6 Ways To Protect Your Focus
How far you will go and how well you will do with achieving your goals this year and beyond is still largely a function of how dedicated you are to winging them. How you manage your focus plays an important role in how well you are going to execute your goal-directed tasks. Once that focus has been established, you have to be committed to protecting your focus and it starts with curbing your self-generated distractions.
Manage your Energy: Managing your energy is crucial for maintaining focus. A well-regulated energy system is the key to sustaining your focus. Distractions tend to creep in when we are hungry, over-fed, or tired. Both overeating and hunger can disrupt our blood sugar levels, impacting our ability to concentrate. To ensure a steady focus, opt for foods that promote a slow and consistent release of glucose, preventing sudden spikes and crashes in energy levels.
Avoid invented problems: There’s nothing more distracting and challenging than creating a problem that doesn’t actually exist. The issue with invented problems is that they’re not tangible, making it difficult to identify where to begin solving them. If a problem seems pervasive and no solution appears adequate, it’s likely an invented problem rather than a real one. It’s important to recognize that invented problems are akin to chasing one’s own tail!
Don’t Exaggerate: Learning to accurately assess situations is crucial when striving to maintain focus on important tasks. Avoid amplifying the significance of common occurrences and promptly eliminate any obvious distractions. Remember that common issues can be addressed using common approaches.
Pass the buck: Sometimes, it is truly beyond your capabilities because, as humans, our resources are finite. When faced with such a situation, confidently delegate the task or responsibility and focus on other priorities. Unless your aim is to master that challenge, it’s best not to grapple with it. You can always revisit the challenge at a later time. To ensure that you do, jot it down on a piece of paper and place it where it’s visible after you’ve completed your current task.
Gut busyness: Engaging in busyness is like putting on a show, stealing away our ability to work with focus, purpose, and diligence. Walk with such assurance that there’s no need for a facade of busyness. By giving in to busyness, we not only distract ourselves but also those around us, operating at our lowest and least mentally productive level. If you want to be more productive, slow down. Take it slow, all the way.
Practice thought discipline: Master the art of distracting yourself before any external factor has the chance to intervene. This can be achieved by gaining control over your thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are the precursors to actions, and when accompanied by emotions, they can drive us into motion. Thought discipline entails the deliberate act of dismissing thoughts that do not align with our current objectives. In the event that a thought holds significance, schedule a reminder on your phone to revisit it once your current task is complete.
In conclusion, focus is an essential capital for achieving success and you owe yourself the responsibility of building and protecting that focus especially from your defaults and self-generated distractions. Let’s go make the day count!
