Remember that time when you were so absorbed in a project that the rest of the world just melted away? Hours could have passed, but it felt like minutes. You were in the zone, totally focused, and the work just seemed to flow effortlessly. That amazing feeling is called a "flow state", and sadly, it's way too rare for most of us. Instead, we're distracted, pulled in a million directions, and frustrated with how little we seem to get done.
But here's the good news: there are things you can do to train your focus for longer periods of time. It's a little like building muscle. You won't transform overnight; however, with a bit of practice, the time you spend in true concentration will keep increasing. Ready to get more done, feel less stressed, and discover the hidden depths of your ability? Let's dive in!
Let’s explore the 10 simple tips to increase your power of focus now.
Living in a world full of distractions makes focusing a daily challenge for many of us. Yet, the ability to focus deeply is a superpower you can learn and implement. Imagine accomplishing more with less stress, finally tackling those big projects, and feeling truly absorbed in what you're doing. It's totally possible, and with the ten tips we've explored, you're already on your way. Start building that focus muscle even more from this day forward!
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Get the proven strategies and resources you need for massive success. Subscribe to my blog now by going to https://accountabilitycoach.com/blog and start transforming your business today!
I’m the author of many books, including, Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, The Guide to Stopping Procrastination, The Power of Visualization, My Gratitude Journal, the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit, and The Roadmap To Success with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard, and more.
Aim for what you want each and every day!
Anne Bachrach
The Accountability Coach™
Unlock a blueprint to creating and having your ideal business and ideal life by scheduling your free consultation with me today!
Want more proven business success tips and resources? Subscribe to my blog by going to www.acountabilitycoach.com/blog.
Go to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com to check out for yourself how I, as your Accountability Coach™, can help you get and stay focused on you highest payoff activities that put you in the highest probability position to achieve your professional and personal goals, so you can enjoy the kind of business and life you truly want and deserve.
I’m the author of many books, including, Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, The Guide to Stopping Procrastination, The Power of Visualization, My Gratitude Journal, the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit, and The Roadmap To Success with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard, and more.
Aim for what you want each and every day!
Anne Bachrach
The Accountability Coach™
Get your daily Accountability Minute shot of a single, simple, doable idea, so you can start your day off on the "right foot". You can find The Accountability Minute on your favorite platform
(upbeat music) - Welcome to the Accountability Coach podcast. I am thrilled to have you on board with me today. We're diving into the world of proven business success principles that are really all about helping you make more money and work less. I'm on a mission to guide you towards your ideal business and your ideal life. So let's turn those goals into reality. This is Anne Bakrak. Today, we're talking about 10 simple tips to increase your power of focus. Tony Robbins said, "One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus. We never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular." Now, remember that time when you were so absorbed in a project that the rest of the world just melted away? Hours could have passed, but it felt like minutes. You were in the zone, totally focused, and the work just seemed to flow effortlessly. That amazing feeling is called a flow state, and sadly, it's way too rare for most of us. Instead, we're distracted, pulled in millions of directions and frustrated with how little we seem to get done. But here's the good news for you. There are things that you can do to train your focus for longer periods of time. It's a little like building a muscle. You won't transform overnight. However, with a bit of practice, the time you spend in true concentration will keep increasing. Ready to get more done? Feel less stressed and discover the hidden depths of your ability? All right, let's dive in. We're going to explore now those 10 simple tips to increase your power of focus. And the first one is know your enemy. In other words, the war on attention. We're fighting constant battles with lots of continual distractions every day. Between our overflowing inboxes, the constant temptation of our phones, and the never-ending news cycle, the world is practically screaming for our attention. And unfortunately, it's pretty easy for our brains to get hooked. It's the same kind of neurological craving that gets us hooked on social media or video games. The first step to winning any battle is understanding your enemy. So keep this war on attention in mind as we move through the rest of these tips. Number two, the power of single tasking. Multitasking seems like a productivity superpower, right? Wrong. Studies have repeatedly shown that our brains aren't wired to do multiple complex tasks all at once. When you try to multitask, you really switch tasking, rapidly flipping your attention back and forth. This leads to mistakes, missed details, and not being time-efficient, and an overall sense of frantic effort with less to show for it. Instead, become a single task warrior, give one task your full attention, and see how much better it feels to get even more done, and what better outcomes you get in less time. Number three, taming the time stealers. Look, sometimes you need to focus, and your phone has other ideas, right? It buzzes, dings, and generally begs you to look at it. Turn off as many notifications as possible during your dedicated focus periods of time. Better yet, put your phone in another room so you aren't tempted the same holds true for your email. Close your tabs unless they're absolutely vital to the task at hand. Did you know that one study found that people get interrupted roughly every 11 minutes, 11 minutes, and that it can take up to 25 minutes to get back into the flow of what you were doing? Those interruptions are killing your productivity. Number four, setting intentional boundaries. Sometimes the biggest distractions are the well-meaning people around you. Whether it's your staff needs answers, family members asking for help, or your