Today, I want to talk about a serious problem affecting a lot of entrepreneurs. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you’ve, noticed a decreasing attention span among the general population. That might include you. I’ll admit it includes me. I’ve noticed that I can’t focus as well as I used to.
The cause of this massive problem is our constant obsession with what’s happening on Social Media, in our email inboxes, and the numerous other dozen digital Platforms we’re plugged into. The constant shifting of attention, from one thing to the next, trains our brains to always be looking for new stimuli.
Could be; sorting emails for business. Facebook ping goes off. Someone knew from highschool just posted their Christmas photos. Skype starts flashing. Someone’s sent you a Youtube video. A Youtube preview says the new season of ‘The Witcher’ just got posted to Netflix. Etc etc etc …
Around and around it goes-and it’s magnified 100X when you can’t escape it because you’re constantly plugged in through your phone. There’s numerous scientific studies confirming this is true-you’ve likely read a few of them.
I think everyone needs to increase their productivity. You can do this by implementing some of the productivity ideas that I am sharing with you.
22 Productivity Ideas to Better Your Attention Span
1. Turn Off Unimportant or All Alerts
It’s terribly hard to find the zone when your mobile phone is humming constantly. Based on how chatty your cellphone is, you can find notifications for from email messages to retweets.
It’s important you shut these notifications down! Trust me, you will see efficiency skyrocket as soon as you tell your cellphone to is silent.
Tips for building a healthier relationship with your phone
If you can’t bare to turn off all alerts then just leave to important one’s on – no more than two e.g. calendar reminder to start new task and an alert for sales.
2. Disregard the News
The news could be a tremendous time kitchen sink.
The concept that we will need to be in the know when it comes to the news headlines is largely out-of-dated. The majority of what goes by that gets classified as the news nowadays is prettily packed garbage – that’s trivial, depressing, and unreliable.
If something significant happens, you will discover out some other way. Instead, concentrate on what’s helpful and actionable in your life.
3. Exercise in the Morning
It’s been found that exercising each day can greatly enhance your productivity. Workout energizes instead of exhausts you, in contrast to the particular couch potatoes may let you know.
Now, I’m not judging. I can be spud-tacular myself sometimes.
Training promotes good health (I know alert the media!). Plus some studies show that training can enhance your mood for 12 hours right after your workout. Much less stress, more effectiveness – it’s absolutely worth setting up an alarm to wake up atleast 30 minutes earlier to exercise.
4. Have 30-Minute Meetings
The truth is that most meetings never need more than 30 short minutes to accomplish the main objectives. Many really only need a quarter-hour.
Avoid being a calendar-default deadbeat. That’s almost as bad as keeping your phone’s default ringtone, also.
5. Drink Water
The majority of us don’t drink enough drinking water once we should. Our bodies flourish on drinking water — similar to the rest of our world!
Drinking more water offers you more energy, keeps you healthy, and provides you a justification to get up for bathroom breaks so you are not stuck sitting on your chair all day long. That’s very unhealthy too, so you’re really killing two birds with one water bottle).
6. Give Yourself a Break, Man!
You work hard — you deserve a break!
Maybe that’s with a Kit Kat, maybe with a cup of tea, or maybe with a walk around the block. You can burn yourself out if you try to just work at full throttle the whole day.
The simple truth is that our minds just aren’t made to work this way. For optimal productivity, try out the praised and famous Pomodoro method.
It’s one of the simplest time management methods around.
This is where you focus on the tasks that need your immediate attention for short bursts of time, so you’ll learn to ignore interruptions and more accurately estimate time commitments. Then you can adjust your work process accordingly.
Try it – work for 25 minutes, then give yourself a five-minute break after that. Repeat!
Tools:
Pomodoro Technique Illustrated: The Easy Way to Do More in Less Time and Marinara Timer App.
7. Don’t Be Frightened to State No
This one is really a pretty standard productivity idea, nonetheless it makes the rounds for a reason. When you’re too eager to please, you often end up getting in over your head. Remember, it’s not simply a matter of being agreeable — when you take on too much, all your work suffers.
You may end up missing deadlines, and despite good intentions, you could end up disappointing others when you are unable to meet the extraordinary expectations you’ve created for yourself.
Just say no, there’s nothing wrong with that.
8. Hug Your Pet
Countless reports show how possessing house animals can advertise emotional and actual well-being.
Employees that are permitted to bring their dogs in to the office are less stressed and frequently report more job satisfaction. There’s nothing like a cuddle with your furry friend to alleviate some of that stress.
9. Take Full Advantage of Lost Hours
Depending on your commute, you may spend hours driving to and from work in your vehicle. Those hours don’t have to be wasted – consider scheduling calls in the morning that you can take during your drive to work.
Subscribe to popular industry podcasts and listen to them on the way home.
On a train on the way to work or home? Catch up on industry news and articles. Take full advantage of those formerly squandered hours.
10. Silence Your Inner Perfectionist
New college grads still try to pass off perfectionism as the ultimate worst-trait-that-isn’t-really-a-bad-trait in interviews, but it’s time to recognize that being a perfectionist really is a dangerous deal.
