Learn How to Focus

Many people are discovering the increasing demands of their time is affecting the quality of their work. With the 24/7 reach of technology, increasing responsibilities and distractions we face as we grow older, it can become increasingly more changeling to focus.

If your focus is sharp, you will be too! – Ellie Parvin

No matter how old you are, no matter what you attempt in life, you will find that it’s essential to evaluate and sharpen a skill that will bring a lifetime of success: The ability to FOCUS.

The following are some things that you can do to exercise your mind, hone your concentration, and improve focus to help you gain leverage for key tasks. 

Step back and clear your mind

The first thing that you need to do is step back. Do not rush to do anything, try to clear your mind first.

Even the simplest of tasks needs your undivided attention. If you approach things in a rushed manner or you have too much going on in your head you will end up making a mistake. Take a moment to clear your mind and concentrate on what you have to do.

Write it down: Taking information out of your head is a great way to literally clear your mind. If this is too painstaking, then make sure that you take some time to rest or schedule breaks when doing intensive work.

You may want to consider creating a “to do list” for important/big tasks. This type of step-by-step organization helps promote focus by compartmentalizing each task required to accomplish big objectives.

Work your brain (play games)

Playing memory games, role-playing games or even number puzzles can help. Trying to figure out logic puzzles, word searches, and even Sudoku can help sharpen your mind and give you a semblance of cognitive function moving forward.

The goal here is to make sure that you work on getting your mind set on a variety of different thoughts, patterns and relationships. Often times as adults, many people lose sight of working on puzzles and dealing with though intensive processes. If you try these games and force yourself to work through them, even if they seem frustrating, you will have a stronger mental capacity and focus will become easier for you going forward.

Learn something new

Education doesn’t stop after high school or college graduation. It’s easy to get comfortable and coast along the status quo. Sometimes success is a matter of learning new things. Whether you’re learning a new technique for work or you look at studying a new language for a trip across the world, learning can help you focus over time.

The key to cerebral growth is to challenge and repeat. – Ellie Parvin

Repetition and constant attempts to practice the “new thing” that you’re learning makes a huge impact on the mind’s process for learning and focusing. Once you’ve mastered one thing, move on to something else and keep moving forward. The more you focus on this the higher you will climb in your life.

You will find that if you can work building your ability on focus, and exercise your mind muscle, you will be sharper in all things that you do, and set yourself up for a lifetime of success.

Ellie Recommends:

Sign-up and listen to The Chalene Show Podcast. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/chalene-show-motivation-leadership/id911042029?mt=2

If you want to check it out before you sign up, here is a great podcast to listen to with a ton of helpful links and action items to help you work on that focus:

3 Life Changing Habits: 3 Simple Daily Habits to Improve Every Area of Your Life http://www.chalenejohnson.com/podcasts/3-life-changing-habits-3-simple-daily-habits-to-improve-every-area-of-your-life/

Also check out sites like Lumosity: (there is a charge – I am not affiliated with this business) http://www.lumosity.com/landing_pages/763?gclid=CLyg0_DJpsMCFQoFaQodT3sASw