Difficult to stay focused when the phone rings without stop, when colleagues come regularly to discuss, when personal life invites to the office, and so on. We get to the point of finishing some days with the unfortunate impression that we have not made any progress. So how can we preserve concentration in this context? Are there good practices to help us stay productive?

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Here are 6 complementary and simple methods to help you:

1- Do one thing at a time

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You will never be told enough: avoid multitasking!

Of course, we all have 36 things to do, several priorities at a time, different degrees of urgency to manage, and so on. For all that, you are not a computer and by no means do several things at once will make you advance faster. On the contrary, you risk dispersing and doing everything by half (and again ...).

Instead, stay focused on your only ongoing task, devote all your attention and energy to it. Do not zap, this is the best way to waste your time. Do not think about the next task. You have to be at what you do when you do it. "Stay focused" as the Americans say.

You will then be much more productive and efficient in your work and you will have clear ideas and a free spirit, which will only contribute to your well-being 😉

And if you still had to convince yourself of it, remember the well-known adage that "it is not quantity that counts but quality"!

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2- Do not get distracted

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Today there are so many opportunities to get distracted and get away from work that it is time to really tackle the problem and take the bull by the horns.

According to many studies, after such a short interruption, it will take you on average 15 minutes to regain your initial concentration level. It's pricey for reading a simple email, a little getaway on the net, or sending an SMS. And if you regularly allow yourself these distractions, you risk spending a whole day without ever reaching a sufficient level of concentration to really advance your work.

To remedy this, a radical solution is needed: disconnect! When you're dealing with an important and / or complex job, put your devices offline, pick up your phone, isolate yourself in your office, ... go ahead. The idea is not to cut you off from the world but to treat solicitations (in whatever form) at fixed times to avoid letting you parasite permanently. This will help you maintain the focus you need to perform your tasks and then be more available and attentive to others when you take the time to process their requests.

Also take care of your work environment. It should not be a distraction. Avoid clutter on the desk, magazines at hand, music too loud, the view on the cafe ', ...

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3- Split your work

It is scientifically proven that you can not concentrate for more than 45 minutes at a time. It is therefore useless or even counterproductive to want to work beyond this period without pausing. This is why it is advisable to split working time by alternating phases of concentration and relaxation in order to remain productive.

You can use the "Pomodoro" method from this cooking timer, counting down 25 minutes. Work 20 minutes without interruption, then give yourself a 5-minute break, and try again. This method can be terribly effective especially for people prone to procrastination because it has the advantage of setting goals in the very short term. A variant consists of alternating 45 minutes of work with 10 minutes of break. It's up to you to see which one suits you best.

But be careful, to take advantage of this splitting, you have to be granted 'real breaks'. It is not a question of simply taking off the fingers of the keyboard but of moving, going out take the air, pursue a book, drink a coffee, ... in short, you change the ideas!

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4- Set a time limit per task

To better concentrate on his work, it is useful to set a time limit to accomplish it. This method can boost your concentration in several ways:

it commits you to respect a deadline and therefore to prioritize the task in progress to achieve it
it motivates you to give the best of yourself to prove that you are capable
this simplifies the organization of your day, thus preserving all your attention for the execution of the task and nothing else
To estimate the time required for a task, quantify it according to its content (number of calls to be made, pages to be translated, invoices to be processed, ...) or, if complex, break it down into simple tasks that are more easily measurable.

And do not hesitate to set a turnaround time for any task, because even if your estimate is false, you will always benefit from it in terms of concentration and therefore efficiency.

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5- Decompose your tasks into subtasks

The more clear your vision of the work to be accomplished, the greater your concentration will be. However, tasks are often defined in a somewhat vague, rather general way, which does not help to be precise.

To remedy this, break down your work into small simple actions to be defined. Do not stay at the general title of the task. Remember the school where you learned to make a detailed plan before you start, it's the same. Subdivide your tasks into as many subtasks as necessary and then concentrate on each one. You will then be much more accurate and effective in knowing what you have to do and accomplishing these actions one after the other.

In addition, by breaking down your work, you will realize them in small pieces which will make the task much more digestible 😉

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6- Have goals for your day

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With clear goals for the day in mind, you'll be more focused on your priorities and less tempted to let you distract.

Begin each morning by setting a few goals (no more than 2 or 3 to avoid scattering). Note them so you do not lose sight of them, whether it's on your calendar, your calendar or even a simple post-it. They represent what is important for you to achieve in your work day. Take a look at it regularly to make sure that the actions you are taking are taking part. If necessary, share them with colleagues so that they can also take them into account.

These goals will guide you through the day and help you stay focused on the basics.

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Stay blessed