How to Stay Focused on a Task. 6 Powerful Tactics

The world today is a fast-paced place, full of distractions that insist on your attention every second of every day. You just can’t put your phone down. Ping! There goes your phone again…

Always with a task to attend to, and a hundred thoughts buzzing around in your head, it feels next to impossible to get stuff done. If this sounds like your life, don’t worry. Ask any one of your coworkers and you’ll see that they’re all probably suffering with the same attention deficit as you. According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013. Is it any surprise that during this time, social media usage has also spiked?

If you’re struggling to stay focused on a task, here are six powerful tactics that can help you out.

1. Stop multitasking

When pressed for time, multitasking can seem like the smart thing to do. But beware, multitasking is simply a euphemism for distraction! Doing multiple tasks at once means performing subpar at each task while mentally exhausting yourself in the process. Unless you choose one task at a time and give it all your time and focus, you will not achieve the kind of outcomes that you are capable of.

 So, instead of multitasking, choose the task that needs tending to first. Make a mind map of the process you’ll need to follow, or simply list down the subcomponents of the task. If you struggle with maintaining consistent focus for long, you can work in short bursts of time: work for 15-25 minutes and then take a 5-7-minute break.

2. Eliminate distractions

Once you have chosen the task you need to tend to first, it’s necessary to eliminate distractions. In order to that, you need to identify the various distractions present in your environment. These external distractions include noise, lighting, and physical comfort. If you need music to help you focus or if you prefer working in silence, modify your space to make it conducive to productivity. Make sure the room temperature is just right, your chair is sturdy but not too hard, and that you aren’t hungry. Perhaps most importantly, make sure that your phone’s ringer is turned off. In fact, you can even place your phone far away from your desk or even outside your room.

3. Declutter your space

You’ll be surprised to know that your physical space has a profound impact on your mental clarity and work performance. A cluttered workspace negatively impacts your ability to focus and even worsens mood. In fact, research has shown that a cluttered field of view measurably affects productivity. So, as you remove distractions from your surroundings, make sure to organize your desk as well.

4. Make sure the difficulty level isjust right

Research has shown that setting goals helps motivate people to perform well. However, these goals have to be the right difficulty level in order to be efficacious. Meaning, the task you decide to do can’t be so easy that it fails to present a challenge at all, but it shouldn’t be so difficult that it intimidates or prevents you from tending to it. No one really enjoys doing stuff that is too easy – we appreciate a challenge because of the adrenaline rush it elicits. And when we overcome the challenge, our brain releases chemicals that generate feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction, and joy. So, when planning out your tasks for the day, make sure they are challenging enough to make work interesting.

5. Understand your body and its needs

Understanding your body’s circadian rhythm can help unleash high levels of focus and productivity. Pay attention to the times of day when your mental acuity is at its highest. This will take some time to fully understand but once you do, you can structure your day according to when you’re most productive. Most people tend to be most alert and high-focused during the first half of the day. As the day progresses, their productivity goes down. In order stay focused on your work and work efficiently, do the most important tasks earlier in the day.

6. Try focus-enhancing nootropics

When burdened with work, a thousand things grapple for attention in one’s mind. This not only induces anxiety and stress but also leads to brain fog. It’s incredibly difficult for anyone to work under these conditions. To help your attention span, try caffeine and L-Theanine supplements. The natural substances provide mental clarity and boost creativity while increasing alertness and energy levels.