How to Stay Focused
Have you ever noticed how the day before we go on vacation, we become super productive and get lots of things done? Why is that? This phenomenon is commonly known as ‘vacation syndrome’. When faced with a strong motivation, such as getting everything done so that we can relax and enjoy a long-awaited vacation, we tend to become super-focused and prioritize adequately. We identify what must be done and we stay focused on it because we must. Imagine if we were that productive every day! In this section, we give you useful tips on how to stay focused.
“You don’t get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the actions that produce results”
– Mike Hawkins
Have Well Defined Goals and Revisit Them Frequently
Set SMART goals for yourself and remind yourself of them regularly. You might do this by taping them on a mirror to read aloud to yourself every morning or setting an automated reminder to focus on your goal a couple of times a day and visualize success.
Review Your Progress Weekly
Make time at least once a week to review your progress towards your goals and your ability to stay focused. What went well this week? When did you manage to achieve a good focus? What supported you to focus? What obstacles or distractions came up and how did you overcome them?
Pay Attention to How You Spend Your Time
Become conscious of how you spend your time each day so that you can eliminate unnecessary activities and tackle distractions or procrastination. Break tasks into small bite-sized chunks and establish specific boundaries around times to work on each piece.
Cultivate Healthy Habits
You can help your brain function at its best by cultivating healthy habits. This in turn will make it easier for you to maintain focus. Below are some of the healthy habits you can practice.
- Eat healthy – enjoy a balanced diet of fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and protein.
- Exercise regularly – try to include all 3 types of exercise: stretching, aerobics and weights. Have a plan.
- Get enough sleep – 8 hours minimum is recommended by St. Mary’s Sleep Disorder Center.
- Drink plenty of water – divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water per day.
- Learn something new – find a new hobby or read a new book.
- Minimize stress – identify things that bring you energy and things that drain your energy.
- Take time to rejuvenate – rest and relax with no work or critical thinking involved. Take at least one full day off each week and don’t skip vacation.
- De-clutter your spaces – get rid of the clutter in your home, car or office. Get rid of what you don’t need – give it away or throw it away.