In a world where we have been taught that multi-tasking is the norm, most of us find it very hard to focus on one task at a time. But focusing on one task at a time is what is most productive. Did you know that you lose up to forty percent of your productivity if you try to multi-task? If we can learn how to focus on one task at a time we will find that we become excellent at what we do instead of just average. So how do we learn how to focus on one task at a time?
In order to gain focus, we must start by writing things down. Many of us think we will remember something if in fact it is important but that is not true. You should always keep a small notebook with you in order to write down important thoughts, appointments, and dates. This will clear your mind and help you to focus on what you are doing instead of trying to remember when that doctors appointment was scheduled for.
The second thing we must do to gain focus is to plan things out. How many times have you gotten up on a morning when you knew you had twenty things to accomplish but had no plan and no direction? You didn’t accomplish much that day did you? Or you forgot some big item you were supposed to take care of. If we plan out our days ahead of time, we know what to expect and have some form of direction as we start our day.
If you want to gain focus, you must create the right environment. This means getting rid of as many distractions as possible. Personally I work from home, I shut my phone off, close all my extra tabs on my browser, and try to have as quiet of a place to work as possible. This is not always possible because I have three children but riding yourself of the distractions that you can will help your focus tremendously.
Practice only doing one task at a time. When you find yourself trying to complete more than one task at a time, remind yourself that you are not giving your full attention to anything you are trying to complete and you will not do a good job at it. Even if you find yourself watching television and talking on the phone, remind yourself that the person you are on the phone with deserves your full attention not what is left over from watching television.
Trying to gain focus on what we want to accomplish each day is not something that will come easy to you, but with a little bit of dedication and hard work you will find yourself able to focus on one task at a time. Once you are able to focus on one task at a time you will find that you are more productive than if you were trying to multi-task. You will feel more relaxed and your mind will be clearer. So give it a shot and stop the multi-tasking.
