How to Stay Focused & Attentive - 8 Tips to Reduce Distractions

What does staying focused mean?
One of the most simple yet challenging aspects of living with intention is staying focused. When you fully concentrate on what matters most, you light up what you deem most important – whether it's staying on course at work, growing personally, or completing a project. In other words, staying focused equates to being productive. And it's undoubtedly a muscle that many of us would like to strengthen.

Why is focus so important? 
From a practical standpoint, focus is vital because it helps us make forward progress in our lives. However, when we're not focused, there are consequences. According to studies, when you lose focus by moving on to an alternate task or distraction, it takes ~23 minutes for us to return to a state of deep focus. And from a high-level perspective, these bursts of deep focus invigorate your mind, fill your life with purpose, and remind you of your brilliance.

What is a focused person like?
A focused person is clear about their direction and removes as many distractions from their workday as possible. As a result, they stay attuned to the task at hand. For example, they avoid signing in to social media platforms, taking calls, checking email, and responding to someone who just came into their workspace. Even though a focused person values past experiences and honors the power of future vision, they tune their mind into the present moment to make progress in their life. This is the one place where change can happen.

How do I stay focused in life?
The good news is that many practices can help you deepen your focus and expand your attention span. Below are a few of our favorites for you to include in your personal growth toolbox:

If you'd like to get started by strengthening your ability to tap into the present moment, take a peek at these simple, quick activities.

1. Multitasker Tendencies? Try Monotasking

You may think you are good at multitasking. This may be true. But if you want to go from good to outstanding on the productivity scale, switch your approach to doing one task at a time. Recent research shows that multitasking (even if you're good at it) reduces productivity by as much as 40%. That means monotasking may deliver almost double that of your "mighty" multitasking.

This may be a pretty significant shift if you're someone who replies to text messages as they come in. Monotasking means just one task at a time… even that 2-second task of reading the text and hitting reply is still a task! These little tasks (yes, messing with a hangnail is a task) add up and keep you from accomplishing what you're capable of doing. A 2009 Stanford study discovered that attention spans, memory capacity, and the ability to switch from one task to the next were all lower in multitasking participants. That's right, half the participants self-identified as heavy multitaskers and they were worse at switching tasks! Uh oh. Time to keep your eyes on THE prize and block as much distraction from your work as possible.

2. Take Planned Mental and Visual Breaks

Studies show that to maintain your focus and optimal output, breaks are necessary. There are a few reasons for this. One of the most obvious, but perhaps forgotten is that when you are focused your eyeballs are huffing it! Just like your leg muscles wear out on a long run, your eyes get tired and even dry. This is especially true if you are glued to a computer screen. When your sight becomes strained or blurry, your mind follows suit.

The other reason mini breaks heighten your focus is how your brain processes information. If you've honed in on a task for too long, your mind may flag it as a repetitive or constant stimulus - this is the same handy brain feature that tunes out the hum of the fridge or nearby road noise. Or it could simply be that you have depleted your attention resources and need a recharge. Some studies show the positive impact of taking breaks, but scientists are still working through the why. The sharpness of your mind declines for two potential reasons. You have either depleted your attention resources for that task, or your mind has recognized the current work as repetitive or constant.

When you hit a natural punctuation point in your work (every 20 minutes), take a moment to look out a window at an object in the distance and shift your attention to something else. For example, stand up to gaze into the distance, take a few deep breaths, enjoy a forward bend (or jumping jacks), and then pop back into your chair for another high-gear-focused ride! For some, the Pomodoro Method helps strike the right balance with a 25-minute focused sprint and a 5-minute break. So find your mix and stick with it!

3. Remove Distraction From Your Environment and Create a Concentration Zone

The most straightforward practice to begin improving your focus is doing a distraction assessment. Incoming messages (in whatever form) are like fresh-baked chocolate cookies sitting on your desk. How can you possibly avoid the cookie?! Of course, it is possible, but why torture yourself? Better to remove the fresh-baked cookies from your desk, right?

To be focused in your mind, create a focused environment.

• Turn off ALL notifications other than perhaps giving your loved ones a "back channel" for emergencies. Fortunately, our devices and apps have lots of new functionality that allows you to select what crosses your senses and what doesn't. So before you hit the ground running on a big task, get your technology trained to protect you like a german shepherd. You want zero pings (auditory, sensory, or visual).
• Add noise-canceling headphones or ear coverings to protect your sacred focus time from outside noise/people that could interrupt your flow. Everyone's preference is sound is unique. For some, silence is the best option, while others are more focused with a particular type of music or sound. Binaural beats have been helpful for us, and there's research to show the positive effects of these tones on the mind.
• Finally, remove the clutter and add a fresh water bottle to enjoy. Although less tempting than a cookie... a pile of unopened mail or little to-dos can be a tempting alternative when you sit down to focus on what may be a more brain-intensive task.

