6 Ways to Stay Focused

If you want to know the best ways to stay focused and eliminate distractions - look no further. Here are six sure-fire techniques to make distractions go away and help you stay focused on what's really important.

How to Deal with Interruptions

The world is full of interruptions. Whether you work in a busy office, or you're doing work around the house, interruptions are the norm, staying focused is not. So how do you deal with interruptions in your work or free time? You must train the brain to recognize, re-adjust, and return to the task at hand.

Recognize the Distraction

It's not your fault that you get interrupted- distractions happen. Accept the fact that there's always someone who needs you with bad timing or an unfinished bag of Skinny Pop calling your name, just when you're hitting your stride. Say it or think it, "I'm in the middle of something important, I'll be back to you when I'm done." No further discussion, end of story. That's your game plan. Eliminate distractions by moving on and letting the interrupters know they have no power to control you. You are fully in charge.

Re-adjust Quickly and Confidently

Now that you recognize that distractions and interruptions are a part of the process, quickly re-adjust your mindset from giving in to turning back around. It's a mental pivot that's easy to master. Practice your pivot like you're Tiger Woods practicing his chip shot. Next time you find yourself distracted, face it head on and say: "Not now." Then turn your focus back around and continue on. After just a few hours of pivoting your focus "away from" and "back to" your brain gets the message.

Return to the Task at Hand

Unfinished business is not your friend. It's up to you to finish what you started with full focus, from beginning to end. Even the simplest task becomes a brain drain if you don't get the job done in the time you planned to do it. Make the decision only once. Finish what you start, when you planned to do it.

Unless of Course, You Can't

There are a very small percentage of people who are fully capable of multi-tasking and staying focused on many things all at once. You may be that one of 100 who can embrace distractions and still be productive.
1. Is an incomplete To-do list your worst nightmare?
2. When you've got work leftover from the day before, do you wake up early and get right to it?
3. Would you say you have extra-ordinary discipline and self-control?
If you answered, "yes" to all three questions, "Recognize, re-adjust, and return" may not even be necessary for you.

You Can Stay Focused

Bravo to you for always wanting to improve! You can stay focused when you take an honest look at your own habits and decide to change them. Train the brain to stay focused and eliminate distractions by:

1. Recognize distractions are a fact of life

2. Re-adjust your mindset

3. Return to the task at hand.

Try these tips to stay focused and be better equipped to handle interruptions and be more productive.

Beliefnet.com