4 Stupidly Simple Things You Can Do To Be More Focused (SIMPLY POWERFUL)

4 Stupidly Simple Things You Can Do To Be More Focused (SIMPLY POWERFUL)

So obvious that we ignore it most times

Yesterday, I was writing the lite paper for my company.

Even with all the research and data right in front of me, I couldn’t manage to focus.

I was finely caffeinated and well fed with 8 hours of beauty sleep, yet I couldn’t make any progress.

The reason I couldn’t concentrate was so stupid that it made me question my intellect.

Today, I am sharing the list of stupidly simple things we can do to focus more.

Read also: 6 hard skills that will payoff forever

#1. Open a New Tab For Every task

21 tabs were open on the window I was trying to work.

Yes, you heard it right — 21 tabs.

Seeing so many tabs overwhelmed me. They freaked me out. I spent minutes finding the Google Doc tab I was working on.

The series of colorful favicons enticed me to click on them. They reminded me of all the unfinished businesses I had left on each one. More tabs mean more clutter.

More tabs mean more clutter.

They made me lose track of time, and I forgot what I was trying to write on my lite paper.

I opened a new window with only two spread-out tabs — Gmail and Google Doc

This simple exercise made me forget about 20 other tabs and be focused on the one I was working because of no distractions; I got more done in 10 minutes than in the 40 minutes I spent jumping from one tab to another

Next time you’re distracted, maybe open a new browsing window.

#2. Keep Your Phone in a Different Room

This one piece of advice can be found in every productivity article written in the digital age. Yet none of us take it seriously.

According to RescueTime, we spend 3 hours 15 minutes on our phones on average. The top 20% use over 4 hours and 30 minutes. We check our phones around 58 times every day.

We check our phones around 58 times every day.

When are we working if we’re checking our phones 58 times a day?

How are we supposed to focus on work? How will you get into a flow state?

Even with my notifications turned off, I get distracted by messages, Amazon deliveries, and random calls from my bank.

Our phones have become the biggest distraction. Keeping them away when working can keep us focused.

Keeping my phone in my bedroom stops me from fidgeting or scrolling through Twitter 20 times a day.

Simple but a gamer changer to stay focused.

Avoid distractions by keeping your phones away when working.

#3. Do One Thing But Do It Right

My unproductivity made me study my behavior.

While working on the lite paper, I was also trying to build a community roadmap. Both the tabs were open, and both were getting updated simultaneously.

I realized how I wanted to finish two tasks at once.

My brain couldn’t focus on one; forget about focusing on both.

I was trying to ride two boats simultaneously and failed terribly.

Realizing I am not Dr. Strange, I decided to let go of my desire to act like a superhero and let go of my toxic productivity.

I closed all the tabs and focused on finishing the lite paper before jumping on another task.

Being laser focused on one thing is the only way to get it done.

Read also: Re-engineer yourself to thrive not survive

#4. Putting a Timer to Avoid Overthinking

Our mind is a trash can.

There’s so much happening in our minds every minute and every second.

People who meditate have some hours and minutes where their minds are resting. But for the rest — it’s a constant spiraling into overthinking black holes.

Most of these thoughts are repetitive. They come back to us again and over again.

I started writing to close my mental threads when I got fed up with having the same thoughts.

To trick my brain into working, I started using Clockify. That created an urgency and made me more focused.

Putting a timer challenged me to finish what I started and finish it before the time ran out.

The timer made it easier to commit to a single task and didn’t let my focus and attention to dwindle.

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”

Bruce Lee was bang on about successful warriors being laser focused. It applies to corporate warriors and creative warriors too!

These four simple hacks have made me more focused and productive while working from home. I hope they do the same for you.

Here’s a quick summary

Open only tabs that you’re working on. More tabs mean more clutter.

Avoid distractions by keeping your phones away when working.

Being laser-focused on one thing is the only way to get it done.

Put a timer to challenge yourself to finish a task in a given period.

CONTRIBUTED BY Shreya Badonia

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