I am someone who often finds themselves without focus, especially when it comes to my work. Why? I think there’s a couple of reasons. The first reason is that I have to juggle a lot of projects, and meet demands, so I can be easily overwhelmed. Especially if I don’t have any kind of plan in place in order to be able to manage those demands. And the second is that sometimes I can put hours into a project, and I am no farther ahead than when I started it. It makes me feel like I can’t do the job I was hired to do. And if I’m being honest, I’m pretty darn good at my job. This tends to lead me down the rabbit hole. And fast. So in this post, I am going to talk about how to find your focus, build momentum and get more done today.
- Calm Your Crazy
Do you ever look at the clock and think “how is it 3 pm already”? Where did the day go? What have you been working on? How have you not accomplished anything you set out to do today? This happens to me frequently. What have I done today, and how is it measurable? In my business, there is a lot of time spent talking to members of the public. Or other staff members. There is a huge education component for me. So sometimes that time feels like it hasn’t been spent wisely.
How do you get out of that feeling of overwhelmed? Or as I like to frame it, climbing out of the rabbit hole. You need to have systems in place that help you get your work done. But not just get your work done. Get it done in a creative and productive way that allows for growth. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the way to do this is simple. Slow down, take some time, socialize with coworkers, laugh at jokes. Get out of the mindset that you are on a schedule or have all these tasks you have to get done, and take some time to be grateful.
Laughter increases your levels of happiness and reduces your stress. Expressing gratitude makes you happier. It improves your mood and boosts your health. I mean, we should all be doing these things every day. While I’m not saying stop what you’re doing and go find someone to joke around with. Take that into consideration throughout your day. Make it work for you in a way that promotes growth.
2. Tame Your Distractions
I have noticed lately that if I need to get something done, I need to have my office door closed. Which makes me look like I’m not a team player, or that my work is far more important than anyone else’s. Which isn’t true. It’s just that I am easily distracted. I also have a ton of meetings throughout the day, which take me away from my actual work. Yes, I’m getting work done, but not in a productive way.
So what do you do if there are too many distractions in your day? According to a study by Info Science, you can minimize distractions by going outside and getting some sunlight. What this does is it gives you the ability to regain clarity around your specific task. Is this something that you think will work? I’m not necessarily convinced based on the information, but I will give it a try to see if it works. Anything to help get me through the day!
3. Expand Your Mind
Lastly, you really just need to find focus. Have you ever rushed from meeting to meeting, and realized that you’re not really in it? You have no real clue why you’re in that meeting, or what you need to accomplish because you’re so focused on other things. And by then, your day is over and you have nothing to show for it.
It is said that learning rewires your brain, which allows you to better process and focus on the work at hand. What you need to do is to get some education into your morning. I’m not suggesting that you take a course, but perhaps listen to an audiobook, or an educational podcast to get your morning started. This will also help set the tone for the day.
This morning, I listened to an educational podcast, and honestly I do feel a bit better about my day. I started out my day in my usual slump, but I’m not feeling as overwhelmed about all the tasks I have to complete today. And, ironically the day that I chose to write this post, is one of my busiest this week. The point is, give yourself something to focus on, but something that will also help you expand your mind.
If you’re like me, it’s easy for you to go down the rabbit hole. Whether its because you are too busy in your personal life, or your boss is piling more work onto your plate. It’s easy to get bogged down by all the tasks and the background noise. Whatever your goal is, these three steps will help you to become a more productive person. Hopefully these strategies will also bring some sanity to your life. And prevent you from doing a deep dive into the rabbit hole. Let me know if any of these worked for you.