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How To Keep Your Focus - Staying On Task

There are times when you're carrying out a task and for some reason even though your mind is on the task you keep making error after error after error.

If this describes you there are some key things you might wish to consider:

- Did you get enough sleep the night before?

Sometimes fatigue can affect how your mind works. things you normally wouldn't think twice about can take you a lot longer to deal with.

- Do you have something on your mind?

Sometimes when you have something on your mind which is more pressing you may have difficulty focusing on the task at hand. So if you find your mind wandering and you're finding it a challenge to stay on track, take notice of what is coming up for you.

It could be that there is something else you need to be prioritising. If it is something that is stopping you from dealing effectively with the task at hand, stop what you are doing and spend some time with the issue that's plaguing you.

It might be there's an urgent call you need to make or an email you need to send. It could just be you need to schedule some time in to deal with the issue. Once you've dealt with the immediacy of what's on your mind you can put it aside and go back to your original task.

- How's your diet?

There's a saying 'you are what you eat'. It means that what you put in your body has a direct ink with how you perform. There's another saying 'garbage in garbage out'. So if you are eating foods on a regular basis that are low on nutrients your performance will suffer and your concentration will lapse.

So check your diet and ensure you're getting your fair share of vegetables and fruit. If this is not your thing, there are a number of fresh fruit and vegetable juices on the market you can use as substitutes.

In addition try supplementing your diet with a good quality nutritional product such as a tablet or juice. These give your body the necessary enzymes it needs for optimal performance.

- Are you drinking enough water?

If you're not drinking enough water, this can affect how you function because of dehydration. One of the effects of dehydration is that your mind is not as focused as it could be and your ability to work things out in your mind could be impaired.

So if you find you can't focus on what you're doing, try drinking half a pint to a pint (between one quarter and half a litre) of water fairly quickly. This may take some getting used to and when you do it initially you may find the water just goes straight through you! This should, with time and persistence, pass, and you'll find the water being absorbed by the body.

Drinking a large glass of water when you're sluggish has the effect of perking you up and making you feel a lot more energised.

- Do you need a break?

It is said that we generally work best in shorter bursts of up to one or one-and-a-half hours. After this time our concentration gradually begins to wane. Children have an even shorter attention span.

So when you're taking on a particular task, try taking regular breaks every hour or so for about 5-10 minutes, in order for you to remain fresh.

If you're finding your focus drifting, check when the last time was that you had a break. If you need one take a short 10-15 minute break to include you stretching your legs outside in the fresh air, then come back to your task. You'll not only feel fresher, but you're more likely to carry out your ask much more effectively

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