Riding the subway home yesterday, my typically silent car was enlivened by two young girls and their mothers who hopped on. The girls, 7 years old or so, immediately danced over to the upright pole in the middle of the aisle and started twirling around it. After several minutes of this, giggling and talking and having a marvelous time chasing each other (paying no attention whatsoever to anyone else in the car), they settled into a rhythm directly across from each other. Still twirling, but more slowly, one said to the other ... "everything's blurry except for you" ... and the other immediately chanted it back. Back and forth. Their delight in each other's company was glowing in their conversation and lack of interest in anyone else on the train. They truly focused on each other, and discovered that everything else gets blurry! What a delightful example of focusing on someone when you're with them, and giving them 100% of your attention ... fully being there with them.
How easily do you focus on things? Are you able to tune out distractions, or do you find yourself readily sidetracked by things around you? As I pen this article, started during a break at the office where I work a couple days a week, there is a personification of "distraction" at work behind me ... let's call him Tom. Tom is a very vocal character who wanders into my shared office many times per day with comments, inane questions, and "lets toss a few" requests for my co-workers. I've learned to tune him out if I'm busy, and only stop to re-direct the nerf football when it lands on my desk. Hence the subject ... how effectively do you focus on what's in front of you? Something you'd like to do more, or less, of? Let's take a look!
It seems we prize the ability to focus the minute a child is born ... delighting in their ability to track an object, make eye contact, or spend 20 minutes discovering their own toes. What we focus on shows our attention, and often our respect as well. Do you focus 100% on someone when you talk to them, or are you planning tomorrow's breakfast, braiding your daughter's hair, checking your e-mail, and hunting for a pen that works all while trying to have a conversation? Sound familiar? I read recently that multitasking isn't really doing several things at once, it's just shifting rapidly between tasks. I'm afraid I'm very familiar with that one, having an overly-developed multi-tasking approach to life ... which works well in many arenas, but isn't always the most pleasant or effective. Half an hour of time, free from distractions, focused on one task, produces more than 2 hours of running in circles.
How about some tips or reminders for how to find, and keep, that focus when it really counts?
1. CHOOSE your focus. Don't let it choose you, be proactive and conscious about how you're spending your time. Choose only one thing at a time, and do it well and with your whole being.
2. Speaking of TIME, set a limit and stick to it! I focused on a computer screen for 7 hours yesterday, working on my husband's website, and was rewarded with a splitting headache and rumbling stomach along with the snazzier site. Not a healthy focus at all!
3. MINIMIZE distractions! If you're blessed with the ability to tune out everything and everyone around you, at will, you may find this one irrelevant, but the rest of us take note. You need silence to write or create or work well? Find something to block the surrounding sounds ... close your door, put up a "do not disturb" sign, silence your phone, or use a fan or walkman or other source of "white noise". I was on a long overnight bus trip last week (fulfilling one of my 10 goals for this year!) when my seatmate decided to flirt with the man across the aisle all night. I have a very poor ability to filter out words of any kind, and found myself unable to fall asleep ... wishing heartily that I'd taken the time to pack my Walkman and some music!
4. Take BREAKS! Remember recess? That longed-for chance to escape the classroom and run around for 15 minutes? There are good reasons behind the practice ... breaks have been proven to increase productivity and ability to focus. I find it much easier to focus on what's in front of me if I clear my mind or "change the channel" for a few minutes.
Those may all seem ridiculously simple ideas, but whether you find it hard to keep focused or hard to shift away from it, they can help you find healthier ways to approach your day.
Bethany Rule is an experienced personal and professional life coach, championing human development, encouraging change, and helping you break your own rules. Based in NYC, she works with clients all over the world. Please visit http://www.bethanyrule.com to sign up for your FREE Trial Session, FREE monthly newsletter, or to learn more about coaching with Bethany.
Culver prom limo ..It's been said, "That no one has enough time yet,... Read More
Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More
"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
In our time-crazed society, lots of time is what most... Read More
What keeping time really means is...being on time!You know, there... Read More
Many of the world's most driven and successful people sleep... Read More
Clarity brings accomplishmentOne of the most important things you can... Read More
Do you have plenty to do, but don't have enough... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
Most people want to start a home-based business to make... Read More
Nowhere is the line drawn more clearly between 'Industrial brains'... Read More
Setting goals is the easy part -- but sticking with... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More
It's easy to waste time on things that seem urgent... Read More
"Time is what we need the most and what we... Read More
Many of us get so caught up in day-to-day pressures... Read More
1. Do tasks less frequentlyClean house every 10 days rather... Read More
* spreading yourself too thinTaking on too many things at... Read More
Does it seem like there is never enough time in... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
Wood Dale limo ..We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More
Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
Having a home based business can be overwhelming. When you... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all.... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most... Read More
Do your dishes really need to be dried, or could... Read More
* spreading yourself too thinTaking on too many things at... Read More
41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More
Friends, colleagues, and clients are all telling me that one... Read More
Our daily lives are inundated with a crammed to-do list.... Read More
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
I would like to touch upon a subject that it... Read More
Time is wealth;Time is health; Time is power; Time is... Read More
Work more efficiently and be more productive using these time-management... Read More
"It's just been one of those days?I can't seem to... Read More
How many of us are guilty of "Putting the cart... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
Time Management |