How to Stay Focused on a Task or Activity

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

Alexander Graham Bell

 

Photo Credit: ihtatho's Photostream on Flickr

You need to write that article today but there’s a really good show on the tube you’ve been dying to watch.  You tell yourself you’ll do the article after the show.

The show’s over and you’re in front of your computer about to start but your instant messenger window pops up – a friend asking you how you are.  You reply and you get into a comfortable conversation.  After a couple of minutes, you tell your friend you have to go because you need something done.

So you go back to your document and start typing but you see a notification of a new mail. You decide to check it out and see that a long time relative has posted something on your Facebook wall and a colleague posted a tweet of some juicy office gossip.  By the time you’re done sending a comment on Facebook and Twitter, it’s lunch time and your stomach is grumbling, demanding to be fed.

Sounds familiar?  Don’t feel bad, you are not alone.  Countless of people (including the wifey 🙂 ) go through this day after day, both at home and at work.  Technology backfires in the form of counter-productivity.  From mobile phones, the television, the mp3 player to the internet.  There are just myriad of ways that keep us from being productive.

Distractions, one after the other, so, how can you stay focused on a task?  Here are a few tips to help you: