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Life is busy. It’s a constant battle to find a balance between professional and personal activities.
In the midst of this busyness, you may wonder how to focus and keep distractions at a minimum so that you can be as efficient as possible.
Being distracted means that you aren’t concentrating on a specific task. Your focus shifts to something else that captures your attention.
Distractions are everywhere. When you wake up, you might grab your phone and check social media. Making coffee is combined with grabbing something to eat or telling the dog to get out of the house.
At work, you may juggle meetings, numerous projects, phone calls, and emails. Meanwhile, you are wondering what to make for dinner, whether you are going to get to the gym in time, and if your children will surprise you with requests for help with a last-minute homework assignment.
With so many things vying for our attention, it’s no wonder that we don’t know how to focus.
Being distracted causes many problems. Whether you are distracted at home or at work, there will be repercussions.
When you can’t concentrate, you allow different streams of information to bombard you simultaneously.
You might lose focus while shopping because there is a kid crying, someone spilled milk in the dairy aisle, and the manager is saying something over the intercom. The noise and mess are distracting because you are processing a bunch of information at once.
The same thing happens at work when you overhear a conversation when you should be creating a presentation.
Information overload prevents you from doing things efficiently, and that affects performance in other areas of your life.
Multitasking is something that many of us have become ‘good’ at. It’s nothing strange to be at home watching TV while sending an email and cooking dinner.
When you multitask, you cannot concentrate on a single task. It fractures your attention when you try to juggle several tasks at once.
It’s normal to see people distracted at work because they are in a meeting but already thinking about a customer they need to call or documents that have to be submitted.
Multitasking has become a method of getting things done, but things slip through the cracks in the process.
Constant distractions prevent you from doing tasks wholeheartedly. You might have a to-do list but at the end of the day, you can’t tick anything off as done because you did a little bit of everything.
When this happens frequently, you may start to feel like a failure. This feeling is unnecessary since you are being productive, it’s just not done in a focused way. Splitting your focus is the problem, not the number of tasks you have to do.
If you want to learn how to focus, then you definitely need to join us for the Brain-A-Thon. It’s the ideal opportunity to uncover how your brain works and how your thinking affects your actions.
By the end of the session, you will have all the tools to stop being distracted, achieve your goals, and change your life!
Practicing mindfulness is a great way to overcome distractions. With mindfulness, you actively decide to focus on a specific task, and when you do get distracted, you acknowledge the distraction, then turn your attention back to what you were doing before.
Mindfulness can be done in small bursts during the day. Over time, it will become a habit and improve your mindset.
Here are a few ways (that only take a few minutes) you can be mindful today:
At NeuroGym, we do Innercise™—a series of exercises that provide mental stimulation. Innercise™ helps you determine what you really want out of life and how to achieve it.
There are many different Innercises™ you can do to enhance your concentration. Switch off negative thoughts and visualize your dreams as part of Innercise™ for mindfulness.
Adapting your focus is necessary, especially when faced with distractions. The following video explains how to do this.
Mindfulness is one way to hack your brain for productivity, calmness, and less anxiety.
There are other ways to hack your brain and get it to perform better. During the Brain-A-Thon, top brain experts share some of these techniques. All we ask is that you book your space, and we’ll do the rest!
It’s normal to lose focus while working. Avoiding distractions and being mindful can help you get more done.
If you work on a computer, you very likely have several internet tabs and other programs open at once. This can be distracting as your brain isn’t sure what it should focus on.
Help yourself by closing some of those tabs and programs. The only thing that should be open is what you are working on at that time.
Besides your internet browser, the space around you could also be a mess. Piles of paper or notebooks on your table can create mental clutter and distract you from your work.
It could be useful to tidy up your desk and office. Clean out some clutter, put up a vision board, and only keep essential supplies in your workspace.
Some people, like Albert Einstein, can work in a messy space. It could be the case for you too, but if you find yourself getting distracted, it might be time to try a different approach.
If you can’t concentrate for a long time, a time management technique could help you to get more focus time. There are many different methods so it will take some trial and error to find the one that works best for you.
For now, an easy way is to set a timer for some focus time. It could be as little as 1 minute to breathe, 10 minutes to do a household chore, or an hour to brainstorm at work.
Sometimes, work can be overwhelming, and you need to take a break. When you do, ensure you engage in a mindful activity.
A few minutes in a bathroom stall or at your desk can be used to do some breathwork. Use your lunchtime to have a mindful meal. Go for a brisk walk outside or find a bench where you can experience your surroundings through your senses.
It’s quite possible that you have many distractions at home. Luckily, mindfulness and focus can form part of your life wherever you are, so here are a few ways you can minimize distractions.
Digital devices frequently capture our attention so switching them off or limiting screen time can limit distraction.
Switch off the TV during meals and limit how much it is used at other times. Stop using your phone or laptop while doing other activities so that you can pay attention to the real task. Only use game consoles and other gadgets when you can focus on them.
A simple way to be less distracted is to schedule “time off” into your day. When you do something you love, you give your brain a break. It restores mental balance, reduces stress, and improves happiness.
Hobbies don’t have to take up too much time. Read 10 pages a day, spend some time gardening, or go to your favorite sports practice. You could also knit, do a DIY project, or walk your dog.
No matter what you choose, ensure that you give that activity your full attention.
Part of being distracted comes from always wanting to be busy; this prevents taking breaks and calming down. Mindfulness can become part of your life by creating calming routines that limit distractions.
A morning routine could be to not use your phone for the first 30 minutes after waking up; instead, you could spend 10 minutes meditating and 20 minutes getting ready for the day. Follow it up with a mindful breakfast.
At night, have a mindful dinner, do a hobby that relaxes you, then get ready for bed. Don’t use any screens once in bed. It’s better to read or listen to some music.
Create similar routines for weekends, lunchtimes, or other areas of your life.
Another way to overcome being distracted at home is to implement mental strategies that strengthen your mind and assist with being present during mundane tasks. The Brain-A-Thon is an event that discusses these strategies and empowers you to take mindful action.
Reserve your free seat today and enjoy the Brain-A-Thon in the comfort of your home!
