How to Stay Focused at Work: 6 Incredible Ways

Focus is the key to a productive workday, right? All we can do is try to crank up the labour and see what can be accomplished. However, staying focused isn’t always easy. Sometimes our to-do list is too large. Other times, pointless distractions get the best of us. Focus can be hard to maintain. If you’re trying to increase your ability to focus and concentrate, look no further. We’ve gathered 6 great ways to stay focused when you’re on the job. Keep reading to find out more!

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

Put Down the Coffee, Pick Up Some Water

Location, Location, Location

Silence Your Notifications

Get Up and Move Around

Try the Pomodoro Technique

Make Task Lists

Key Takeaways

1. Put Down the Coffee, Pick Up Some Water

When you really want to put your nose to the grindstone, you probably grab a cup of coffee. Sure, a big swig of black coffee can get the gears turning in the morning but it should be avoided otherwise. One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to focus is hydration. When your body lacks water, it becomes exponentially harder to focus. Be sure to drink water throughout the day, just don’t spend too much time at the water cooler!

2. Location, Location, Location

We don’t all work in office environments. As such, picking the right location to work from is imperative. You may love working at the cafe up the block, but there’s a chance that it’s full of pointless distractions. Keep yourself on the right path by making sure the location you’re working in is a suitable environment. If you are in an office environment and your workspace isn’t working for you, ask to be relocated. It’s hard to say no to an employee who wants to get more done.

3. Silence Your Notifications

The biggest work distractions may be associated with the work itself. Unfortunately, it’s hard to go anywhere without a cell phone going off, or an email dinging on the desktop. If you’re working on a large task, try silencing everything. This will help stop you from being torn away from the task at hand. Trust us, it works.

4. Get Up and Move Around

Sitting in one place for too long can do damage to both your mental and physical health. Sedentary living leads to a whole host of issues, and desk jobs are notorious for it. As such, make sure that every couple of hours you’re getting up and moving around. This helps you keep your energy levels up, and helps you reset your attention span. Staring at the same task for too long can really kill focus and concentration.

5. Try the Pomodoro Technique

We’re name dropping here, but for a good reason. The Pomodoro Technique is a favourite for people who are looking to master focus. The best part about it is that it works! Using any timer that you have, set a timer for 25 minutes. This 25-minute chunk of time is specifically used for work, nothing else. It should be a distraction-free period of time. Then, give yourself a 5-minute break. After you’ve done this 3 to 4 times, you’ll take a longer 15-minute break. This devotion to focus for 25-minute blocks helps you work on whatever is in front of you.

There are a number of applications that you can use to do this, too. Many of them allow you to track your productive time, as well. You can watch yourself progress as you start to get more done. Pomodoro is the road to focus, without a doubt.

6. Make Task Lists

This doesn’t apply to just work, but it is certainly relevant in the workplace. When you have a lot to do, a task list can help you manage your work. Break down your list of tasks into categories. Some examples are listed below:

• Critical tasks (tasks that need to be done)
• Urgent tasks (tasks that need to be done the soonest)
• Boring tasks (you may not want to do them, but you can put them aside for now)
• A central task surrounded by other tasks that contribute to it

No matter how you do it, creating a list of tasks is an excellent way to visualize your day. By visualizing your day and what’s most important, you can focus more appropriately.

Key Takeaways

Focus is the thing that most people rely on to get them through the day. Through focus we can accomplish more, which fuels our businesses in the best way possible. If you’re having trouble focusing, there are a number of ways to increase your focus and concentration. Try any of the 6 listed here, we guarantee you’ll see an improvement. If you want more work-related guides, be sure to check out our resource hub! We’re here to help your business in a number of ways, and have plenty of helpful articles for you and your company.

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