It can seem like just about everything is competing for our focus and attention today. We are moving faster than ever and information is flying at us at breaking speeds.
The other day, I even had a client tell me that she felt like she was a juggling circus act!
I'll be sharing three tips from my expert panel – who also happen to be experts at Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) – that you can try TODAY to bring more focused attention back into your life. Pick one and try it and let me know how it works for you.
1. Power Hour: Power Up And Power Down
Be decisive about your technology and use a power period to manage distractions. Set up a power hour twice a day for big projects. A power period is a one hour time slot where you close down your email and turn off your phone while working on a significant project. Get started by setting an alarm on your phone, reminding you when your power hour begins. The world will not end without your responding in one hour, so establish this at a time that works best for your productivity.
Thanks to Ellen Delap of Professional-Organizer.com
2. Sneezes & Other Distractions
Since I have ADD, I can get distracted very easily – someone across the room sneezes; someone in the movie theater gets on their cell phone; a baby cries on an airplane; I'm working on a project and my husband is laughing with someone on the phone, in his office. I use ear-plugs, and carry them with me on trips. If you can tolerate music, use a headset to drown out noises. Face your desk away from traffic.
Thanks to Sheila G. McCurdy of clutter STOP
3. Kitchen Tool Works For Me!
I have become an advocate of the Pomodoro Technique — which proposes working in 50-minute increments followed by a break. One of the suggestions I read was to use an old-fashioned kitchen timer that “ticks.” At first, I thought the idea was ridiculous, and would be terribly distracting because of my ADD, but I found just the opposite to be true. The ticking sound keeps my brain focused, and I can accomplish more in a shorter period of time.
Thanks to Barbara Hemphill of Productive Environment Institute
Finding the right technique for you can sometimes be an experiment, but the winning results are completly and totally worth it! If you find you are bouncing from project to project and are never really reaching the finishing point on any of them, then maybe it is time to try one of these techniques.
To your focused success!
Until we talk again,
Live Fully — Love Openly — Laugh Often — Leverage Your Brilliance — Connect Authentically — Get Your Message Out — Serve with Impact — Prosper Everyday
Scott Wuerch says
I think this is a great article, but I have not been able to complete it as something keeps taking me…
OOOOhhhhh, a butterfly!