Hocus Pocus! Where’s the Focus?

Hocus Pocus! Where’s the focus?!

Shifting focus. Being mindful. What do those words mean to you?

Every day, we all struggle with trying to get everything done, whether it’s in the office at work or at home in our personal lives.

I’m on a mission to try and figure this out because I seriously want to avoid burnout.

So, I kicked off the Permission to Focus gig and have been trying to narrow down what this whole process means to me. Here’s what I’ve found so far to help:

1. Create a Daily Map to Direct your Focus

Where are you going and what the heck are you doing? I’ve started to use Evernote to keep track of the “Daily Basic Tasks” that I need to accomplish to stay consistent, leaving some wiggle room for unexpected events that may pop up throughout the day. I end the notes by writing comments at the end of the day about what I accomplished, what struggles I had doing this and notes for myself for the next day.

2. Curb the Multi-Tasking Habit by Checking In

It’s not going to be an easy task to kick multi-tasking to the curb so I’m working on being more aware of what I’m doing at a given time and limiting myself to about three tasks at a time. I’m in the market of a good “mindfulness app” for my Mac that will pop up throughout the day, causing me to stop what I’m doing for a few seconds and see where I am at. If anyone has suggestions, let me know.

3. Breaking Up the Day

I’m horrible at this but I have a hard time taking breaks. I find I usually get to work, stay inside all day and leave feeling exhausted. I’ve found that when I take even a 5 minute break to walk or talk with someone, it helps boost motivation and productivity. Or, sitting outside under the trees and working (if you can) also helps to switch up the scenery. The biggest thing that I’ve found as a focus sucker is eating lunch at your desk. I haven’t been successful in accomplishing this as I still eat lunch at my desk just about every day, but taking that moment to tune into your meal instead of your inbox is incredibly helpful in the journey toward being more effective.

Have you ever tried to change any of your habits, such as multitasking? What challenges did you find while doing this? Any advice for a newbie to this? Tweet at me and let me know! @commbetterblog 

[custom_author=jenny]