Yes, a single piece of work can always be better, but what are you sacrificing by labouring over those slight improvements?
Do the very best you can certainly do in an acceptable timeframe, and stop then. Your inner perfectionist can be helpful, but it also needs to be kept in check.
Good Enough is Good Enough
11. Down With To-Dos, In With Scheduling
Have you ever had that to-do item that simply wouldn’t disappear? It hovers at the bottom of the list or scratched in the corner, petulantly scowling at you for days, weeks, even months!
As more time passes, you feel even less inclined to give it attention.
We’ve all been there — it’s just one of the reasons I’m saying out with the to-do list and in with scheduling.
Scheduling requires you to be realistic about what you can get done. It makes you seriously sit down and consider your available time and what time slots can designate to completing certain tasks in a given day.
To-dos are pipe dreams. Scheduling is a game plan. Studies show that even scheduling free time can be rewarding and can result in better quality of time spent enjoying your life.
12. Declutter Your Workspace
Clutter is extremely stress-inducing.
A messy desk can make you feel overwhelmed and anxious, so clear those papers, throw out those old paper coffee cups, and feel that heart rate go down.
13. Get Comfortable with Productivity Tools
Staying on task can be tough, but there are tons of great tools available to help you out. Don’t ignore these handy helpers.
For tracking your time management, try Toggl.
Are you a savvy social manager? Go with Hootsuite, which offers a central dashboard for managing all your social media accounts. Also consider Zoho or Buffer.
For saving articles to read at your leisure, go with Feedly, Pocket, or Evernote. These apps are compatible across devices; you can earmark a blog post on your laptop and read it later on the train via smartphone.
Sick of forgetting passwords? Try LastPass, which keeps tabs and secures all your various passwords for you. If you use numerous accounts in one day (and who doesn’t?). This one can be a serious timesaver.
There are plenty more tools out there, so always keep your eye out for new productivity tools to help you in your workday.
14. Begin with Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts have traditionally been the vegetable reviled by children across the country (even many adults, me included).
The truth is that you’ll enjoy your chicken schnitzel and mash potatoes much more if you eliminate the Brussels sprouts first.
The same is true for productivity — eliminate your least favourite tasks right off the bat, and you’ll find the rest of your day to be more pleasant and productive.
15. Eat Breakfast!
Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. A morning meal gives you the fuel you need to be present and productive at work, so don’t skip it.
16. The Two-Minute Rule
The general productivity consensus is that if a task takes less than two minutes to complete, you should finish it immediately.
Whether that means responding to an email or confirming a doctor’s appointment, get those small tasks done with, rather than let them collect and snowball.
17. Don’t Weigh Yourself Down with Little Things
When a hundred little tasks are nibbling at your brain, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost at sea. Remember to not sweat the small stuff! If you’re going to worry, then please worry about the big things, not the little ones.
18. Verbal Commitments
It’s easy to break a promise to yourself, but it’s much harder to break a commitment you’ve made to another person.
Words have weight and power. Make vows to family/ friends/ employees/ employers and then ask them to hold you accountable. You will find it easier to keep commitments that you wouldn’t have necessarily hold yourself to.
19. Get Your Sleeping On
Another tried-and-true classic — you absolutely need sleep if you want to be productive. Sometimes you might feel that if you only stayed up a few hours later, you’d get more done, but major sleep loss will ruin the entire following day.
In fact losing one night’s sleep is cognitively equivalent to being over the alcohol limit. Equipment needs to be properly cared for to work correctly. Your brain is no different!
Getting a good night’s sleep of seven to eight hours is mandatory, not optional.
20. Make Bad Habits Problematic for Yourself
Sometimes the best way to break a bad habit is to make things incredibly problematic for yourself.
If you can’t help but surf the Web when you need to be focusing writing a post, disconnect your Wi-Fi for a bit. While the extreme lengths you take to avoid certain habits can seem excessive, once those habits are broken it will be well worth the struggle.
Want to changes habits in 30 Days? The Miracle Morning Routine is for you!
21. Make Sure Your S.M.A.R.T Goals Are Realistic
Are You S.M.A.R.T With Your Goal Setting?
SMART goal setting brings structure and trackability into your goals and objectives.
Don’t Set unrealistic expectations for yourself as it sets you up for failure.
Goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Start with baby steps and work up from there. Just think If you wanted to run a marathon, you would start by going for a run a few days a week to start.
Your goals shouldn’t be lofty ideals you never plan on reaching. They should be real and attainable. Once you meet your goals, you can then create new ones that raise the bar a bit higher.
22. Stay Positive!
A positive outlook goes a long way toward keeping you happy, healthy, and productive. Count your blessings, and seek out the silver linings. How to Stay Positive: 11 Smart Habits
“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something
can be done rather than saying it can’t be done.”
~ Bo Bennett
I hope these 22 Productivity Ideas will help you improve your attention span!
Talk Soon,
Nicky Cane
P.S. You know what else helps productivity? Time away to recharge.
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