In case you haven’t noticed, I write about all the stuff I suck at. And here’s my worst struggle yet: staying focused. But this discipline is a non-negotiable for a writer. It’s essential for anyone who is serious about doing great work. I don’t care if you have to trick yourself into it. If you’re going to do stuff that matters, you will need to find a way to…
They say the key to success is to simply show up every day and do what needs to be done. But showing up is the easy part. How to focus and stay on-task is the real challenge. Like an old lawn mower, it probably takes a few tries to get going. However, when you do, you enter a state of focus where you forget the world and are able to get lost in your work. It’s…
There is no shortage of distraction in life. If you re trying to focus on work, your family needs your attention. Try to focus on family, and the duties of the job get in the way. People load up with hobbies and trips and learning and aspirations and TV and Internet surfing and video games and social media. And then there are all those distractions caused by…
Reduce Hyperactivity and Improve Your Child’s Ability to Focus with These Simple Diet Changes Diet and behavior go hand in hand so it’s no surprise that many of the symptoms of ADHD like hyperactivity and inability to focus can sometimes be improved by changing the way your child eats. Studies have shown that eating foods high in protein, controlling sugar intake…
Photo: Adam Levey 1 of 5 I m so scatterbrained—I must have ADHD. It s a lament that doctors like Michael Coates, MD, are hearing more and more from adult patients, many of whom assume medication is the answer to their woes. Yet most people don t have ADHD, nor do they need a pill, says Coates, who chairs the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake…
If you start hitting wayward passes and miscuing your shots (more than usual), take a break – it’s a sign your football brain is running low on power. A study in Australia on how players react to mental strain found technique suffered just as much as physical output. Players passing and shooting was found to be less accurate, and even their reactions and forward…
Many people who turn to meditation for stress relief find focused meditation easier than traditional meditation practices. That is because this meditation exercise allows you to focus your attention on an object, sound or some other stimulus rather than trying to achieve a clear mind. Focused meditation is something that everyone can do at home without an instructor…
How you identify a single, concrete, measurable goal. Humanistic. Focus on who you want to help rather than jumping to solutions. Empathize with your audience to develop Points of View (POV): [USER] needs to [USER’S NEEDS] because [SURPRISING INSIGHT]. Actionable. Use tactical micro goals to achieve long-term macro goals. Testable. Identify metrics that will…
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. Inattention means a person wanders off task, lacks persistence, has difficulty sustaining focus, and is disorganized; and these problems are not due to defiance or lack…
Everyone who works on a computer would know that it’s not easy to concentrate on work the entire time. This is especially apparent when working on your own computer where there’s no network restrictions to what websites you can visit, giving you the ease of access to social networks, non-work related news websites or watching tech channels on YouTube. Doing any…
If you want to succeed in life, if you want to get what you desire most, if you want to achieve your goals… you need to master the art of focus. And of course, this doesn’t only apply to succeeding in your business, advancing your career or improving your financial situation. It holds true for every aspect of your life: finding more fulfillment, creating better…
On the other hand, people who multi-task are more likely to make mistakes, get distracted, struggle with creative work, produce less and/or lower quality output and achieve fewer goals. They are also more likely to experience higher levels of stress. There are also studies that suggest that habitual multitasking may be impacting the physical structure of the…
The proof that we are not the mind comes with training. Accept the idea in theory, and in time, as your control over your thoughts grows, you will know it as a fact. In reality, you, the real you, is the one mastering the mind. It is not the mind mastering itself. Advice for Practicing the Concentration Exercises Find a place where you can be alone and undisturbed…
I call it the September phenomenon. My practice fills with children getting ready for school, college students grabbing their last-minute prescriptions and everyone questioning whether they should refill their ADD/ADHD medicine of choice. It is always interesting to see the diversity amongst my ADD population. Many young children and adolescents love the feeling…
It happens all the time. When building a new online business, many entrepreneurs become scattered and distracted in both strategy and execution, trying to move in too many directions at the same time. This lack of focus ends up causing a lack of real movement for the business in any one particular direction and can ultimately lead to failure. In this post we…
In a recent post, I provided an overview of the How Hiring Process Impacts Performance matrix shown below. It demonstrates the concept that the quality of the process a company uses to hire people is a great predictor of the quality of the people actually hired. Given this, all a company needs to do to improve its hiring results is to benchmark how the best people…
It took me a long time to write this piece. I found myself researching quotes (finally settling on the very appropriate Daniel Goleman one above), which led me to other websites that had nothing to do with what I was really writing about. Then I started to think about the things I haven’t been focusing on as much as I should. Inevitably, this led me to think…
1. Coffee + Cinnamon Sure, it might seem obvious that coffee would perk you up and help you focus, but did you know that two to three daily cups have been linked to both long- and short-term improvements in memory? Bolster its brain-boosting effects even further by adding a few dashes of cinnamon—a 2009 study found that even just the smell of this spice can lead…
Some years ago, knowing that in business, the numbers always tell the real story – indeed numbers can provide clarity in most areas of life – I decided to calculate my “off” days. I calculated over a period of 6 months. Hmm, the results certainly gave me enough clarity for me to actually do something about it. Indeed I was shocked into making the changes necessary…
Everyone has their own reasons for deciding to study in the first place. She might want to become a manager at her current workplace; he might want to rise above his current circumstances; you might want to change your career. No matter what your reason is, it is important that you stay focused on your studies if you want to reach your full potential. 1) Keep…
1. Leafy Greens Recipe to Try: Muffin-Tin Quiches with Smoked Cheddar & Potato A study in Neurology showed that people who ate two or more daily servings of vegetables, especially leafy greens, had the mental focus of people five years younger than their age. Greens are packed with fiber and vitamins A, C and K. Get a jumpstart on your veggie intake in…
Some days it seems your brain just doesn’t want to focus on anything that needs to get done! Brain fog, stress, and distractions can make your mind start to wander and you might feel like being productive is impossible. By making simple changes to your daily diet and habits, you can become more productive. To help improve your brain power, here are six ways to…
How well you’ve mastered the skill of how to stay focused on the task at hand is going to determine your level of success. If you are able to stay focused at work, or at school, and on your goals, you’ll be productive, you’ll get things done and you’ll reach your goals in record time. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. If you are constantly distracted…
You have just 24 hours. And, you’ve got to do everything in these many (but few) hours. Practically, there’s a limit to the efforts you can put into a day, but then, the paucity of time shouldn’t be a deterrent to achieving your goals. You can achieve more by increasing your productivity which is contingent upon improving your focus. Focusing on the task at hand…
