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The term Focus is a highly talked about subject in today’s noisy world. It is a lot like a mental muscle. The more we work on building it up, the stronger it gets. Improving our mental focus is achievable, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always quick and easy. If it was simple, then we would all have the razor-sharp concentration. It requires some real effort on our part and we may have to make some major changes in our lifestyle.
Needless to say that being mentally focused is essential for success. The ability to concentrate on something in our environment is critical for learning new things, achieving goals, and performing well across a wide variety of situations. Our ability to focus can take us to the real meaning and difference between success and failure.
Here are some tips that can help learn how to focus and develop laser-like mental focus:
- Evaluate
Before we start working toward learning how to focus, we might want to begin by assessing just how strong our mental focus is at the present moment.
My Focus Is Good If…
- I find it easy to stay alert,
- I set goals and break tasks up into smaller parts,
- I take short breaks, then get back to work.
My Focus Needs Work If…
- I daydream regularly,
- I can’t tune out distractions,
- I lose track of progress.
If the first set of statements seems more appealing, then we probably already have fairly good concentration skills, but we could be even stronger with a little practice.
If we identify more with the second set of statements, then we probably need to work on our mental focus quite a bit. It might take some time, but practicing some good habits and being mindful of our distractibility can help.
- Eliminate
While it may sound obvious, people often underestimate just how many distractions prevent them from focusing on the tasks at hand. Such intrusions might come in the form of an open office landscape or perhaps an obnoxious co-worker who constantly drops by your workstation to seek some help.
One way to deal with this is to set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for that period of time. Another alternative is to seek out a calm location where you know you will be able to work undisturbed. The library, a private meeting or thinking room at the office, or even a quiet coffee shop might all be good spots to try.
- Limit
While multitasking may seem like a great way to get a lot done quickly, it turns out that people are actually rather bad at it. Juggling multiple tasks at once can dramatically cut down on productivity and make it much harder to hone in on the details that are truly important. Attentional resources are limited so it is important to budget them wisely.
Let’s think of our attention as a spotlight. If we shine that spotlight on one particular area, we can see things very clearly. If we were to try to spread that same amount of light across a large dark room, we might instead only glimpse the shadowy outlines. Part of knowing how to focus is making the most of the resources you have available. Stop multitasking and instead give your full attention to one thing at a time.
- Live
It’s tough to stay mentally focused when we are ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, or tuned out of the present moment for some other reason. We have probably heard people talk about the importance of being present. It’s all about putting away worries of the past, whether they are physical) or psychological and being fully mentally engaged in the current moment.
This notion of being present is also essential for recapturing our mental focus. Staying engaged in the here and now keeps our attention sharp and our mental resources honed in on the details that really matter at a specific point in time. It may take some time but let’s work on learning to truly live in the moment. We cannot change the past and the future has not happened yet, but what we do today can help us avoid repeating past mistakes and pave a path for a more successful future.
- Connect
Meditation or Mindfulness are quite popular topics these days, and for the right reasons. Despite the fact that people have practiced various forms of mindfulness meditation for thousands of years, its many health benefits are only recently starting to be understood. Practicing meditation has been a key element in improving our ability to sustain attention and decrease external and internal distractions.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School found that a meditation program led to changes in brain regions involving learning and working memory capacity. This is important as working memory is crucial for reasoning and guiding our decisions and behavior, especially in the workplace. In fact, those who worked in high-stress work environments and practiced meditation could stay on a task longer, manage their time better, and receive positive feedback after a task performance.
Conclusion
To sum it up, learning how to improve focus is not something that we can achieve overnight. Professional athletes like golfers, sprinters, and gymnasts take years to practice (and usually have a coach) so that they can concentrate and get the right move at the right moment to achieve excellence.
Similarly, learning how to focus at work is essential for succeeding in our careers and life. By improving our focus, we will find that we can accomplish more of what we value and feel better doing it. It’s not just about accomplishing tasks but about making time for joy and happiness so that we can achieve a meaningful and satisfying life.
