Welcome to the next instalment of with Solomon.
Did you catch Part 1? If you haven’t, I recommend you do that.
To recap a poignant statistic from last week.
A surprising 2017 statistic found that millennials check their phone approximately 150 times per day. Another study shows that the average office workers focus gets interrupted every 3 minutes.
The last segment I shared 3 ways so you can be more focused and productive in this digital generation; here are the remaining ways:
- Work in 90-minute Cycles.
We are familiar with 90-minute sleep cycles, but we also have 90-minute work cycles. Most people (not everyone) can’t focus for more than about 90 minutes at a time – at that point, take a break. Do something restful and relaxing for a few minutes. Allow your body to recharge, then start another 90-minute cycle.
- Turn off your notifications.
Your smartphone, watch, tablet and computer likely have notifications enabled. Every app and most websites use notifications, so you’re reminded to engage with them. Turn off notifications on the apps or updates that are not critical for you.
- Go offline for a while.
You can stay away totally from all distractions (notifications) from email, social media and your smartphone by going offline entirely until you’ve accomplished what you need to do.
- Break it down.
You can make tasks smaller and break down your large projects into smaller goals to help you concentrate and give you a sense of accomplishment and progress.
- Clean it up.
What is the state of your office or workspace? If it’s dirty, disorganized, or cluttered, invest some time in clearing it out so you can focus. Organized settings help you think better.
- Set a deadline.
A goal without a deadline is a wish. It’s easier to stay focused when you have an end in sight.
- Become an early bird.
This is a simple thing, but the rewards are great if you can pull it off. Start your workday an hour before everyone else. Use that hour to organize your day and to get started before there are any distractions. Tim Ferris (Author of The 4-Hour Work Week) recommends getting your most important tasks done before 11 am. I agree one hundred per cent!
The distractions that surround us aren’t going anywhere, so learning to overcome them is one of the best things you can do for yourself to be more focused and productive.
Give these ideas a try and let me know if you can focus more and be productive.
Solomon Dawudu is an outcome-focused marketing specialist; committed to continuous learning and improvement. He currently leads Marketing Research at Take Out Media a cutting-edge Marketing Agency based in Abuja. Follow Solomon on Instagram @s_dawudu
