and Keep Everything in Its Place
This way you’re not wasting your time looking for keys, sunglasses, dog leads and so on.
In our video 15 Things you are wasting your time with, we said, “If someone came to you and asked, would you work for free for 2.5 days, your reaction would likely be along the lines of, “are you bleep crazy?” Of course, you wouldn’t work for free for 2.5 days without there being some major reward down the line.
However, studies reveal that the average person spends 2.5 days a year looking for lost stuff! And that’s the average person who you imagine is semi-organized. Imagine the person that really doesn’t have their sh*t together?
Get yourself organized. Find a space for everything. If it doesn’t fit, donate it. Free your mind of the clutter so you can stay focused.
13
Self-Assess When Your Focus Is Good and Arrange Your Day Accordingly
Aluxers, are you a morning person or a night owl? When is your mind switched on, alert and ready for action?
If you’re an early riser, then plan your workday to get to the more involved tasks first, so that later on in the day when you’re feeling a little more spent, you can complete the tasks that don’t require as much concentration.
No point leaving those tasks for when the kids are asleep, because no doubt, you’ll be asleep soon too!
14
Smile
It’s confirmed, smiling helps you focus and increases your productivity. Even if the smile isn’t genuine, it’s the simple act of creasing your eyes, pulling your mouth in an upwards direction and showing some teeth that will help you to work a bit better. That fake smile can help you to enjoy what you’re doing and makes you feel less anxious.
And remember, life is short, so smile while you still have teeth!
Still to come, some unique ways to build focus.
15
Learn About FLOW
Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi (sorry Leanne) coined the term FLOW. He studied high performers in several fields and noticed a similarity in how they described their most productive times.
His concept of flow is “a highly focused mental state conducive to productivity.” When interviewed by Wired magazine, he explained it as follows, “as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follow inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
And the first step to achieving flow is no distractions.
Question
Aluxers, what do you do to increase focus? We’d love to hear from you.
