May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and has been since 1949! Who knew?
We've all got a lot going on, and we could use a break, Especially from the nonstop distractions.
The thing is, some of the distractions are real, and some we create. We've trained our brains to think that boredom and being still are bad. But that's so far from the truth. In those moments when screens don't overstimulate us, we give ourselves the opportunity to create real solutions.
This hit me pretty hard last Sunday, as I was in the office working for probably the fourth weekend in a row. I was feeling the burnout creeping in, so I shared this message on LinkedIn.
It's been a better week, and I wanted to share some of what I've learned as I reclaimed my focus.
Reclaiming Your Focus
In our "always on" world, distractions are just a notification away. Maintaining focus can feel like a foreign concept. Constant interruptions from technology, the demands of work, and the expectations of having a life can have us feeling busy yet worthless. Or maybe it's just me?
Reclaiming our focus is necessary to get big things done and feel good about ourselves, which helps us get more big things done! Hopefully, the ideas below can help you cut through the noise and regain your ability to concentrate. They have for me.
0. An Early Morning Free For All
Before I start my day, I let my brain bounce around for about 30 minutes. Whatever is top of mind, I do it. Whether it's replying to an email, watching a Ted Talk, recording a video, or sending love notes to people I care about. Whatever pops into my consciousness, I ride the wave. While it may seem counterintuitive, I can struggle to get through 30 minutes of not working. Telling my brain it can't focus yet appears to confuse the hell out of it.
1. Simplify Daily Priorities
Understanding what truly matters to you is the first step in reclaiming your focus. Identify your top priorities: professional goals, personal growth, or family time. Then, remove the others from whatever you use to track your to-dos. Once set, you can structure your day around these activities, ensuring that less significant needs do not sideline your most essential tasks.
2. Create a "More" Distraction-Free Environment
Your environment can significantly impact your ability to focus, so try removing unnecessary distractions. This might mean decluttering your desk, using noise-canceling headphones to block background noise, or setting boundaries with your team to ensure uninterrupted work time. Similarly, consider digital decluttering by turning off l notifications and actually scheduling time to be distracted with social media later in the day.
3. Practice Time Blocking
Time blocking is where you divide your day into blocks of time, each dedicated to a specific task or group of functions. This technique helps you manage your time effectively and trains your brain to focus during those periods, knowing there is a designated time for distractions later. Yep, schedule your distractions. For example, I now set aside the first two hours of my day for deep work tasks when my energy is at its peak and an hour to surf LinkedIn at the end of the day when I'm wiped out.
4. Take Regular Breaks
Hilariously, one of the best ways to improve focus is to take breaks. Short breaks throughout the day can prevent burnout, reduce mental fatigue, and maintain high-performance levels. Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, where you work for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break, can help maintain a rhythm that refreshes your mind. Personally, I like to look for 90-minute windows followed by a 30-minute break.
5. Call It When You Can't
Knowing when to call it is a change that's made the most significant difference for me. It may be 2 pm, and I can't focus. So... I stop trying. Yelling at my brain to do stuff is never going to work. But sometimes, a magical thing happens when I say ok, that's enough. I'm suddenly able to focus on work again. Like I mentioned earlier, as soon as I tell my brain we aren't going to do something, it suddenly wants to. Silliness!
I wish you all the best in finding your focus. We're all different, and what works for me may not work for you. By the same token, you probably have some cool things you do that I wouldn't think of. So spill the beans! How do you get in a productivity zone?