Staying on task and remaining focused can be difficult and can be particularly challenging when you are surrounded by constant distractions. Even during quiet moments, an array of distractions are literally at your fingertips. You will often find yourself checking your Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform whilst also subconsciously thinking of things that definitely have nothing to do with work. Fortunately, focus is a lot like a mental muscle. The more you work on building it up, the stronger it gets. Here are some psychology tricks that can help you develop spectacular mental focus.
Evaluate your mental focus
To start with, you need to asses just how strong your mental focus is at the present moment. Consider the following statements and select the ones that seem to best describe you:
- I find myself daydreaming often when I need to be working on an important task.
- I find it difficult to tune out distractions.
- I often lose track of what I was working on and have to start over again.
- I tend to focus on difficult tasks during times of the day when I know I will be the most alert.
- I like to set goals and break tasks up into more manageable segments.
- If I find my mind wandering, I’ll take a short break and then come right back to what I was working on.
If you identify more with the first three statements, then you probably need to work on your mental focus quite a bit, which takes us to trick number two
Remove distractions
Such disturbances might come in the form of a radio blaring in the background or perhaps an obnoxious co-worker who constantly drops by your desk to chat.One way to deal with this is to set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for a period of time. Another important thing to remember is that not all distractions are external. Exhaustion, worry, anxiety, and other internal disturbances can be particularly difficult to avoid. A few strategies you might want to try to minimize or eliminate such internal distraction are to make sure you are well-rested prior to the task and to use positive thoughts and imagery to fight off anxiety and worry. And always remember, taking a break is healthy, you’re not a machine.
Focus on one thing at a time
While multitasking sometimes seems like a great way to get a lot done quickly, it turns out that people are actually rather bad at it. Think of your attention as a spotlight. If you shine that spotlight on one particular area, you can see things very clearly. Part of improving your mental focus is all about making the most of the resources you have available. Stop multitasking and instead give your full attention to one thing at a time.
Live in the moment
I spent a lot of time stuck in the past and it affected everything I did, from work to personal life. So this trick is really from the heart. You have probably heard people talk about the importance of “being present.” It’s all about putting away distractions, and being fully mentally engaged in the current moment. It may take some time but work on learning to truly live in the moment. You cannot change the past and the future has not happened yet, but what you do today can help you avoid repeating past mistakes and pave a path for a more successful future.
Keep practicing to strengthen your focus
Building your mental focus is not something that will happen overnight. Even professional athletes require plenty of time and practice in order to strengthen their concentration skills. One of the first steps is to recognize the impact that being distracted is having on your life. If you are struggling to accomplish your goals and find yourself getting sidetracked by unimportant details, it is time to start placing a higher value on your time. By building your mental focus, you will find that you are able to accomplish more and concentrate on the things in life that truly bring you success, joy, and satisfaction.
