Made From Concentrate: How to Improve Focus

Posted by Jason Markow on Dec 2, 2009 in tips | 0 comments

Two weeks ago I published a post about The Secret to “Finding Balance”.  After great input from fellow t(h)inkers one piece of the equation appeared to be missing: How do we truly measure and defineQuality Time?

Answer: Short-Term Focus.

Short-Term Focus is the “concentrate”.  Any task you set out to complete requires X amount of time and resources.  For example, if you have a task that requires two hours of work, you can choose to “water it down” and complete it over the course of 20 hours, or you can choose to utilize Short-Term Focus, and “concentrate” the work into the two hours it requires, at the end though all you really accomplished is the same amount of work.

The challenge lies in truly staying focused on short-term tasks.  A long-term goal without short-term focus does not equal perseverance; it’s simply a waste of time.

Here are three things to do right now to help you focus:

Eliminate two “Notifications”- Notifications are great, really.  I love the idea that the instant I receive an email, a DM, or a text, I know about it. However, the distractions add up quickly.  Do you really need to know that your friend checked in @YeOldePub on foursquare the instant it happens?  Try to eliminate the two most distracting notifications you receive. (For me it was the Digg Notification for Firefox, and Mobile Notifications for Foursquare check-ins)

Practice Planned Multitasking- I’m a firm believer that when it comes to work, you can focus on more than one task at a time as long as it is intentional and well planned. At any given time, of any given day, I’m working on 5-7 different projects at once.  Group similar projects and allow yourself to bounce back and forth between them as ideas flow.  This keeps things fresh, and moves important tasks forward.

Cut your Deadlines in Half- Nothing cultivates focus better than running out of time.  Most entrepreneurs boast of “thriving under pressure”.  The majority of the time they are referring to a deadline.  So hack up your schedule, and ask yourself this final question: If every project on your list was required in half the time could you deliver? Chances are you would be able to focus. Chances are you would find a way.

How do you focus?  I want to know.  Share your top strategy, tip, or story and lets start a discussion.

t(h)ink on-

Jason