Achieving Laser-Like Focus

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Since I started working from home full-time and searching for a job in my new city, focus has become more important to me than ever. There no longer seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want and still maintain a moderate level of sanity. As an avid list maker it seems easy enough to get all the to dos on paper, but it is also easy to become overwhelmed with the possibilities and wind up dabbling in a bit of everything... and accomplishing a whole lot of nothing. So here are a few tips I've picked up in my quest to achieve laser-like focus:

Remove the excess - First, make a list of all of the activities and commitments that fill your time in any given week. Include everything you can think of, from guilty pleasure TV shows to belly dancing classes to your daily coffee shop trip, you name it. Then, get those items off your plate that are not necessary and are not getting you closer to your goal. Less items on your list not only means fewer commitments vying for your time but also fewer potential distractions. Skipping that book club you're not so interested in, opting for clean bare nails over regular painting, quitting mindless TV watching, and generally learning to say "no" can serve you well when life is calling for your full attention. Remember, this does not mean you have to give these things up forever, just until your need for such a high level of focus has diminished.

Minimize that which can't be removed - Or... that which you're not quite willing to remove. I love reading blogs and listening to podcasts but minimizing the list of those I follow frees up time and energy for more pressing matters. Even if your not willing to remove an activity from your life fully, cutting back can make a big difference when you need to get down to business.

Set a schedule - Falling into a regular, predictable schedule can have a lot of benefits. No, it may not be the most exciting way to live, but when you hit a period of your life that calls for focus, routine is your friend. Whatever schedule you find that works for you, it should ensure ample sleep (no one can focus and yawn at the same time, 7-8 hours is best), consistent meal times (again, no one can focus while hungry or poorly nourished), daily exercise (releasing pent-up energy makes mental focus much easier), and plenty of time for uninterrupted focusing. After a couple of weeks, your schedule will start to become second nature - and just as regular physical exertion becomes easier when practiced every day, mental focus becomes easier when your brain is used to kicking into high gear at the same time each day.

Work in sprints - It can be taxing to focus fully on just one task at a time, especially for an extended period. Instead, prevent yourself from becoming burnt out by working in sprints. First, break your goals for the day into manageable tasks. Then, assign a realistic time-frame to each task. If any one of these tasks will take longer than 15 minutes to complete, try and break it down further. The idea here is that it is much easier to focus, completely uninterrupted, when we know we will be finished with the task at hand in a short period of time. Once your list for the day is chopped into manageable 15 minute chunks, get started! Take a short break after every couple of tasks to stretch your muscles or enjoy a little breathing meditation (i.e. an activity that won't completely suck you in to the point that you can't regain your focus and start working again).

Recharge - When it comes time to recharge, pursue your down time with the same level of focus you bring to your work. That means... no worrying about tomorrow's to-dos as you unwind, no working while you are eating, no emailing as you talk to your spouse, no re-living that conversation from work while you shower. Instead, bring your full attention to the present moment. Let go of the work you have completed; you gave it your full focus so there is nothing to regret and now it is time to move forward.

For those of us with a case of the Mondays...

Five super fast and easy ways to feel better - right now.

1. Take a 10 minute movement break - walk a brisk lap around your office building/block/apartment complex, do some neck rolls and shoulder shrugs, bend over and touch your toes (or your knees or shins, don't go beyond what feels like a nice warming stretch), then do an easy arm stretch or two on each side.

2. Drink a tall glass of water, but not too fast - for extra credit, squeeze in some fresh alkalizing (read: PH correcting) lemon juice.

3. Quickly write down 5 things you're grateful for... go!

4. Holding on to that feeling of gratitude, close your eyes and take 5 deep, slow breaths.

5. Now, take a minute to re-focus on your day. What have you accomplished so far? What 3 other items from your list of to-dos are your top priorities for completing today? Write them down. What were you working on before your feel-good break? It's time to finish that task and jump right into item #1 on your new priority list.

There you have it folks. No, it does not work if you just read the steps, so go ahead and give it a try! You'll be refreshed, relaxed, and refocused in no time.

Monotasking

Image via Owlnet

Like many people I know, I have a tendency to try and accomplish eight things at any one given time. Frequently I will be packing my lunch, brushing my teeth, and trying to compose a grocery list simultaneously - only to later wonder where my soup spoon ran off to (left on top of the fridge), why there is something stuck between my molars (oops, forgot to floss), and how come the pantry is empty (mental grocery lists never seem to materialize in full in my shopping bags). Perhaps it is having to eat soup with a fork, my fear of cavities, or the unsatisfying nature of roasted vegetables paired with a granola bar and edamame, but I have hit my breaking point. Every Monday and Wednesday morning I am reminded by my yoga teacher, Natasha, in her soothing accent of unknown origin, to move my arms "mindfully", to "let the excess go", and to "focus my whole being" on a pose. I'm starting to think she has a point.

See, after a few days of monitoring my own multitasking habits it became evident that I was not really saving time at all - I was just displacing it. Sure, I may have saved a minute or two when I sent an email in class, but the time I spent getting caught up on the course material I missed and composing the subsequent email I had to send when I realized my first message did not really make sense... well... it ended up taking longer than had I done both tasks "mindfully" to begin with.

In addition to saving time, I also thought that my multitasking was helping me get the most out of each minute in the day - a neat trait that ensured I experienced life to the fullest and would not miss out on anything. Well. it turns out that is not the case either. You see, inherent in multi-tasking is that nothing is experienced fully. Certainly I was not experiencing the book I read fully while I simultaneously listened to music and intermittently sent text messages, nor was I getting the most out of my workout as I slowed my jogging pace on the treadmill to read a magazine. In either scenario I would have gotten a much fuller and satisfactory experience if I has "let the excess activities go".