assistant putting calls through to you without any questions as to why they're even calling. These distractions can fragment your focus. Don't be afraid to set boundaries. Use noise-canceling headphones as they please do not disturb sign or block off time in your calendar. Let others know when you need deep concentration. It might take some gentle training, and they'll eventually respect your focus time. These boundaries serve everyone better, and everyone will be even more efficient. Woohoo! Number five, find your flow triggers. What helps you get into that zone of peak focus anyway? Well, for some people, a little background music helps, like instrumental, not distracting lyrics is what I'm talking about here. Others might need absolute silence. Maybe it's a certain time of day when you feel most alert. Figure out when and in what environment you work best, and work to schedule your most challenging tasks for those times. Number six, prep your focus fuel. Now I sure hope you don't try to run a marathon without proper nutrition and hydration. So don't expect your brain to work at its best when fueled by junk either. Being tired, hungry, and dehydrated will sabotage your focus faster than anything else. Keep healthy snacks on hand, drink plenty of water, and take micro breaks for movement. Just even maybe a few jumping jacks or push-ups against the wall, for example, to help keep your energy levels and focus high. It might sound contourintuitive. However, those short breaks will give you more focus time and you will be even more time efficient. Number seven, the power of play. Ever noticed how focused kids can get when they're truly engrossed in playing? That same principle can work for us as adults too. Find activities that get you into a playful flow. So for example, it could be working on puzzles or crosswords. Others love to create, so whether it's doodling, playing a musical instrument, gardening, or building things. These kinds of activities train focus in a fun way, building the muscle that can also translate into work-related focus. Number eight, mindful moments. Meditation gets a lot of hype these days and I think for very good reason. Regularly taking even just a few minutes to quiet your mind and focus your breath has incredible benefits for focus and intention. Think of it like clearing the mental clutter. Giving your brain a mini reset so it can get back to a task refreshed and ready to concentrate. There are tons of great guided meditation resources online or through apps to help you with implementing this in your life. Dr. Andrew Weil advocates breath work for its profound benefits in reducing stress, enhancing mental clarity, and promoting mindfulness. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, breathing techniques like his four, seven, eight method help calm the mind, balance the nervous system, and improve focus. This allows for a mental reset, clearing cluttered thoughts, and enabling better emotional regulation. The increased oxygenation and mindfulness fostered through breath work not only enhance cognitive function, but also boost productivity and overall effectiveness in your daily tasks. Number nine, the Pomodoro Technique. Now, believe it or not, some people can work for two to four hours at a time. If the idea of sitting in focused concentration for hours sounds intimidating to you, and it can be for many people, this technique is your friend. So here's how it works. You want to set a timer for 25 minutes and work on a single task without interruptions. When the timer's up, take a five minute break. Repeat that cycle several times and with a longer break every three to four cycles. It helps to break big tasks down into smaller 25 minute chunks, and those built in breaks actually increased focus overall. Number 10, when your focus fails, forgive yourself. This is probably the most important tip. We all sometimes struggle with focus. Some days are tougher than others. Instead of berating yourself, which accomplishes absolutely nothing, practice some forgiveness. Recognize that you got distracted. Gently redirect your attention back to the task at hand, and don't waste any more time stressing about the lost focus. Remember, focus is a skill. It takes practice and patience to improve. Progress matters more than perfection, so please don't stress if you're not in a flow state all the time. Every focused minute builds strength. This is your journey, experiment with different tips to find what works best for you. Living in a world full of distractions makes focusing a daily challenge, as you well know. Yet the ability to focus deeply is a superpower you can learn and implement. Imagine accomplishing more with less stress, finally tackling those big projects and feeling truly absorbed in what you're doing. It's totally possible, and with the 10 tips I've just shared with you, you're already on your way. Start building that focus muscle even more from this day forward. Sound good to you? All right. Unlock a blueprint to creating and having your ideal business and your ideal life by scheduling a free consultation with me today. Now, after investing your very valuable time with me, I hope that you gained insights and ideas that will propel you to even greater heights in every facet of your life. I salute you for your hunger for more, your drive for wanting to be even better, and your unyielding commitment to build the business and life you envision. Please share the wisdom by passing on my Accountability Coach podcast to help ignite others, which can be found in most podcast platforms and in most English speaking countries, and subscribe to the Accountability Minute for daily guidance. Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Get the proven strategies and resources you need for massive success. Subscribe to my blog right now by going to accountabilitycoach.com/blog and start transforming your business and life today. And remember, aim for what you want each and every day. Until next time, make it a great day. Today and every day, I appreciate you listening. Oh, and if you are still listening and you're getting value from any of my podcasts, please take a minute to leave me a short rating and review. I'd really appreciate it, and of course, I always love to hear from you. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
Remember that time when you were so absorbed in a project that the rest of the world just melted away? Hours could have passed, but it felt like minutes. You were in the zone, totally focused, and the work just seemed to flow effortlessly. That amazing feeling is called a "flow state", and sadly, it's way too rare for most of us. Instead, we're distracted, pulled in a million directions, and frustrated with how little we seem to get done. But here's the good news: there are things you ca...
