Here are 5 more tips to get refocused when your concentration is slipping!
- Do your MIT. MIT stands for Most Important Task. Ideally you’ve identified your MIT first thing in the morning as you started work but if not, write it down now. Completing your MIT gives a tremendous sense of accomplishment and resets your motivation momentum.
- Do any 2-minute task. Keep a running list of small tasks. Putting those tasks down on paper gets them out of your short term memory (freeing up that space for other work) and allows you to readily access those to-dos when you have a free moment or are having difficulty concentrating on other, more in-depth work.
- Change your medium. If you’re stuck or distracted while writing on the computer, switch to paper until your flow returns. If your task list is looking a bit tattered and disorganized, dump the list into a productivity app (I use and love Trello) and have fun adding color, photographs and links.
- Engage your senses. Pet the dog or cat, chew some gum, fire up the aromatherapy candle, or put on some background music. We can easily fatigue when engaged with just one or two of our senses for any length of time (reading, listening to a presentation, entering data). Taking a break and allowing an underused sense to take priority can bring life back quickly.
- Play your fight song. You know the song – the one that gets your blood flowing and you ready for action. The fight song is a great trick to get you psyched up before an interview or any time you need to project confidence. Why not create an entire playlist of songs that get you going?
Do you have any favorite tips for refocusing when your mind is wandering? I’d love to hear your suggestions for what works!