Congratulations!  It’s a new year!  You cleaned your desk and set up your workflow.  Awesome!  Now it’s time to get to work.  And your brain betrays you.  Ugh.  Instead of focusing, it wants to be anywhere but sitting at your desk getting things done.  Oh, wait, maybe that’s just my brain.

Focus, both noun and verb, is defined as “to bring to the center of interest, to concentrate”.  When working from home, I want to make the most of my time and get my work done, so I can finish up and go do something else.  And when I am working with a client, it’s my responsibility to keep our projects on task and focused, to make the most of our time together.  Focus is very important, for me and for you.

As I’ve thought about improving focus, I’ve discovered tools to use for different people, situations, assignments or types of tasks, even different times of day.  And I guess that’s my point today.  Next time you need to really buckle down, give one of these Focus ideas a try, and find out what works for you. 

Getting Started:

1. Start with your easiest task. Sometimes we can get our brain to focus on business if we start with a couple of easy tasks first, to quickly cross them off the to-do list.  Or….
2. Start with your hardest task.  Spending time on your toughest task ensures some progress today.  The tough tasks are also typically the longest, so we need to make time early on to get them done.
3. Set a deadline for your self can help you stay focused and on-task.  Instead of wondering IF you can get a task done in an hour, a day, a week, resolve you WILL get it done, and get to work.  I don’t do well with open-ended assignments, so this works great for me. 
4. Keep a pad of paper or pile of index cards next to you, to collect distracting ideas and address them later.  Keep the idea, but don’t let it derail your focus.

While You Work:

5. If you find your focus drifting, stop trying so hard.  It might be time to take a break.
   1. Focus on or do something else for a short time, since letting your mind wander for a few minutes can actually improve focus.
   2. Take a break and walk away.  Walk around the block, take some deep breaths.  Don’t just surf the net for a few minutes, let your eyes see something new for a bit. 
   3. Be comfortable.  I can focus a little too well sometimes.  So well that hours can pass, and then I am stiff, cold, hungry and really tired.  Take breaks to keep your self comfortable as you do your work.
   4. Count to 10.  Or 20.  Or 100.  Or backwards from 20.
6. Music:  Sometimes music helps me, sometimes it is distracting.  Know your self.  If low background music helps you focus, use it!
7. If repeated interruptions are sabotaging your focus, take control:
   1. Turn off the tech, and respect your own time.  No email notifications, no phone calls, no Facebook or Angry Birds.
   2. Close the door, or put interruptions in your calendar.  If someone interrupts you, pause the question for 10 seconds and finish what you are doing, promise to get back to the person at an appointed time, make a quick note of the time, and then get back to work!
8. If you are writing and you can’t seem to focus:
   1. Start with a review of what you wrote most recently.
   2. Write anything for 3 minutes, even if it is gibberish.  Just writing words can help our brain focus. 
   3. Use structure.  Remember the 5 paragraph essay you learned in elementary school?  Make a statement; offer 3 points to prove or illustrate the statement; flesh out those points; restate your statement.  My writing often starts with these ideas, or ends up in outline form with bulleted items.  If such structures help you flesh out ideas, use them!

So, next time you find your brain wandering away from the task at hand, pull one of these ideas out of your toolbox and give it a try!  Here’s to a productive, focused brain!