Focus Fast: 3 Tips for When You Need to Focus Now
Have you ever had one of those moments where you know you need to get something done, but your brain is just ping-pinging all over the place? You open your computer to work on something and… “What’s this tab that’s open?” “Let me read this text message really quick.” “Oh! I never made that appointment.” “Wait… what was I doing?”
I find myself more and more distracted by all the to-dos, worries, current events, and planning competing for my limited time and energy. I know I’m not alone here. I’ve had two separate conversations with moms recently who have lamented the same.
Ironically, I Googled “ways to focus” and was inundated with even more information. I mean, what did I expect, really?
Many of the articles talked about systems for keeping yourself organized and able to prioritize. While this resonated a bit, it wasn’t really what I was looking for. Personally, I wouldn’t say my lack of focus is due to a lack of systems. I actually feel that I have a strong system for keeping everything organized and prioritized. I have the long-term view in check. It’s those “in-the-moment” situations where I am just mentally inundated with too many inputs to process. And I wondered, if I only have 5 minutes or less, how can I redirect my focus quickly? When I notice myself starting to swirl in the sea of lost attention, what can I do?
Let me save you the time and swirl that I swam in yesterday and share three tips for redirecting your focus FAST when you’re drowning in distractions.
Close your eyes. Fun fact, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the human body sends 11 million bits per second to the brain for processing. Your eyes are responsible for 10 million bits per second. So over 90% of the sensory input your body is processing comes in through your eyes! When you’re feeling unable to focus, close your eyes and limit the amount of input you’re trying to process at one time.
Simplify your environment. Trying to work something out on paper? Close your laptop. If you don’t need the internet, turn off WIFI or hide your phone. Notice what tends to distract you and remove it as much as possible. When I’m in a meeting, I have to turn my phone face down so I don’t get distracted by it lighting up with alerts. These small physical boundaries can make a huge difference to your focus in the moment.
Get realistic. Ask yourself, “What’s just the next thing I have to do?” Stop worrying about all the things and redirect yourself to the next thing. Small, specific actions are a lot easier to focus on than ambiguous and big tasks. For example, sending out my monthly newsletter can be an overwhelming activity and I get easily distracted by other things. However, when I ask myself what just the next thing is, I can more easily focus on 1) selecting a topic. And then, 2) writing my introduction. And then 3) updating links, and you get the picture.
The next time you’re feeling like you just CANNOT focus and need to redirect your attention quickly, give one of these tips a try. I’d love to know what works best for you.
“Out of clutter find simplicity, from discord make harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
- Albert Einstein