Scroll on Dwayne âthe Rockâ Johnsonâs Instagram and youâll inevitably find a video of him lifting weights shouting âFOCUSâ at someone offscreen. However, it might not be as simple as that for some. If youâre one of those people, fear not. You arenât alone by any stretch of the imagination.
Obtaining focus can often feel like an uphill battle, especially in the present world. Think about the ding your phone makes when you get a text. itâs designed to acquire your immediate attention; to stop everything youâre doing and focus on this notification. With your focus dragged down to the small screen in your hand, the major social networking apps lick their proverbial lips, relishing the opportunity to consume their product and collect your data.
Thereâs a reason we all continue returning to apps like Twitter and Instagram. Theyâre designed to keep you scrolling for eternity; just when you think youâve consumed all of the dog videos and psychology threads that have ever existed, bam, a new hashtag pops up. It can feel never ending.
In fact, keeping your focus on one, important task is somewhat of a valuable skill in todayâs society. In an era where distraction is easier to find than focus, learning how to remove the struggle can be vital in pushing the envelope of what you can achieve. Through understanding how your brain reacts to productivity and implementing the tips in this article, focus will move into, well, focus.
After all, it shouldnât be a struggle in the first place.
Eliminating Distractions
As this article has already touched on, distractions are focusâ worst enemy. You cannot hope to have any kind of sustained focus if you succumb to distractions too easily. The thing is, you donât always know what or when a distraction pops up. The solution is to eliminate the potential for this to happen before it begins.
Itâs simple, really. If you find your phoneâs notifications are offputting, tailor a focus mode specific to you. For example, iPhones allow you to select who and what you wish to receive notifications from, eliminating needless distractions from apps that have no right in acquiring your attention.
Failing that, remove your phone from sight altogether. The mere allure of your phone is often enough to pull focus from something else. Simply putting it in a drawer or another room makes it more difficult to be distracted because youâre removing the ease having your phone by you provides.
While your phone is perhaps the most obvious and frequent source of distraction, itâs not the only one. Emails, dogs barking, nearby traffic – just about any external noise can hog the limelight and pull you from a focus state. Then thereâs situational distraction, where it may prove difficult for people working from home, for example, to maintain focus. The cure, it seems, lies in the environment you create.
If background noise is offputting, work in a library or put some noise-cancelling headphones on. If youâre at home and canât focus on the task at hand, try and complete it elsewhere, such as a communal workspace.
Youâll likely have systems that work best for you. One constant among everyone reading this article, however, is to understand that distractions are focusâ number one enemy. Find out how to stop them from starting will go a huge distance in helping remove focus struggles.
Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals
At the start of any new year, people will naturally think about what theyâd like to do differently. New goals – or resolutions – are set with the hopes of maintaining every single one. In this day and age, merely setting goals isnât effective enough. Big, overarching goals are great, but because theyâre so large, they often appear unattainable.
To remove the struggles of focus, set S.M.A.R.T goals. Hereâs what it all means, as explained by Smart Sheet:
Specific
When setting a goal, itâs important to remember what youâre trying to accomplish because otherwise it can feel open-ended. You can do this by asking the âWâ questions:
Who: Some goals require other peopleâs involvement, so knowing who that is will prove vital.
What: Detail the task at hand so you know what it takes to achieve.
When: Itâs difficult to know when youâll realise a goal, and while it can feel pressurised, setting one helps visualise your timeline.
Where: Might not always be relevant, but placing yourself can be helpful for setting personal goals.
Which: Here, define any hurdles youâll have to overcome to reach your set goal.
Why: Perhaps the most vital question of all, knowing why youâre working towards a goal is critical for steering yourself in the right direction.
Measurable
Goals, especially long-term ones, can feel purposeful to begin with but difficult to track. The further along you get on your journey, the greater the risk of losing your way. Thatâs why itâs important to figure out a means of measuring your progress. For example, milestones such as earning your first ÂŁ1000 or running a 6-minute mile are a good way of measuring your current and projected success.
Achievable
Sometimes itâs great to let your mind wander. Youâve likely daydreamt about an outlandish situation that doesnât seem attainable, but that doesnât make it any less exciting to think about. With this element of S.M.A.R.T goals, youâre looking at how critical a goal is to you and whether or not it is attainable.
This requires honesty and acceptance. To reach a goal, you must have the means – the tools and skills required to put yourself in the best possible position. Otherwise, youâre heading for disappointment and a loss of motivation.
Relevant
Everything should be in line with the goal youâve set. Subsequent decisions must be in line with that otherwise you are potentially creating more issues for yourself.
Time-Bound
While it can feel like a lot of pressure to set yourself a timeframe, itâs important to be realistic with your timing. A target date with questions throughout that time period asking what you can accomplish helps create a sense of urgency and understanding of where you are.
Focusing on Similar Tasks
In Cal Newportâs Deep Work, the importance of staying on track is emphasised throughout. For example, letâs say youâre trying to write an email. You think itâs not that big a task, so you keep some other tabs open in your brain and work on something else in the background: Buying Christmas presents, perhaps. While you may feel in control, thereâs a limit.
The thing is, human brains do not multitask well. Instead, your mind is simply jumping to and from tasks. Given you canât give full attention to one, youâre splitting your time and not performing to the best of your ability.
Newport suggests sticking with a task until itâs end as itâs more efficient to focus on one thing over multiple. If there are lots of different tasks, make sure theyâre similar to what youâre doing originally, as it keeps your brain in line. For example, if your main target for a day is to write an article, then other tasks such as reading and listening to calm music can help put you in the best possible position to maintain focus for longer.
Keeping Focus Doesnât Need to Be a Struggle
This article is designed for one thing – helping you see the difficulties that can arise when trying to focus neednât be feared. All it takes is an understanding of your shortcomings. Once thatâs acquired, you can figure out the right path for you.
Adopting certain habits can significantly enhance your ability to concentrate. Learn more about cultivating effective habits in our Habits and Behavior Guide.
If you lost focus during this article, donât worry. Hereâs a brief recap on how to remove the struggle of focus:
- Eliminating distractions. Putting barriers up between you and any distraction – whether that be a dog barking in the distance or your phoneâs notifications – puts focus first and, most importantly, places you in charge.
- S.M.A.R.T goals. It can be difficult to maintain focus if you donât know what youâre focusing on. S.M.A.R.T goals are a useful way of visualizing your path to goal accomplishment as they require detail.
- Focusing on similar tasks. While it may feel productive to tick off as many items off your to-do list as possible, itâs much better to do one thing well over six half-baked tasks. Put your brain in the right mindset instead of flitting from headspace to headspace.
So, there you have it. If youâve managed to maintain focus throughout this article, thank you and well done. If you struggled, perhaps this very list will help you out.
