In today's fiber-optically-interconnected, everythingseemstohappenatonce world, everyone wants to know: How can I stay focused?
But maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe a more effective question is: How can I keep from getting distracted?
Because when you are focused, you can usually maintain that, right? Keeping the "outside" world from infringing on that focus seems to be the main issue for most of us.
So here's my Tuesday challenge to you:
Try one day without multi-tasking. (Don't think of it as a day "staying focused," per se. Think of it as a day of keeping distractions away.)
I've said before that I think the first 90 seconds are the most important part of the day.
After you wake up, before you do anything else, make sure your first 90 seconds are positive and that you have your MVP List in your mind. You Most Valuable Priorities List. Think of 3 priorities you need to attend to. Or it could be fewer than 3. 1 is fine!
Now spend the rest of your day doing one thing at a time.
Obviously you can't race to one of your priorities immediately. I grant you - you gotta shower, eat breakfast and do some other necessary things.
But even those things - do them one at a time. (For instance, if you're eating breakfast, DO NOT touch or look at your cell phone until you've finished the last bite.)
Then, when you finally get to an item on your MVP list, do that thing as long as possible, ignoring all distractions.
The whole day: Do one thing at a time. Do nothing other than the one thing.
If you can stick to that, I bet you'll get more accomplished today, and you'll get closer to some goals today, than you have in a long time.
I've read that multitasking is kind of like getting drunk or high, because every time you switch gears, it takes 11 minutes to get fully back to a gear you've left. Ie, you think you're moving fast, but you're actually going slow.
How long can you go without multitasking at all?
Can you make it out of the house?
Can you make it to noon?
If you can make just make it to LUNCH TIME, I'll be super-impressed.
Let me know how it goes in the comments section below!
