How to focus better

The business of being an author is often overwhelming. Blogging, social media write-ups, marketing, advertising - the real job of a writer is getting lost in thinking about all this - writing. That's when something dawned on me suddenly. How did other authors manage to focus on their writing? I had read about authors who had had nine children and still managed to become bestselling authors and then another one, again, a mother of four who held her presence strongly felt in different fields of writing. Then I thought my situation is far better than theirs and I, too, can do what they could.

Giving it serious thought I felt that I am wasting my time a lot rather than using it productively. Truth be told a little bit of time is enough for what I want to do and that time, if used properly, can make me extremely satisfied with what I do. 

One at a time

Whatever you want to achieve just have one target and converge your focus on finishing that one. If you have multiple targets and try to focus on all of them, it simply means that your energy gets dissipated and focus becomes less clear. Choose a target that's most important to you and just focus on finishing it for every other task will fall in place. Or, you can shift your focus when the first one is finished.

Avoiding smartphone

Various apps and social media on your phone can be extremely disturbing killing the precious little chunks of time which you have counted on. Simply delete unwanted apps, and silence notifications of apps that distract you unnecessarily. Doing these can gain your time and help you focus on what you need to do. Many times I have experienced getting lost in checking my messages and the status of others and forgetting why I took my phone.

Set your mind

You might have noted down all your to-dos for the day. But the best reminder is when you set it in your mind. When you set your mind on your target, keep thinking of doing it even if you are working on something else. Try to use up your little breaks if you can focus on it. Thinking about your task will help you find out an easier way to finish it. Or can unlock an alternate version of doing it saving you time. You might also end up experimenting and wasting some time, Yet, you never lose your focus. the next day you will do it with increased clarity with minimum time. 

Channel your attention

Some people have a habit of tapping their phones with their headphones on and the TV shouting while still pretending to listen to someone talking to them. I too have come across a similar situation but now I intentionally avoid doing such things. This is not an example of multitasking at all. But I observed that I never focus on any of these while I try to do all of them at a time. switch off other gadgets and immerse yourself in only one of them. If any family member is coming up to talk to you, its better to give them some time to entirely focus on what they have to say. It not only makes them satisfied, but you will also feel good as well. Practising attending only one thing at a time will help you keep your mind focused on what's at hand. 

Unclutter

Not just your desk, writing space - it's important to unclutter your mind as well from time to time. how to do it? it seems difficult at first. But with practice it comes easily. doing some meditation might help clearing your attention off unwanted stuff and help you focus better. Our mind wanders thinking of useless things creating negativity if we don't consciously change its track. Cut down those thoughts right at the beginning. Think productively - find out various ways of attaining your target. If you can cut down your time by opting for a different approach, it's better to think about it. Think about - how you can progress in what you are doing, overcome your obstacles, and face the challenges ahead without being put down by the negatives. 

Wherever we go, information is overflowing - smartphones, social media, magazines, and the list is endless. Everything around us is screaming for our attention. It's up to us to choose what we want to learn. They have the potential to detour you from reaching your goal if you dont have focus on your target.