Ask yourself this question: What have you been focusing on lately? Where your attention goes energy flows, and because of this focus can be considered a superpower.
You will have a HUGE advantage over any competition in your life when If you learn how to focus. When you avoid distractions, you’ll find there isn’t really as much competition as you originally thought. When you focus you will get far more done in far less time.
Try these techniques to strengthen your focus:
1. Work at the optimal time. We all have a time of day that we’re best at focusing on. For most people, it’s either early in the day or later at night that our ability to focus is at its highest. Whenever possible, schedule those activities that require great focus during those times. Save easier tasks for other times of the day.
2. Remove distractions. One way to be less distracted is to have fewer distractions. Consider what you’re commonly distracted by and do what you can to eliminate those distractions from your environment. you can’t be distracted by your phone if it’s turned off and in the other room. When going into focus mode, find a distraction-free space, free of phones, TV, etc. If you’re distracted by a noisy environment, use noise-canceling headphones while you work.
3. Set your intention. Decide what you’re going to accomplish before you begin a task. How long are you going to work on it? What is the endpoint? Is it completion or a specific amount of time? Decide that you’re going to focus on this task until that endpoint is reached.
4. Use a timer. A timer is an easy way to magnify your focus and avoid being distracted. Set the timer for the appropriate amount of time and see how much you can get done in that time. Commit to working non-stop until your time elapses.
My favorite timer app is called Forest. Forest allows you to plant virtual trees from a time frame that can span anywhere from 10 to 120 minutes. During the time you choose the tree that you have planted will grow from a seed to a fully grown tree. My favorite part about this app is that if you leave the app before the tree is fully grown, your tree will die and the timer stops counting your focused time. The More trees you plant the bigger your forest grows. It's really cool to see the forest's growth, as it represents the amount of time you have invested towards a goal.
5. Make Focusing a daily habit. The way to avoid being distracted is to be good at focusing. As humans, we do our best work when we focus on one thing at a time. Instead of multitasking in everything that you do choose to focus completely on what you’re doing. (for example eating, watching tv, sending a text message.) Focus is a skill that grows with practice.
6. Take breaks. No one can focus intently for hours and hours without a break. Experiment and see how often you need to take a break and how long your breaks need to be to feel recharged. 7. Get sufficient sleep. You can’t focus well if you’re not getting enough sleep. Your brain just doesn’t work very well without the rest it requires. How much sleep you need will vary from person to person.
It would be awesome to be able to fly or to walk through walls, but that’s not going to happen. The ability to focus is incredibly powerful and a skill you can actively develop. When you can do more, at a higher level, in less time, the competition in your life evaporates. You become your own competition. Avoid distraction and become the creator you were put on this earth to be!
