How to focus on tasks?

Starve your distractions, feed your focus.

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That’s almost what everyone wants to do when it comes to work. But we just drift off. We don’t even know how. We do want to focus, but then distractions tempt us better than anything.

I have even wondered whether focusing without distractions is an actual thing. Well, yes it is! And it is pretty easy once you know how to. Let’s get into it!

Make a to do list

Either the night before or early in the morning, have a to do list for each and every day. It’s not going to be something like a piece of paper with work (or) studies written on it. You should write down what you actually are going to do. For instance, collect all supplies for the project (or) Finish revising chapter number 3 on a particular subject

Prioritize your tasks

Once you have your to do list, you should prioritize it. There are quite a lot of ways to prioritize, but you can always stick to matrix form of prioritizing. The Eisenhower Matrix is one of the best and popular ways to prioritize.

Having prioritized you should be able to point out at one single task that is very much important when compared to others.

Have a schedule

Design a schedule that’ll suit you with the most important task as the first task in your schedule. Having a schedule will give you an idea of what comes next, when you should finish the task at hand. This will give you more focus. You need not keep building plans for the next task in your mind and can actually focus.

Don’t multitask

NEVER – EVER – MULTITASK. It just wouldn’t do any good. Obviously, multitasking and focusing aren’t good friends. You should be doing only one work to have better focus. Not only does it make your focus sway here and there, it also reduce the quality of your work. You have a more cons than pros when it comes to multitasking. So just don’t do it.

Calm down

Even if you are just an hour before the deadline, keeping yourself calm makes a lot of difference. Are you crazy woman? How can I possibly be calm in such a situation? I could hear you thinking.
Well I don’t want you to sit down and meditate. Just take a moment’s pause. Breathe. Know what you should be doing and then act.

Reward yourself

You can have one big reward at the end of the task or you can have tiny rewards for milestones achieved. Just make sure these rewards are actually capable of pushing you forward. In my case, a chapter from a novel can push me to any deadline. Find out your irresistible passtime and have a piece of it as your reward.

Stay with the task

Make it a point not to do anything else until you finish the task or reach a milestone. You’ll thank yourself later million times if you make it a point to stay with the task until it’s finished, especially your most important and first task of the day. You’ll feel a lot lighter.

Have a distraction notebook

This has been a very good tool for me to retain my focus. Whenever you do a work have an notebook and pen with you. There is always this urge to do a thing immediately because you think you’ll forget it later. This will break your focus from already what you are doing.
This is where a distraction notebook comes to rescue. Whatever thought comes to you, whatever you have to do, write it down in the notebook. Once you finish your main task you can refer to the notebook and complete other things you have to.

Take short breaks

Even if you are completely obsessed with a task, your focus will break down after a certain time. To prevent this and to keep your mind sane you’ll have to take short breaks from your tasks.

You can use POMODORO technique where you take a break every 25 or 50 minutes. In these breaks make sure you don’t do anything related to the task.

Summary

• Make a to do list
• Prioritize your tasks
• Have a schedule with the most important task as the first task
• Never ever multitask
• Calm down
• Reward yourself
• Stay with the task until it is finished
• Have a distraction notebook
• Take short breaks