Finding Focus

The past month, as well as the month ahead, have my calendar jam-packed with things to do. Between traveling, working, blogging (have I mentioned I now write for 4 blogs?!), keeping up with going to the gym, keeping up with friends and family, and, finally, maintaining my own sanity, I’ve been having a hard time focusing for very long. And by “very long,” I mean “I have the attention span of a gnat.”

This past week, I felt inspired by The Everyday Elegance‘s post on how to refocus after Spring Break and decided to try to find my own ways to focus while being as busy as I am.

Prioritize

When there’s this much going on, I have to weed out the unimportant. There isn’t time for me to spend time on the things that are a waste of time, take more effort than they should or just aren’t important enough to need my attention. Make a list of the items that you haven’t crossed off and rank them in order from most important/most pressing to least.

Schedule

When time is not on your side, the best thing you can do is plot out time for everything you have to do and stick to it as much as you can. I’m not kidding when I say schedule anything. From your morning routine to the most mundane tasks at work to meetings, give them each an appropriate chunk of time. Sometimes I’m really bad at time management, so I like to use apps like 30/30 to make me stick to my schedule.

Get Organized

Getting organized will make you focus on the task at hand, not the clutter around you. Before you get down to work, clean up your workspace or home – whatever is troubling you – and find a place for everything. Not only will it cut back on the visual clutter, but it can help clear up some of the mental clutter too.

Write It Down

Nothing will work to etch something in your mind like actually, physical making a note of it. Whether you have to keep a notebook, a white board or a daily to-do list, write down everything that you need to remember to make it stick.

Make Time for You

Letting yourself get burnt out is one of the worst things you can do to your ability to focus. Make sure you keep time open that is just for you, away from work and any other responsibilities you have, to reenergize yourself and your focus.

What are your tips for finding focus?