The most profound realization for me, however, was recognizing that a multitasking person is not a fun person. In fact - a multitasking person is generally an annoying person. Think about the last time you had lunch with someone who was constantly sending messages from their Blackberry or texting someone else while you tried to carry a conversation. Majorly annoying, right? What about the lady driving to work while eating a McMuffin, applying mascara, and talking on the phone? Also majorly annoying and dangerously oblivious. And then there's the coworker that is always so preoccupied you end up having the same conversation day after day because they are never really listening to you. Annoying to the nth degree.

Photo via MSNBC

Well I am embarrassed to admit I have recently become that person. I have been called out on my annoying behavior by my boyfriend while talking to him on speakerphone and washing my face, brushing my teeth, checking my email... the list goes on. It has finally hit home that if I am not giving someone else my whole attention I am wasting their time and missing out on developing a deeper relationship. Plus, I am majorly annoying - not a description I strive for. You see, if we are not "focusing our whole being" on the person or people we are with, we risk missing out on truly connecting with others - one of life's greatest gifts. We also risk being an annoying person no one wants to hang out with.

Photo via Ron Martin

Given my recent multitasking myth-busting, I decided to turn over a new leaf and embrace monotasking. Maybe it seems a little boring and lackluster amid a world of bluetooth technology in an endless sea of gadgets that encourage us to do more in any one moment in time, but it feels surprisingly refreshing to focus on just one thing at a time. There are many benefits to monotasking I have noticed, most notable of which is an increased satisfaction with each thing I do. Consciously completing a task effectively and knowing it has been done with care is oddly fulfilling - sort of like when you are young and tying your shoes was a triumph worthy of acknowledgment. Plus, I know I won't be annoying my boyfriend, or any friend for that matter, with my lack of participation in our conversations.

Looking to add a little monotasking to your life? Start with these mono-tips and you'll be on your way to more focused, mindful living in no time:

• When it's time to eat, just eat. Don't watch television or work at your computer while you munch. Not only is eating mindlessly bad for your waistline, but you are depriving yourself of fully experiencing the joy of your food when distracted by the TV. Remember, multitasking doesn't save you time in the long run - you can take 30 minutes to enjoy your meal and be a more productive worker when you return to your desk.
  

• When you're talking to someone, listen. This may seem like a no-brainer, but how often are we truly listening to someone when they speak to us? Even if we are not actively doing something else physically, we are often predicting what the speaker will say next, pondering our own personal issues, or trying to find a place to interject our own thoughts. Spend a day trying to fully engage in conversations with others, with an emphasis on listening - you might be surprised by what you hear!

• Talk yourself through it, one task at a time. Lately, when I start doing one task and then find my mind or my body trying to do something else too, I will say (either in my head or aloud), "It's not time for X right now, I'm doing Y". This may seem silly, but it is a very effective way to stay on task and strengthen your resolve to complete one task before starting the next. A quick reminder is often all it takes to finish what you started with full attention.
  

Video: Lost Generation

My good friend Julie shared this video with me and I loved the message so much I wanted to share it with you. After spending a great deal of energy searching job postings today and feeling increasingly discouraged about the employment front, this video gave me just the gentle reminder about priorities I needed. 

Passion

Image found here.

We had an interesting class discussion the other day and it made me think about the buzzword of many a leadership program, passion, in a whole new way.  The term is thrown around so often in the business school that I've been weary of using it too frequently myself. So when my professor started talking about passion at the beginning of class, I admit, I started to tune out.

I am glad that I didn't completely lose focus, however, because he was not talking about passion in some sort of grandiose manner. Rather, he addressed the issue of passion in such a realistic and applicable way that I left class that day feeling refreshed. His point was that the reason so many people are unhappy and unproductive in their working lives is because they are not doing what they're passionate about.  

Ok, so far this is probably old news to most of us. But what really struck me about his lecture was that he took that idea one step further - the reason so many people are in jobs or living lives they are not happy with is because they do not even know what they are passionate about. That means they might go to a job that makes them miserable everyday from which they receive no sense of satisfaction, but they do not even know what would excite them enough to pursue a different path.  That's powerful.

So how does one wind up in such a predicament?  From a student's perspective, I can understand the pressures to obtain a job right out of school.  We are taught to justify taking employment that does not reflect our true ambitions because we need security.  Our passions can come later, after we have a stable income and food on the table.  But wait, then comes an expensive wedding and the expectations of having children.  By that time you have already established a quality of life that would be compromised by the risks associated with a major career change or lifestyle transition.  And perhaps, over enough time, we have been so busy trying to maintain the lives we have built that we no longer know what we are truly passionate about.

The truth is, I do not know for sure what I am passionate about anymore either.  I have been so busy with classes, work, taking on leadership roles for the sole purpose of bulking up my resume, and pragmatically searching job postings, that I have less and less time to pursue my own interests... if I could remember what they are.  

Have you run into this problem?  Perhaps you are in the minority of people who wake up excited to get to work each day and disdain the sun's fall in the sky as it means you might actually need to stop for sleep.  For the rest of us - do you know what passion you would pursue if you could? What is preventing you from making a change and going after it?

I think my most prominent passions are purely delicious foods, finding new ways to decrease my own ecological footprint and encouraging others to do the same, animals and animal rights, bicycling, and getting people to laugh.  In an ideal world, I turn these passions into my life's work. If anyone has suggestions for how to do that I hope you will share. In the meantime, you'll have to read on to find out whether or not I can figure it out on my own.