I regularly have days that I can’t seem to find focus.
It is a struggle because my day job requires me to complete certain tasks whether I am focused or not.
It’s on days like these that motivation levels drop off a cliff.
It seemed like today was one of those days. To make things worse, I had a lunch that didn’t do any help for my energy levels.
So I did what I’d not done in a long time. Took my laptop & notebook, walked outside the building I normally work in, & sat outside. Took a deep breath. Actually, quite a few. Took in the view. Of people smoking in a corner, chatting away over coffee. Eating solitary late lunches, hunched over their phones. The weather looking ominous, the dark clouds gathering to drop their heavy load any minute now.
And in the next 30 minutes, I got done the three crucial things I was unable to focus on since the morning.
Leo Babauta had a blog post a while ago on this subject a few months a year ago. About Finding Focus. If you’d rather not click that link, here’s a summary:
Now sit there with your task. Dive in. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted.
You’ll have the urge to go check something. That’s a nice urge — just watch it and smile. Don’t act on the urge. Just smile. Now go back to what you chose to do.
Do it for 10 minutes, however long you feel is pushing the boundaries of what’s comfortable for a little bit.
Then give yourself a nice reward: …
Now go back.
Repeat. With a smile.
It worked.