Learn to Be More Attentive

The ability to focus (or be attentive) is a powerful skill. It’s a key to high productivity, but it’s also a difficult skill to master because it requires fighting distractions, which are always “here and now.” To better overcome distraction and loss of focus, practice these attention strategies: 1) Know your beginning and end point with a manageable size of work. Laboring without an end point increases vulnerability to distraction, which preys on fatigue and boredom. 2) Create a pull strategy—have a positive and compelling reason or reward at the end of your work period. This creates urgency, a force for action that thwarts distraction. 3) Have a secret place for minimal distraction—a library cubicle, someplace absent the pings and clicks of a smart phone. 4) Find meaning in your work. Know the importance of your job. It can motivate and inspire you to stay focused on what you are doing.

12/28/2017