The Power Of Focus & Concentration

Once you have determined which of your daily tasks will produce 80% of your results, then the next key is to focus on those tasks.  Many people refer to this ability as self-discipline, but it really has more to do with eliminating outside distractions.

Over the past 10 years of working online, I found myself becoming more and more attention deficit.  On a normal day I would be doing marketing research, fielding phone calls, processing orders, answering emails, trading stocks and listening to CNBC all at the same time.  I spent so much of my time switching gears that it became very unproductive and draining.  Eventually, my mind became very unfocused with a constant stream of random thoughts running through at all times.  I started to worry that I was becoming ADD but then I learned that I only had to change my work pattern.

Learning To Prioritize and Accomplish Tasks

I realized that everything that I was doing on a daily basis was necessary, nothing could really be eliminated.  So I just needed to organize everything into a more workable schedule.  In order to maintain my sanity, tasks needed to be scheduled into blocks of time.  This way I could focus on a task until it was done without being distracted.

Since a big part of my work is creative, I have to do the creative work early in the morning before the phone started ringing or later in the evening after everyone was asleep.  Order processing, taking phone calls and replying to email remain the primary tasks that need to be done between 9:00am - noon and 1:00pm - 4:00pm.  I use a digital cell phone as my business phone now, so I'm not tied to my desk for all these hours, I can pretty much come and go as I please.  People usually have no idea I'm in my car or somewhere other than my office.  The key is having a cell package that is unlimited and has great local coverage, I found an unlimited package called Rover from Unicel that meets my needs.

I no longer try to accomplish creative projects during the busiest times of the day, if it's a slow day then I may start doing market research, booking advertising or semi-creative things but nothing that requires higher levels of focus.  The key is to set aside times when you can block out distractions in order to get creative or critical work accomplished.  If you plan your schedule in advance, it will save you lots of frustration and will allow your mind to focus more easily.

Feel Frazzled?  Do Less!

Most people feel it's necessary to be a multi-tasker, but in reality it's much more effective to one task at a time.  If you are trying to do several things at once, the quality of your work suffers greatly.  You end up making mistakes and having to do things over again leading to poor productivity.

At the end of the day, look at the 5 most important tasks that should be done and put them on tomorrow's do list.  Put no more than 5 things on there and if you have more than 5 important tasks, add them to the following day's list.  If you finish up your tasks too early in the day, you can always start on the following day's tasks or reward yourself with a few extra hours of sunshine!

By setting a reasonable work load for yourself, you will be better able to accomplish all your important tasks and will feel good at the end of the day that you accomplished everything on your list.  Additionally, if you are completing your list each day you will find that the week will be very productive and it will allow you to enjoy your evenings and weekends.

Train Your Brain!

One thing that has helped me tremendously has been a program series called Holosync.  It has many of the same benefits as meditation, but with much faster results.  If you feel like you need to regain control of your brain and are having trouble focusing, the Awakening Prologue series is for you!   For me, it's been the most powerful tool or self development product I have ever purchased, it was a fantastic investment. 

If your goal is to go through the day with clear, focused energy and a relaxed mind, just visit their website and request a Free CD.