While sitting in your office, have you tried to focus on a task and just couldn’t stop being distracted? As a small business owner, staying focused on the task at hand is not easy. We wear many hats and it can be overwhelming when it’s just you doing the work day in and day out. I truly believe that it is possible to be effective in your day to day tasks. Here are tips on how to stay focused to help you successfully manage your small business.
How to stay focused at work
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Eat a healthy meal with protein for breakfast and lunch. Eating food that gives you energy will keep your blood sugar balanced and minimize fog brain.
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Do creative and more time-consuming projects first in the morning. This way you will be sharpest in while doing the task and when you are tired, you can work on the mundane routine tasks.
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Find a quiet place and remove distractions, like a TV or talking in the background. This could even be going out of the home to work at a nearby coffee shop. I like to use earbuds to keep the distractions to a minimum.
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For certain tasks, assign a time of a day to work on the task at hand. If you need to get your paperwork in for a client on a particular day, assign time to do that task. Add a recurring appointment to remind you that that task needs to be done.
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Minimize notifications: Schedule your smartphone to do its email updates at exact times throughout the day when it won’t distract you, like 9:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 3:00 PM. Also, check out Ways To Minimize Social Media Notifications post to reduce those distractions as well.
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Consciously remind yourself not to get distracted. Taking breaks and doing some deep breathing exercises helps redirect your energy and focus and you can get started again.
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Can’t understand a concept? Read the content out loud. It helps to understand something when you use additional senses. I learned this when I was in college and it really helped grasp the topic easier and more quickly.
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Have at least one day off from work each week. I like to make Saturdays my day off. I don’t even go into the office on that day. Instead, I run errands, take a walk, clean the house, and relax.
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Start your week on Sunday evening, review your calendar for the up-and-coming week and assign different tasks for different times throughout the week that will help you get everything done more effectively. Mark all the absolutely “needs to be done” tasks in a different color pen so it stands out.
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Also, on Sunday, write the big picture goals for the week, then assign each task. Determine what the steps are and “see” them completed in your mind. This will give you direction on which way to approach the task at hand. And, as a result, you will finish faster.
Below are some additional staying focus tips from others.
Here’s a great video that talks about even more tips on staying focus.
Here is an additional post that talks about staying focused. 15 Ways to stay focused all day from Time Magazine.
Well, there you have it. Making time to stay focused on the task at hand will help you be more in control of your small business. Now, it’s your turn. What are your favorite tips to help you stay focused? Is there something that I didn’t add here? Please leave a comment below.
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Jeannette Paladino says
October 24, 2016 at 2:42 pmIt’s also important not to over-schedule yourself. Small business owners tend to get overwhelmed by. all the tasks that face them. Take a big project and separate the activities that have to be done and then attack each one in its priority order.
Sabrina says
October 24, 2016 at 2:58 pmVery true, Jeannette. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Deb Lee says
October 22, 2016 at 4:17 pmLife as a business owner can get overwhelming so it really helps to have a few strategies to rely on when your day doesn’t go as planned or when your focus is pulled in million directions. I love #8! Confession: still working on doing this consistently. =)
Jackie Harder says
October 17, 2016 at 6:47 amMy favorite tips are to stay out of your inbox. Check in 3x a day, and the first time should never be first thing in the morning (unless you KNOW there something urgent and important that has to be dealt with immediately). Another great tip: Turn off all your notifications. Yes. All of them.
Joyce Hansen says
October 16, 2016 at 1:38 pmI’m most guilty of now planning out the week and not taking a day off to do nothing. This is really making me re-think how I’m allocating my time. Thanks for also including the video Sabrina. It’s nice to get information from different sources.
Cindy Rewddy says
October 15, 2016 at 2:43 pmGreat tips! Reading out loud is so effective, it feeds your subconscious. Thanks Sabrina
Kristen Wilson says
October 15, 2016 at 12:58 pmI think we were along the same lines of thinking this week. 🙂 Getting our business in focus. These are all great tips to help us stay focused.
Joan M Harrington says
October 13, 2016 at 8:43 pmAwesome tips to stay focused Sabrina! I really needed to remind myself of each one 🙂 Thank you for sharing what we, as small business owners, must do to ensure that we focus on what we need to do . Working from home can be so distracting and cutting out all of those “noises” can really help!
Great post and reminder!!
Beverley Golden says
October 13, 2016 at 3:56 pmGreat tips in this post, Sabrina! Yes, I do many of them, yet often, by getting a bit distracted I am led to the most fascinating new ideas and pieces of info that somehow are the perfect thing for me in that moment in time. I definitely read all of my articles out loud before I finish editing them too!
Reba Linker says
October 13, 2016 at 10:19 amThese are such awesome pointers. I do a few already, and really like the Sunday night tip. Thanks!
Alene Geed says
October 13, 2016 at 9:59 amThanks for the tip on reading the content out loud. I will use this! I need to be more diligent about taking breaks too
Rachel Lavern says
October 13, 2016 at 2:38 amOh lordy…I thought that I was the only person who read content aloud to understand it better LOL. I don’t even know where I got that technique from.
Katarina Andersson says
October 12, 2016 at 7:10 pmGreat tips, though I think it depends from person to person, I prefer to not work in complete silence as it gives me less inspiration and I do not miss out on focus because of that. And for me it is better to do the creative or hard tasks in the afternoon, in the morning I might as well avoid that. As far as possible I try to not work on weekends, unless strictly necessary. Good points though. 🙂
Sabrina says
October 13, 2016 at 7:54 amI agree. There are many options for people to stay focused. Every one of them may not work for everyone.
Tamuria says
October 12, 2016 at 4:28 pmThese are all great tips Sabrina. I especially like the idea of setting the big picture goal at the start of the week. I always try to get the most difficult jobs or the ones I’m dreading, out of the way first.
Renee groskreutz says
October 12, 2016 at 2:56 pmThe Sunday big picture goal is a great idea. I love that. Thank you so much.
Janet Barclay says
October 12, 2016 at 2:36 pmThese are all excellent tips – I think I do most of them, most of the time, but seeing it all spelled out was great food for thought.
Susan Mary Malone says
October 12, 2016 at 1:35 pmGreat tips, Sabrina! It took me forever to commit to # 8–have at least one day off per week. I used to work all 7, but finally acquiesced to a day off. Funny thing–it made me much more productive!
Carol Rundle says
October 12, 2016 at 1:02 pmI’ve found that setting the timer on my phone for every hour helps me focus. It’s a reminder each hour to look at what I’m doing and decide if I need to continue or do something else. It also reminds me to take a stretch break.
Christy says
October 12, 2016 at 11:37 amBreakfast is a must for me. So is Sunday planning. These are great tips.