4 Useful Ways to Stay Focused

Staying focused at work can be difficult if you have a constant stream of phone calls, emails, clients and employees demanding your attention. With a few simple techniques, it is possible to improve your focus which leads to better all-round productivity. Here are four ways to stay focused and harness your determination:

Do the difficult things first

Start the working day by completing the most difficult tasks. Any work that is seen as difficult will not get easier as the day goes on and you will only be wasting energy the more you fret about something. It is best to get the hardest jobs out-of-the-way while you still have the energy and the mind is fresh.

Studies have shown the mind is a lot sharper early in the day and that is the perfect time to tackle the most complex and time-consuming jobs. Once the difficult work is complete, the rest of the day is free to finish the more routine assignments that do not demand as much energy, ability or mental strain.

Eliminate time wasters and distractions

A real emergency can happen at anytime and must be dealt with straightaway. But, most situations that interrupt the workday aren't emergencies; there are many time-wasting, trivial matters that do not need your attention right away. In many cases, these situations will likely to resolve themselves over time. If you stop working to keep responding to minor requests, you will certainly find yourself receiving a lot more. However, if you ignore the minor distractions, you will show you are a focused, strong-willed person who is busy.

Keep up your energy

A regular break throughout the working day is a great way to regenerate the mind and body. If it feels like your energy is starting to fade, take a short break and complete a few stretches, go for a run, or take a brisk walk. Even after a short break from your workstation, you will have a sharper mental focus and renewed vigor.

Also, eating small snacks of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables throughout the day is a lot better than eating a large meal at lunchtime. Additionally, drinking plenty of water will further help to keep the mind fresh and able to concentrate on the task at hand.

Keep your ultimate goals in mind

Create a useful reminder like a mind movie or a vision board to help stay in touch with your ultimate goals. If you have something to aim for, you will stay focused and work more effectively to achieve what you really want in life.

https://ezinearticles.com/?4-Useful-Ways-to-Stay-Focused&id=9865171

John C. Maxwell: It Only Takes 6 Steps to Change Your Life

Don’t get stuck in the same old average routine. Here’s how to start the domino effect of change 

Hope is the foundational principle for all change. People change because they have hope, and if people do not have hope, they will not change. You are responsible for the changes that you make in your life.

The good news? You can change your life if you really want to. You can improve it, make it better. And it all starts with changing the way you think. So are you ready? I am going to walk you through a six-step plan for achieving positive change.

Here’s how you give yourself a little hope:

Step 1: When you change your thinking, you change your beliefs.

Change begins with the mind. Beliefs are nothing more than a byproduct of what you have thought about long enough, something that you have bought into—always remember that. What you believe, what you think, is just a collection of continual thoughts that have formed themselves into a conviction. When you break down the process of thinking into a manageable number of steps, you reduce the perceived risk associated with change.

Step 2: When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations.

Belief is the knowledge that we can do something. It is the inner feeling that what we undertake, we can accomplish. For the most part, all of us have the ability to look at something and know whether we can do it. So in belief there is power… our eyes are opened, our opportunities become plain, our visions become realities. Our beliefs control everything we do. If we believe we can or we believe we cannot, we are correct.

Step 3: When you change your expectations, you change your attitude.

Your expectations are going to determine your attitude. Most people get used to average; they get used to second best. Nelson Boswell said, “The first and most important step toward success is the expectation that we can succeed.”

Step 4: When you change your attitude, you change your behavior.

When our attitude begins to change, when we become involved with something, our behavior begins to change. The reason that we have to make personal changes is that we cannot take our people on a trip that we have not made.

Step 5: When you change your behavior, you change your performance.

Most people would rather live with old problems than new solutions. We would rather be comfortable than correct; we would rather stay in a routine than make changes. Even when we know that the changes are going to be better for us, we often don’t make them because we feel uncomfortable or awkward about making that kind of a change. Until we get courage and get used to living with something that is not comfortable, we cannot get any better.

Step 6: When you change your performance, you change your life.

