Our digital devices can be blessings or curses. A lot of us wouldn’t be able to do our jobs without them. But, our devices can really hurt our ability to stay focused, When the world is in your pocket or on your desktop, it’s easy to get distracted. And it’s not just surfing the web or procrastinating that can pull our focus from the job at hand. Every time an email alert pings or a text from a client comes in, it can interrupt you and derail you from what you were doing. Jacob Pippenger shares tips on staying focused in the entrepreneur community Small Business Bonfire. We found them helpful so we’re passing them on to you.
Write On Paper
Paper is a great way to brainstorm your ideas and take notes the same way you would on a computer. Writing on paper stimulates critical thinking because the act of writing is slower than typing and allows the mind to focus deeper on the content. Your mind will actually take the time to process the information and bring out your strongest ideas. Paper is a blank canvas ready to be filled by your deepest and most creative thoughts. If you have lost your sense of focus, lock yourself in a room with nothing but a pen and paper for an hour and you will surely be more productive.
Keep Your Phone in a Different Room
Phones provide countless benefits but they are one of the biggest distractions, preventing us from being productive in this digital world. The best way to stay productive and maintain your focus is to keep your phone in a different room. It’s so easy to develop the habit of checking your phone even when there are no notifications. Constantly checking your phone is a big distraction that takes away from your productivity. It is even more important to keep your phone out of the bedroom to get a good sleep. An astonishing 71% of Americans keep phones near the bed. Using a phone at night reduces melatonin resulting in poor sleep. If you are looking for success, you need to wake up early feeling fresh with no distractions.
Turn Off Notifications
If you aren’t willing to part with keeping your phone in a different room, do yourself a favor by turning off notifications. By constantly seeing messages appear and hearing notification bells, you will never get work done. Getting distracted from your main task is already a given, but you can begin to feel overwhelmed and stressed out if notifications keep appearing. A good strategy is to check your phone once or twice a day at times when you can afford to be distracted. The worst feeling is getting in a groove and suddenly hearing a notification. Before you know it, an hour has gone by and you lost all motivation to complete your goals for the day.
Develop a Routine
While it’s incredibly important to focus, it’s equally important to maintain it on a consistent basis. The best way is to develop a routine that minimizes your screen time and increases your productivity. Begin by integrating the points mentioned above into your daily routine and build on it. Try going to bed for a week without keeping your phone in the bedroom. Wake up early and start your day by writing your goals on paper. Take the next hour to read a book and let the knowledge soak in. It takes about 21 days to form a habit meaning if you can develop a routine and do it every day for one month you will see great progress down the road.
Your devices should be a tool to help your business, not a hindrance. Time management is a problem for many business owners. If it’s a problem for you, consider outsourcing some tasks to us. VersaTel Solutions’s team of HR, bookkeeping, and admin experts can help you with troublesome tasks that can harm your productivity. We want you to grow your business. Reach out to us to find out how we can take smaller tasks off your plate so you can concentrate on the big picture.