Five Ways to Keep Your Focus by James Powell

Five Ways to Keep Your Focus

Are you distracting yourself from important tasks? Maybe you need to substitute a new habit. If what you're doing isn't working, try doing something different. Managing distractions is all about choice. Choose where you want to put your focus and what's truly important to you.

Here are five ways to help keep your focus on the task at hand:

1. Categorize.

All activities can be sorted into four categories:

• important and urgent (do it right now)

• important but not urgent (can wait but shouldn't)

• urgent but not important (driven by a time pressure, often someone else's)

• not important and not urgent (enough said)

Most people get distracted by the last two. Before you undertake a task, ask yourself which category does it fall into. Are enough of your important things being taken care of, or are you giving too much time to other stuff?

2. Just begin.

Sometimes you look for distractions because you're finding it difficult to get started doing something. Its easier to keep doing something else (watch TV) rather than start something new (take the dog for a walk). The way to overcome a distraction is to just begin. Start a new activity with a commitment and try to stick with it for 15 minutes. Most times that's enough to get you focused on what you really need to be doing.

3. Watch for your favorite distraction.

Everybody has their own ways to kill time. Identify what yours is and then pay attention to it. Look for the warning signs. When you're drawn to your favorite distraction, ask yourself whether there is something else that needs your attention first.

4. Be accountable.

When you are choosing to procrastinate, be accountable to yourself and others. Say out loud: "I'm choosing to do this thing because it's fun etc. Even though some other thing would serve me better."

5. Meditate.

5. Practice meditation

In other words have quite time. Try not to focus on any one thing. Close your eyes, turn on some quite music, light a candle and just simply be in that quiet place in your mind. Do this as often as you need to and train yourself to let go of those things that are stressing and/or distracting you.

This in turn will allow you to begin defocusing on those things and learn to focus on others that are important.

James Powell

509-396-5501 between 10:00amPST and 4:00pmPST Monday to Friday

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email: jpowell8205@hotmail.com