Finding Your Focus
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Find Your Focus
How to get back your greatest asset
With so many pressures on our lives these days, our focus is fast becoming our greatest and most sort after advantage. The ability to truly sit down and clearly focus with the myriad distractions vying for our attention is a constant battle. Losing this battle can mean loss of balance, productivity, guidance, mental health and achievement. So, how do we fight to regain our focus? Here are a few ways to help you refocus and guide you towards better balance.
Set your intentions for the day
Take some time at the beginning of your day to think about what you want to achieve. Sit in a quiet space and channel your mindset. You only need five minutes. A wonderful way of doing this is using a pack of Oracle cards, such as the Whispers From the Woods set by Carys Martin. Shuffle the pack of cards, think about your intentions and draw one. Each of these cards has been thoughtfully crafted to embody deep and meaningful guidance to help you focus and live your best life. The single word on each card can be an easy way to centre on a particular part of your life or for an in-depth reading, the accompanying book is magnificent. This simple morning ritual can improve and re-focus your mindset instantly.
Remove distractions
Put your phone in a different room so you won’t be tempted to walk past and have a quick look, which can turn into an hour-long scroll. Let anyone important know that you are switching off for an hour or two and won’t have your phone. If you have kids at school or day-care, you can always use the ‘Allow calls’ button from them while putting everyone else on do not disturb. That way if your phone rings you know it needs to be answered. Be sure to sit somewhere where you won’t be bothered by others or confronted with other tasks.
Choose one task to do at a time.
It sounds so simple but we tend to multi-task almost subconsciously these days with the belief it is a more effective way to work. The truth is, it generally isn’t. It often leads to lots of tasks being started and not always finished, not completing anything to the best of your ability and lengthens the time of completing anything. This can contribute to overwhelm and dissatisfaction, which weaken your focus and have you reaching for your phone to scroll social media or mindlessly browse the internet. Try to just do one thing properly and don’t look at or start anything else until it is done.
Fuel your body, fuel your mind
Be sure to eat well throughout your day in order for your brain to operate at its peak. Hunger, tiredness, dehydration or being over-caffeinated are all pulls on your focus, making it harder to accomplish your goals or be actively present in situations. Drink water, eat regularly including having healthy snacks always with you for those times you get busy.
Sleep is your saviour
Ditch the screens in the bedroom and replace them with reading a book for 15 minutes every night or a 5-minute mediation of deep breaths. This can ease your mind and create a habit that tells your body you are relaxing down for rest. Try to go to bed early when you can. A good night sleep is your ultimate weapon in trying to increase your focus.