It is easier to turn failure into success than an excuse into a possibility. A person can fail, turn around and understand their failure to make it a success. But I want to tell you, a person who makes excuses for everything will never truly succeed. Don’t you know some people who just have an excuse for everything? Why they could not, should not, did not, would not, have not, will not. I promise you, when you excuse what you are doing and excuse where you are, and you allow the exceptions, you fail to reach your potential. It is impossible to turn excuses into possibilities.

http://www.success.com/article/john-c-maxwell-it-only-takes-6-steps-to-change-your-life

6 Ways to Improve Your Focus

Having the inability to focus can be very damaging to your career and personal life, regardless of whether you’re easily destructible on a daily basis or simply have too much on your plate right now to be able to concentrate on an important project. The good news is that you do not need to allow a lack of focus to derail your next important discussion or presentation. Instead, there are numerous steps that you can take to help you concentrate on the task at hand.

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6 Ways to Improve Your Focus

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1. Take Nootropics 

If you stay abreast of current news and events, you have most likely heard of nootropics. These supplements are also commonly referred to as smart drugs, and they contain properties that are frequently found to provide a boost for a variety of cognitive functions. Although each nootropic may be beneficial, the supplements that are typically associated with offering a focus boost include Alpha GPC, L-Theanine, and Oxiracetam. As an added bonus, each of these nootropics has the potential to provide additional benefits as well. For example, one study indicated that Oxiracetam usage may lead to memory and learning improvements.

2. Get Enough Sleep

Some people look at sleep as a waste of time, but this could not possibly be further from the truth. In fact, if you do not regularly get the minimum recommended amount of sleep every night, you will end up developing concentration issues. To make matters even worse, a lack of sleep can eventually lead to serious medical problems. Adults who fail to get seven to nine hours of sleep will have a more difficult time learning tasks and retaining new information than those who do get seven to nine hours of sleep. 

3. Embrace your computer free time

Most of our lives revolve around computers and smartphones, which means: you need to take intentional breaks on a daily basis. A study conducted in 2012 found that avoiding computers for one hour at the start and end of the day can make it easier to focus throughout the rest of your waking hours. If possible, reserve that last hour for unwinding so that it will be easier for you to fall asleep. 

4. Prioritize every task

It is easier to tackle big tasks earlier in the day, so consider prioritizing your day accordingly. If you have one large project, and two smaller ones that you need to work on tomorrow, work on the the large project first and save the other two projects for the second half of the day. This will not only increase your ability to focus on each task, but it will also make the end of your day less stressful.

5. Exercise frequently

Working out at least three times per week will make you physically healthier, and it has also been shown to give you a cognitive boost. The reality is that stress is one of the main factors that makes it difficult to concentrate, but something as simple as walking for 20 minutes will reduce the amount of stress hormones that are in your body. As an added bonus, exercising can help you regulate your sleep cycles.

6. Utilize the Pomodoro Technique

Do you find your mind wandering frequently while you are trying to finish an important task? If so, you may be able to use the Pomodoro Technique to train your brain to stay on task. In a nutshell, this technique involves working for 25 minutes and then rewarding yourself with a five minute break. If you were to do this throughout an eight hour workday, you would end up actively working for six hours and 40 minutes. This might seem like a reduction in time, but odds are you aren't currently focusing intently on anything work related for that long of a time period on a daily basis anyway. Even if you currently stay at your desk for eight hours straight, the Pomodoro Technique should enable you to produce higher quality work while honoring your need for short mental breaks.

Ultimately, the best way to improve your focus is to recognize what your weaknesses are and provide yourself with the necessary tools to reach your goals. Getting enough sleep, steering clear of computers for two hours per day, taking nootropic supplements, exercising, prioritizing tasks and harnessing the productive power of the Pomodoro Technique are all proven ways for people to enhance their ability to concentrate. Therefore, combining two or more of these options together is a recipe for success.   

http://yoganonymous.com/6-ways-to-improve-your-focus