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Unless you are a Buddhist monk, you face distractions every now and then that reduce your effectiveness in getting your work done.
The world wide web is especially disrupting with email, messages, status updates, and more. But distractions include fellow workers, family members, and our wandering minds. It seems that we dawdle our lives away 5 minutes at a time.
The question is how to defeat this tendency. How can you utilize the Internet constructively without falling victim to its distractive features?
Try transforming these techniques into everyday practices that help you be more efficient and effective:
1 . Use time limits. If we set a time limit, we boost our ability to focus. It almost becomes a game of 'beat the clock'. Ideally, you should use a timer and limit your work periods to around twenty five or fifty five minutes - with a five to ten minute break in between tasks. If the task is going to take longer than fifty five minutes, break it down into smaller parts.
* Having a time limit also forces you to do the most essential areas of any work. When you only have an hour, you are going to have to decide what is most significant. This is much better than choosing to simply work on something until it's done. Decide how long it will get, and then set the timer.
* If you have any sort of attention challenge, using a timer may boost your capability to keep your mind on the task at hand. The time flies by, and you'll get more done. You're likely to even find it relaxing, since you'll be focused on what you're doing instead of thinking about 20 other stuff.
* Research indicates that the most productive schedule for many people is:
o 50 minutes of work o 10 minute break o Fifty more minutes of work o 30 minute break (You may not be able to get away with a 30-minute break at the office, but it is a great time to stand up, walk around, and get a drink. ) o Repeat
* Time your own breaks. If you choose to check your email or perhaps do one of those other tasks that seem to instantly go from 5 minutes to 30 minutes or more, utilizing a timer will serve as a reminder. It will also force you to only check on the most essential things.
2 . Close anything that can be closed. Everything on your computer that isn't essential for the task at hand must be closed down. If you do not need the web, turn it off. That includes all of your email, notifications, games, and blogs. Close your door and disconnect the phone, if possible.
* Nothing is going anywhere - it will all still be there when you are done. One of the keys to being more effective is eliminating the items that make us less effective.
3. Insert a pause, as needed. When you first apply these practices, there will be times that you'll have an amazing impulse to check your email, Facebook, or Twitter.
* Before you give in to the urge, take ten seconds and pause. Have a long, deep breath and ask yourself if you really want to waste your time on something that is basically meaningless, or if you'd rather accomplish something sensible.
The capability to focus has been largely lost for many of us. However , these easy habits, which anyone can do, can go far toward improving your concentration and efficiency at any task.
It's likely to be demanding at first, but you can do it. You can get more done, quicker, by learning to improve your focus and avoiding the things that waste your precious time.
Put these three habits into play beginning today. You will be amazed by just how much more you can get done!
The world wide web is especially disrupting with email, messages, status updates, and more. But distractions include fellow workers, family members, and our wandering minds. It seems that we dawdle our lives away 5 minutes at a time.
The question is how to defeat this tendency. How can you utilize the Internet constructively without falling victim to its distractive features?
Try transforming these techniques into everyday practices that help you be more efficient and effective:
1 . Use time limits. If we set a time limit, we boost our ability to focus. It almost becomes a game of 'beat the clock'. Ideally, you should use a timer and limit your work periods to around twenty five or fifty five minutes - with a five to ten minute break in between tasks. If the task is going to take longer than fifty five minutes, break it down into smaller parts.
* Having a time limit also forces you to do the most essential areas of any work. When you only have an hour, you are going to have to decide what is most significant. This is much better than choosing to simply work on something until it's done. Decide how long it will get, and then set the timer.
* If you have any sort of attention challenge, using a timer may boost your capability to keep your mind on the task at hand. The time flies by, and you'll get more done. You're likely to even find it relaxing, since you'll be focused on what you're doing instead of thinking about 20 other stuff.
* Research indicates that the most productive schedule for many people is:
o 50 minutes of work o 10 minute break o Fifty more minutes of work o 30 minute break (You may not be able to get away with a 30-minute break at the office, but it is a great time to stand up, walk around, and get a drink. ) o Repeat
* Time your own breaks. If you choose to check your email or perhaps do one of those other tasks that seem to instantly go from 5 minutes to 30 minutes or more, utilizing a timer will serve as a reminder. It will also force you to only check on the most essential things.
2 . Close anything that can be closed. Everything on your computer that isn't essential for the task at hand must be closed down. If you do not need the web, turn it off. That includes all of your email, notifications, games, and blogs. Close your door and disconnect the phone, if possible.
* Nothing is going anywhere - it will all still be there when you are done. One of the keys to being more effective is eliminating the items that make us less effective.
3. Insert a pause, as needed. When you first apply these practices, there will be times that you'll have an amazing impulse to check your email, Facebook, or Twitter.
* Before you give in to the urge, take ten seconds and pause. Have a long, deep breath and ask yourself if you really want to waste your time on something that is basically meaningless, or if you'd rather accomplish something sensible.
The capability to focus has been largely lost for many of us. However , these easy habits, which anyone can do, can go far toward improving your concentration and efficiency at any task.
It's likely to be demanding at first, but you can do it. You can get more done, quicker, by learning to improve your focus and avoiding the things that waste your precious time.
Put these three habits into play beginning today. You will be amazed by just how much more you can get done!
About the Author:
Start becoming someone that learns the habits to enhance focus, realizing the importance of improving concentration as elements for a healthy life.
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