You have now created a concentration zone! To even further maximize your focus over time, revisit this same space with the same setup for all your tasks that require focus. Through repetition, you'll work out the kinks of how to optimize this space and reduce the amount of energy (read: focus!) you have to apply to simply getting your space ready to roll. We only have a certain amount of mental reserves to spend each day. So eliminating unnecessary decisions ensures your mind is primed for what matters most to you.

4. Set Bite-Sized Goals and Objectives

When it comes to getting things done, incremental is the magic word. We are all about tiny yet mighty, particularly when it comes to maintaining your focus. Carve out the component parts when you have a larger task or project. You may not know precisely what this is until you dive in for a bit. So, let this be your first tiny task - sort through and identify the small steps that will help you stay on course. Write these down. If any of them seem like they'll probably take longer than 20 minutes, explore how you can divide this into even further bits. As you're learning how to create these "sprints" of work, it may take a bit longer to figure out your optimal work chunks. But as you practice staying focused on the task at hand for an allotted period, you'll be able to right-size your tasks to fit into your workflow and give your brain optimal break times. When you break down what you want to accomplish into smaller, achievable objectives, staying on task becomes more manageable. This progress will also encourage you to stay the course for the long haul.

5. Get Clear on Your Focus and Prepare the Day Before

As you develop skills and habits that increase your ability to focus within the moments of your day, we encourage you to consider how you bring focus to the days in your life. You can better adapt to changes and remain productive when you are clear about what is most important and the steps to complete a project... even though many things can shift daily. 

When we plan our work and complete tasks, our minds can stay better focused on the next order of business. A study showed that we will spend more time thinking (aka mental energy) about an incomplete task than tasks we've ticked off. This is called the Zeigarnik Effect. So the key here is to get things done, one step at a time. Many excellent methods and apps delve into the best way to get things done. The truth is that it's likely that as long as you choose one method and stick with it, you'll become a better planner of your time and more focused in your work. Most systems advise these overarching steps: (1) Decide on the desired outcome, (2) Organize all the steps you need to take to reach your destination, (3) Review your tasks weekly and prioritize what you'd like to do on each day in the upcoming week.

Set aside a few minutes to clarify your focus for the next day to bring any system to life and improve your focus for the next day. Choose the ONE most important task. This is the one you'll start your day with and complete before anything else gets in the way.

6. Get Enough Sleep and Rise Early in the Morning

Morning routines are the foundation of a healthy, productive, and focused life. Sometimes we get so focused on the "morning" part that we fail to remember the fuel for a bright and shining morning is sleep!

So now that we have that covered, let's talk about why morning time is so precious for cultivating deeper focus in your work and more focused life in general. When you rise early and take care of what is most important, you tap into a fresh well of your mental resources. At the start of the day, you have made fewer choices, processed less information, and met fewer challenges. According to studies and a theory called Ego Depletion, our minds operate more effectively with less clutter and become drained later in the day. Plus, mornings are naturally quieter because fewer people are in full gear – which means fewer interruptions!

Everybody has biological rhythms and routines that work for their (and their family's) lifestyle. So if early mornings don't fit into your focused workflow, find a routine that does and do your best to plug as much mental heavy lifting earlier in your day.

7. Use Visual Reminders to Help Your Subconscious Mind

Another practice we especially like is using visual reminders or tangible touchpoints to refocus thoughts. Of course, Mindful Marks, the wearable reminders we create in the form of temporary tattoos, are our favorite. Still, there are plenty of additional ways to use this simple yet effective practice.

We are flooded with information and distractions through personal interactions online and in-person. So as fundamental and back to the roots as it may seem, physical reminders are even more effective at keeping our attention on a single focus. Like a temporary tattoo, a string around your finger, or a note on your computer screen, your mind reflects on your purpose or aim every time you consciously (or subconsciously) see it.

But what might be even more interesting for you to know is that even when you aren't directly noticing or seeing your tangible reminder, your subconscious is continuing to process and support your focus. So, when it comes to taming a monkey mind in the digital age - we're all about finding tools that stand out in a fast-paced world full of distractions.

8. Focus in on the Present Moment

At the core of focus is tuning your mind into the "here and now." A critical part of being mentally engaged in your work is tending to your immediate reality. Of course, learning from the past is essential, and taking time to envision your path forward. These perspectives help you align your focus and life with your desired direction.

Final Thoughts on Staying Focused, Attentive, and Reducing Distractions

We've covered three layers of focus. The first is being present and focused within the moment, mindfulness. The second is activating your focus to make progress in your days. And finally, we shared thoughts on what it means to live a more focused life by integrating practices that may entirely shift the way you operate.

As you invite more focus into your life, remember that, as humans living in today's fast-paced world, it is easy to be distracted. So as you deepen your focus, know that you are building your capacity to accomplish what you set out to do and the subtle daily practices that will help you live the life you desire.

Related: Discover your Power Planet 🪐

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