Recently, I recorded a live video on my back deck. I wanted to talk about Focus. I was feeling out of focus, just blurry. And I was taking steps to get back on track and thought that would be helpful to my community to talk through.

What is really funny to me is that the video did not go well!

The day before, a friend had mentioned that she had “seen my car videos on Instagram”. I do not want that to Be The Thing! “Colleen recording from her Car”! So, I wanted to shake things up a little. I couldn’t record from my front stairs, as I have also done, because we were watering the grass that morning. So, back deck was plan C. I scrapped the first recording. On my second try, as soon as I started recording, my neighbor came out of his house (I live in the Chicago area and my back door is very close to my neighbor’s back door). So I adjusted. And then his dog – and I like my neighbors and the dog – started barking. And then there was a train a mile away that decided to blow its horn. A Lot.

You get the idea.

And this was a recording about focus. Life is just funny.

Sometimes I feel out of focus. I think we all do.

I could spend time dissecting WHY I lost focus. And that is important long term, I suppose. Personally, I am clear on WHY I was feeling unfocused last week. But for today’s purpose, I want to talk about how to find focus again, sharing basic tools to Find Focus and Fight Distraction.

First, we have to start with recognizing the lack of focus. Then, we can think about what to do about it!

When I teach productivity and time management, I mention that one of the most empowering things to know is that we ourselves can change and improve our situation for better productivity and satisfaction. Knowing there are adjustments that I can make helps me to feel better immediately!

So the topic of Focus, and what adjustments we can make when focus is lacking. Because I know for me, I can’t always force focus. And sometimes I try. Early in lockdown, it came to light that I talk to myself while I work from home. Often, to loudly tell myself to FOCUS! And yelling at me, forcing focus… doesn’t work.

Let’s look at what DOES work!

• The first step, as it always is in coaching, is Awareness. In this case, awareness that you’re out of focus.

• I have several check-in points in my days:
  • I can use times of transition – like leaving the house, or coming home, or leaving a client’s house or arriving at my next appointment; or
  • There are natural times, too, like getting up, getting out of the shower, transitioning from work day to family time, etc., and these are all great opportunities to check in on myself and my focus.
    
• Many times a day, I do a Body Scan
  • If I am feeling unfocused, I can ask some easy questions and check in with me.
  • First question is, What needs need to be met?
    • Maybe I am STARVING! Yep, that can steal focus and cause distraction.
      • Blood sugar can dip, our brains (and bodies) need food and energy to function.
    • Maybe I am Thirsty.
    • I can check in on that body scan – is there anywhere that I am holding tension? Do I have pain or discomfort anywhere?
    • Am I too hot or too cold? I have to say, in summer, I often find myself unfocused because my office is REALLY HOT in the late afternoon and that makes me drowsy. So, I can pull the blinds, turn on a fan, move to a different area of the house, etc! If I’m aware!
    • Maybe it’s time to get up, stretch, take a nature break, etc!
• Awareness, too – Here is something we don’t often realize that affects us: Our senses.
  • Working in a too dark or too light room can be distracting, even if we don’t realize it. So, check in!
  • Noises – more or less – yes, these matter, too!  Often, we have auditory distractions that are not consciously registering.  So, intentionally scan our selves and our surroundings can help us adjust our environment
• Other tools we can use:
  • Breathwork:
    • Also in my time management classes, I teach basic breathwork.
    • I teach my participants square breathing – Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts and hold 4 counts. That’s IT! This can be a 30-60-90 second exercise – I usually call it a mini-vacation – where we concentrate just on our breath.
    • The re-focusing of our thoughts with the added bonus of an more oxygenated brain almost always helps me to refocus.
  • The Pomodoro Method for productivity,
    • The cycle of 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest that we practice in my Finish Line Friday sessions is a tool I use ALL DAY EVERY DAY to get things done.
    • 25 minutes of work 5 minutes of break, and the reminders to re-focus, just in case I have gotten off track.
    • If we’re going to talk about rest, that leads me to the reminder of my recent podcast on rest and recovery. Check that out if you would like to know more.
  • Body Doubling:
    • If you find you’re feeling distracted, and lacking focus, by all means try some of these other tools as well, but also consider phoning or checking in w a friend via text, then open a zoom room or join a group!
    • You can change your location, too, to work near someone around you who IS focused. Since it’s back-to-school time, I think of a library.
    • In college, I would set up in the library and the entire space was dedicated to focus! Quiet, separate from personal distractions, just the work I needed to do in front of me, and other people around me who were seeking the same focused work! So consider what that looks like for you!
• What does finding your focus look like to you? Consider these tools next time you feel the focus un-focusing!