I am sitting here today, with my cup of tea, and chilling out for a bit.
I don’t know about you, but for me, I face stress and distractions every day. Too often it seems like life is so fast-paced that it’s impossible to slow down. Can you relate? Oh please tell me it’s not just me.
It seems that there is always someone pulling at me, wanting my time. That’s stressful enough, but when you add your own personal goals and needs the stress and distractions can spiral out of control.
What do you do?
I’m learning to understand some of the common reasons for this and I want to share five of these tips and what I am doing to reduce or eliminate these stresses and distractions from my life. Perhaps they can help you as well.
First I had to understand the need to set boundaries and implement those boundaries. Interruptions take away focus from the current project. When I need to stay focused on something I find ways to close myself away by turning off the phone, disabling notifications on all my devices, and closing the door to my work area. These help to isolate me and help to keep me focused on the task at hand. It also lets those around me know not to interrupt at this time. What boundaries do you need to set?
Another thing I have found that I need to do is set a specific goal. What is my desired outcome? How will I accomplish this? It works like a road map. When I head out in the car to a destination, I need to have that destination in mind. I have a path to reach that place and possible alternatives if it’s interrupted. The same applies to my task at hand. If I know what I want to accomplish and how I will achieve it, I am more likely to complete the job. How do you establish your specific goals?
How organized are you? What does your work setting look like? I’ve learned that, for me, when my desk is cluttered, I lack focus and I don’t get very much done. The same is true in my home environment. It’s hard to get things done when you can’t find what you need. It often leads to more clutter confusion, more stress and distractions, and often procrastination. When things are organized, I get more done, What do you need to organize?
The fourth thing that I look at is my time. Am I allowing myself sufficient time to complete the project at hand? If I have a project that will take several hours, yet I only have 30 to 45 minutes of time available, I have to ask myself what I can get done in this time frame. Do I need the entire time or can I break it down into parts? Will I be satisfied with the time allotted? If not, will this partial attempt just add more stress, and will it interfere with my work? Sometimes, breaking the large project into smaller pieces makes the work much more manageable. With this thought, I manage my time and create small accomplishments along the way. How do you monitor your time?
Though certainly not the last thing to consider, but the last one for this reference is my personality.
This is something for you to understand for yourself. I have become aware of my most focused and productive times for me are often between 10 a.m and 2 p.m. If I want to stay on task I plan it during these hours. Once started, I can get more done in these four hours than at any other time. How do you become aware of your focus and when it is most effective? Once you become aware of it, you’ll note less stress and distraction during these times. This will allow you to begin to schedule your tasks around your best personality traits. Where does your personality lead to more productivity for you?
Stress and distractions don’t have to rule your day. You can set up your days to be as stress-free as possible simply by finding ways to reduce distractions that are lowering your productivity. To do so, you need to understand what’s expected, how to do it, what you need to do when you can give your best work, and how long it takes to put it all together.
- What boundaries do you need to set?
- How do you establish your specific goals?
- What do you need to organize?
- How do you monitor your time?
- Where does your personality lead to more productivity for you?
What tips and tricks have you learned to help you to stay focused on your task? Share them in the comments below.