{"id":26611,"date":"2023-03-07T12:55:48","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T12:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/?post_type=resources&p=26609"},"modified":"2024-09-04T11:02:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T09:02:52","slug":"its-hard-to-focus","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/its-hard-to-focus\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Hard to Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning<\/a><\/em>, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Work. Life. The news. No wonder you\u2019re having trouble concentrating. The good news is that focus can be learned and sharpened, especially if you follow these tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What could be going on?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • You\u2019re trying to do too many things at once.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Your work environment (including technology) is creating distractions or interruptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You need to practice focusing, as you would to build any other skill.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You\u2019re feeling tired, hungry, or stressed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You\u2019re distracted by a deeper issue that is bothering you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to handle it:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    1. Prioritize your own physical needs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, yeah, you need to eat right, exercise, and get a good night\u2019s sleep in order to function as a human being. We know all of this. So why do so many busy people still deprive themselves in these areas? Often, it\u2019s because you\u2019re not giving yourself permission to prioritize your own needs over other things, like the pile of work in front of you, demands from your family, or colleagues\u2019 requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Small changes can make a big difference in your mind\u2019s ability to concentrate. Be sure to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Eat healthy meals and snacks.<\/strong> If you have good food at the ready, you\u2019re less likely to find yourself at the bottom of a potato chip bag. And don\u2019t skip meals \u2014 it drains your energy and makes you more likely to make poor food choices when you do eat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Move during the day.<\/strong> Even if you exercise before or after work, make a point to get up from your desk several times a day to take a short walk or to stretch and reset.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Prioritize sleep.<\/strong> Maintain designated sleep hours and develop an evening ritual, like reading or a short meditation, to prime your mind for sleep.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n


      2. Identify and minimize your workspace distraction triggers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      You\u2019re just getting started on an important task when an email pops into your inbox. You\u2019re almost done replying when a co-worker asks you a question. You answer, then swing over to a social media feed for a quick news check before the report on your desk snags your eye \u2014 right, you need to respond to that by Friday. Then, before you know it, an hour is gone, and you\u2019re still pecking away at that important thing you wanted to finish by now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While you can\u2019t eliminate every potential distraction and interruption \u2014 managers often need to be responsive throughout the day \u2014 you can take steps to minimize the things that tend to derail you when you\u2019re trying to get things done. Consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Reducing real-time notifications, like texts, group chat, email, or social media either by turning them off completely (if you can) or for a short period while you\u2019re trying to focus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Quitting software applications you\u2019re not using.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Closing extra web browser tabs (or saving them to return to later).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Putting your phone in a drawer \u2014 for some, the mere sight of their phone is enough to draw their attention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Clearing your workspace of excess papers and knickknacks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Using headphones to reduce ambient noise distractions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Note: If you go offline or away from your workplace for a period of uninterrupted work, let your team and other relevant colleagues know that you\u2019ll be unavailable and when you expect to return and respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        3. Choose one task at a time to work on.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Are you still heroically trying to multitask? You\u2019re probably not as good at multitasking as you think you are, and it\u2019s hurting your productivity. When you have multiple things screaming for your attention, ironically, the best thing you can do is stop work altogether \u2014 and take a few minutes to decide which single thing<\/em> to focus on right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        To help you determine and stay focused on that one thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Be proactive setting your top priorities.<\/strong> Each week, spend 30 minutes identifying the three to five most important things you need to get done. Each day, schedule your most important tasks and do your best to stick to the schedule.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • When a new task inevitably pops up, determine whether to let it interrupt you.<\/strong> Is it more important or urgent than your top priorities? If so, stop what you were doing and shift your focus. If not, don\u2019t try to multitask \u2014 instead, write it down so that you can put it out of your mind for now.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Batch small tasks in 30-minute blocks at the end of your day or between meetings.<\/strong> This way, you can tackle the little five-minute requests all at once, rather than letting them slice up your attention when you\u2019re trying to do something more important.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          4. Set up a system of time goals and rewards to build your ability to focus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Instead of beating yourself up when you can\u2019t concentrate, give yourself a small, doable time goal \u2014 then a reward for making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Select an achievable time duration, whether that\u2019s five minutes or 30. Set a timer for that duration and focus exclusively on that task. If you remember that you need to do something else during that period, write it down and get back to your selected task. When the alarm sounds, treat yourself \u2014 to a short walk, a snack you like, or just about anything you look forward to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You can then set the timer again (and complete as many work\/reward cycles as you like) or set the timer for a longer duration. If you\u2019re feeling momentum and motivation for the task you\u2019re working on, continue untimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          5. If you\u2019re having trouble powering through, take a real break.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          When your mind is overburdened or if you\u2019ve been working nonstop for too long, you\u2019ll be more productive if you stop for a breather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          There is such a thing as a \u201cgood\u201d break and a \u201cbad\u201d break, in terms of helping your brain recharge and refocus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Good breaks:<\/strong> Taking a walk, stretching, closing your eyes to daydream, taking a few deep breaths, chatting with colleagues about life outside of work, or anything else that you enjoy or that doesn\u2019t take much mental effort.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Bad breaks:<\/strong> Catching up on emails, reading the news, making appointments, running errands, or anything else that feels like a mental chore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Bonus: You don\u2019t need to find a \u201cnatural\u201d stopping point in order to take an effective break. Some people find that stopping in the middle of a complex task actually makes it easier to pick it back up later and see it through to the finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            6. Reduce your information intake.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            If you\u2019re the type to ping-pong between social media feeds, news stories, and industry blogs every day in the name of staying in the know, you could be overloaded with so much information that your brain is depleted by the time you ask it to focus on hard tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Consider limiting yourself: Check news or social media feeds only a certain number of times per day or week, or for a limited duration so that you don\u2019t end up mindlessly surfing. Or, unsubscribe from industry newsletters that you open and only skim but never actually get value from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            7. Acknowledge deeper issues that could be affecting your focus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Sometimes, life comes at you from all sides: You get a text that a family member is sick. Five minutes later, you learn that a project you\u2019re overseeing isn\u2019t going well. Meanwhile, you\u2019re still stewing about an earlier tense exchange you had with your boss \u2014 why don\u2019t they trust you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            If stress from a deeper issue is hurting your ability to concentrate, don\u2019t try to ignore the situation. Instead, take a few minutes to identify what\u2019s weighing on your mind. You might even make a list of all of your worries, then categorize them by what you can and can\u2019t control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            For those things you can\u2019t<\/em> control, acknowledge how you feel about them and take a few deep breaths \u2014 this won\u2019t make the problems go away, but it will help clear your head. And for the list of things you can<\/em> control, identify one proactive step you can take (e.g., call your family member, meet with stakeholders about the project difficulties, or draft thoughtful questions for your next 1-on-1 with your boss). Then schedule or immediately do that task so you can return to what you were focusing on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors. Work. Life. The news. No wonder you\u2019re having trouble concentrating. The good news is that focus can be learned and sharpened, especially if you follow these tips. What could be going on? Ways to handle it: 1. Prioritize your own physical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-26611","resources","type-resources","status-publish","hentry","type-newsletters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIt\u2019s Hard to Focus: 7 Ways to Focus | FranklinCovey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Work. Life. The news. No wonder you\u2019re having trouble concentrating. 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