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I wrote an article about procrastination almost 5, 6, or 7 years ago.

I came to the conclusion that procrastinators get a lot done.

Only problem is they don't get the right thing done.

Creating Laser Focus takes practice and effort. The steps outlined here will help you find ways to help minimize those distractions that may be holding you back from focusing on what is most important. Here are some next steps to take.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to:

• Identify those time killers
• Don’t forget that the best way to be productive is to take care of yourself.
• Clear your workspace of clutter.
• Use some of the productivity apps listed.
• Practice Deep Work techniques that will help you focus.
• Don’t forget to reward yourself!

Congratulations! You are one step closer to becoming more focused, more productive and achieving your goals!

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The burnout is real. We can come up with a lot of great ideas for being more productive, but it won’t be helpful if you get burnout and quit. Here are some helpful hints to help you manage your time and hopefully decrease your chances of burnout.

Compact Your Daily To-Do List

Created a to-do list is an important part of time management, but often we create too large of a list with unreasonable expectations for the day.

Create your list with the top 3-5 most important things to accomplish that day. That goes on the top of the list. Next, you list out a few items that can be done that day but are not as important or urgent.

Create your to-do list for the next day right before you leave for the evening. When you get to the office in the morning, you will be ready to start!

Here are a few important “mind hacks” to help you improve your focus for the day.

Taking Care of Yourself First

Our priority should be making sure we are whole healthy human beings. When our physical and mental health is declining, there is no way we can give our business our full potential. Here are some important self-care tips to improve your focus.

1. Make sure you get enough rest (7-8 hours of sleep) Your brain will not function at capacity when you are tired. While you sleep, your body can re-set and heal.

2. Eat well-balanced meals. Healthy snacks help your brain function at its best.  Try superfoods and increase your amount of green leafy vegetables. Meal planning is extremely helpful as well as trying to go to the grocery store only once a week. Use stores that offer online pickup or delivery for extra productivity points.

3. Drink more water. Dehydration can cause loss of concentration and focus, according to a study at Georgia Tech. Most authorities recommend at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day.

4. Exercise regularly. Moderate exercise can increase alertness and energy that will help you be more productive at work. Regular exercise is also important to prevent diseases that can cause you to miss out on work. If you can’t make it to the gym, try taking the stairs at work. Aim for 30 minutes a day at least 5 times a week.

5. Spend some time outdoors. Being in nature helps us bring our mind and body back into balance. Take a few minutes out of your schedule to take a walk outside. Look at the trees, listen to some water flowing, or just take in some sun.

6. Try meditation. Mindfulness is a great practice to help clear the mind of clutter and be in the present moment. There are paid apps like Headspace and Calm that can help you practice mindfulness in under 10 minutes a day.

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We live in an era of information overload. We are bombarded with media, technology, entertainment, and notifications every day. It seems there are hundreds of people and things competing for your attention at any given time. There is no wonder why in the last few years, our attention spans have become shorter and our ability to focus has decreased.

Your time is valuable. Not being able to focus can have a negative effect on how successful we are at work and in our personal lives. Focus is a skill that we develop by training and practice. Productivity requires intention and strategy to help make your time work for you!

Let’s begin by examining time killers that make us less productive. We will discuss tips and techniques to help improve your focus. Then let’s create your plan will that will get you started on improving your productivity now!

Identify Focus Killers

“Focus can only occur when we have said yes to one option and no to all other options,” says James Clear in his article on Focus.

Time killers are activities that distract us from what we really need to do. They don’t contribute to helping us achieve our goals.

Time killing activities are “noise”. They are distractions that kill our ability to focus.  Laser focus requires to limit them as much as possible while you are working.

The key to focus is to choose one task to do and get rid of the rest. Anything that is not essential for completing that task is a distraction.

To help you get started on your journey on maximizing productivity, let’s identify those things that are distracting you from completing your work. 

Tomorrow morning when you start work, try taking a written (or mental) note of every time you stop from what you are currently working on to do something, then come back to your work. Keep a tally.

Once they are identified, let’s write those activities down to put in our plan later. We will look for ways to set boundaries to prevent it from happening in the future. Here are a few examples of the most common distractions and how they affect our ability to stay focused.

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