Keep the Focus Short to Get More Things Done

It’s easy to get stuck and de-motivated when you are snowed under with work. There’s a mountain of things that need doing and they are all begging for your attention… and then there’s the family too. How can you keep your focus and motivation high?

James is currently teething. Anyone who has had a young child will understand how much teething sucks! Not only does it turn them into a mass of irritability and tears but, if you’re working at home, it also seriously cuts down on the amount of time you can dedicate to your business.

However you can easily turn this to your advantage… by getting super focused and utilising short bursts of energy on your outstanding business tasks.

Get focused

When you only have a small window of time available it forces you to focus on the task at hand. You cannot afford to be sidetracked by social media, emails and reorganising your files.

Decide on what is top priority and dedicate all your attention to it for the time you have. When you get super focused on a specific task you will be more productive.

Why short focus is better

Using short bursts of focused energy is great for when you are feeling less than motivated. Quite often we procrastinate and put off things that we need to do, because we don’t enjoy them or because we are intimidated by the sheer size of the task at hand.

By giving yourself a small window of time and getting focused on a task, you are more likely to actually put in the work… after all, putting aside a matter of minutes, rather than hours, is so much less daunting.

Think smart

When James had finally managed to fall asleep in his carrier I managed to get so much work done, even when I was standing in a dark air conditioned room… by using my iPhone! We no longer have to physically be at our computer to carry out essential tasks.

With smart phones we can now check and send emails, update our social media status and make notes.

Break time

Once your allotted time is over, you’re more likely to have a break. When you’re sat at your desk working all day on a particular task, it is easy to lose track of time and, before you know it, you haven’t actually had a break for several hours.

Taking regular breaks is essential, not only to your health but to your motivation and productivity too.

So next time you’re up against a pile of work or a child that is under the weather, try short bursts of focus and see how much more you can achieve in your working day.

Do you prefer working with short bursts of focused energy or do you work better with long time slots for your tasks? Have you been in a situation where you had to work with short bursts of focused energy, and now you’re using them all the time? Share what works for you by leaving a comment below.