There are many distractions in our world that can easily prevent us from staying on task. With the ability to watch a cat video, text a friend, or read that breaking news article all at the tip of our fingers, it is no wonder many of us struggle with staying focused. Sometimes our concentration levels are not just impacted by our phones, but also a lack of sleep, stress, or our minds just struggle paying attention to one thing for too long. Leaders and CEOs need to stay productive because there are so many obligations they have to meet daily in the organization. Luckily, there are many tactics you can utilize to increase your focus and productivity at work.
Train your Brain to Concentrate
While increasing our focus can be done by cutting out distractions, sometimes we have to utilize daily brain training. You can play certain types of games to increase your focus, like sudoku, crossword puzzles, chess, jigsaw puzzles, word searches or scrambles, and memory games. Healthline states, “spending 15 minutes a day, five days a week, on brain training activities can have a big impact on concentration.” We understand the importance of training our muscles to grow stronger, so why not train your brain as well?
Set your Focus at Work
When we try to focus our brains, sometimes an easy way to give our mind a direction is to set out the tasks you want to accomplish. Many people utilize to-do lists to avoid procrastinating during their day. While to-do lists are beneficial to ensure we do not procrastinate, our brains can also benefit from a little extra help. One way to set your focus is to write down what you want to accomplish in the hour. This gives you a precise amount of time to stay focused on the tasks at hand and keep you motivated to keep going. With the added state of urgency to get it done within an hour, you can either treat yourself with a break if you have spare time or start on your next task.
Another way to get focused when you just can’t seem to put down the phone is to start with your two-minute tasks. These tasks typically look like sending an email, doing a phone call, or organizing a stack of papers on your desk. If you accomplish these two-minute tasks, you refocus your brain to feel motivated and want to keep tackling more significant projects.
Everyone can struggle with staying focused at times. There are so many distractions, and it can be okay to give into them every once in a while, but maintaining our focus is a great way to accomplish projects we are proud of. So pick up some jigsaw puzzles and a sudoku book and start prioritizing your tasks every hour to retrain your brain to focus on your work.