Increase productivity, and you create more freedom. After all, the more effectively and efficiently you complete your personal or professional to-do list each day or week, the more free time you have for the things you enjoy. All that takes is focused attention, right?
Increased productivity isn’t something only those in the work world seek. Everyone benefits from being more productive.
Suppose you could complete your household chores more efficiently, like washing dishes, folding clothes, or cleaning the house. What becomes possible for you? You could have tea with a girlfriend or golf with your buddies. You could read a book or start writing one.
If you have a career, what becomes possible if you are more productive at work? Maybe you don’t have to complete projects on the weekend or in the evening and spend time with your partner and children instead. You could go out for lunch with co-workers or leave the office early enough to work out at the gym each day.
So, how do you increase your productivity? Let me share a story.
Productivity is About Attention
Before I became a Certified High Performance Coach, I hired one to coach me. Certified High Performance Coaching is based on a curriculum created by Brendon Burchard, and one of the 12 core sessions revolves around productivity.
During that session, I complained to my coach about not having enough time to “get it all done.” (Maybe you’ve had the same complaint.) “I need more time,” I said, “or I need to learn how to better manage time.”
At that point, my coach said something I remembered and shared with all my clients.
“You can’t change time,” she said. “What you can do is focus your attention in the time you have.”
You Can’t Manage Time
In fact, you can’t “manage” time, although people often talk about doing so. The amount of time available to you per day never changes, can’t be molded, and can’t be altered in any way.
You can manage your attention. Focus your attention on one task in a given time block. Stop allowing yourself to be distracted or multitask. As a result, you create the experience of more time by increasing your productivity level—getting more done in less time.
When you become more focused, you increase your efficiency level and level up your effectiveness. The more you manage your attention in the time you have, the more you accomplish in shorter periods.
The result? You have “extra” time.
In fact, you don’t have more time; you still have the same 12 hours per day. However, you free up some of those hours for other things.
Attention vs. Focus
Focus and attention are related concepts but differ in their application. Understanding both terms is essential as you work to increase your productivity.
Focus refers to the ability to concentrate on a specific task or object for an extended period and often involves a deep level of engagement. Attention, on the other hand, is a more general cognitive process that involves noticing and responding to stimuli in the environment.
Focus is about sustained effort or “deep work”; attention is your reaction or response to what is happening around you.
How to Improve Your Ability to Focus
To improve your focus, try using one or more of the following strategies:
- Set Clear Goals: Define specific, achievable tasks and outcomes. Goals help you know what to focus on; therefore, you won’t waste time figuring out where to place your attention. You can even create mini-goals so you know what to do next to achieve your larger goal. Focus on each smaller to-do item separately, moving through them in a systematic manner to keep your sense of accomplishment and motivation high.
- Prioritize Your Tasks: Prioritization is key when you have multiple tasks to accomplish within a timeframe. Categorize tasks by urgency, necessity, and importance. Begin with the most critical tasks while your energy levels are high. Creating a prioritized to-do list also provides clear goals.
- Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness exercises, such as meditation. To some, this feels like a waste of time, since you aren’t focused on productivity. However, mindfulness trains your mind to concentrate better. People who meditate regularly have less trouble focusing.
- Take Breaks: Productivity declines if you work continuously for hours without a break. Try the Pomodoro Technique—set a timer for 25 minutes to work on a task, and when it rings, take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. This technique helps maintain sustained attention while allowing time for recuperation, which is essential for maintaining focus over more extended periods. Certified High Performance Coaches recommend focusing on a task for 50 minutes and then taking a 10-minute break. Attention tends to wane at the 50-minute mark.
- Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: How you care for your body impacts your ability to focus. Ensure you have adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise; these factors significantly influence cognitive function. Specifically, stay hydrated by drinking water, and eat brain-boosting foods, like nuts. Avoid excessive caffeine or sugar, which leads to energy crashes and difficulty focusing. Your brain also needs oxygen, so move your body and take deep breaths whenever you take a break.
How to Focus Attention in the Time You Have
To do a better job of focusing your attention in the time you have, also try these strategies:
- Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks. For instance, you might work on a task from 10 am until noon each day or finish a task between 2 and 3 pm. This ensures you dedicate time strictly to focusing on one task at a time.
- Create a Deadline: When you know you have a set time to finish your work, your sense of urgency and necessity become more focused. Use a timer or set a firm finish date or time for whatever task you want to complete. Time blocking helps since each block provides a mini deadline.
- Establish a Routine: Create a consistent daily routine. Doing so prevents you from wondering what to do at any given time, and designating specific times for different activities allows your brain to prepare for the task ahead and trains your brain that it’s time to concentrate and work.
- Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can dilute your attention and reduce overall productivity. When you switch between tasks, your brain needs time to reorient, leading to decreased efficiency and increased cognitive load. Instead, commit to one task at a time.
- Create an Optimal Environment: Your surroundings play a crucial role in your ability to concentrate. An optimal workspace should have minimal distractions, so turn off notifications on your phone and computer, close idle browser tabs, and find a quiet place. Also, declutter and organize your environment so you can find what you need and aren’t distracted by mess. Also, be sure your desk and chair are comfortable so discomfort doesn’t distract you. Be sure you have good lighting, too.
- Leverage Technology: Various apps and tools are designed to help you focus. Try some of them:
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- Focus@Will: A music service that provides curated playlists to improve concentration.
- Forest: An app that helps you stay focused by growing a virtual tree while you work; if you leave the app, your tree dies.
- Focus Blocks: Various timer apps can help you set intervals and breaks according to your preferences.
Increase Your Productivity Level
As you likely realize, complaining that you don’t have enough time to “get it all done” is an excuse. Take responsibility for yourself; you are the reason you struggle to get things done in the time you have. You didn’t know how to improve your ability to focus your attention, but now you do.
Focusing your attention in a specific amount of time is a skill that significantly enhances your productivity and efficiency. Learn that skill.
Stop trying to manage time. Instead, manage your attention.
Do you struggle with productivity? Tell me in a comment below. And please share this post with someone who might benefit from reading it.
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