Five Steps to Effective Focus Through Monotasking
No matter how great you are at balancing multiple tasks, juggling between emails, work projects, housework, and family, you name it –
multitasking is in fact not your friend.
You might feel like you’ve crammed your to-do list into a short space of time successfully, but the truth is multitasking is an illusion.
Switching from one job to another in fact makes your energy scattered and is less efficient.
Earl Miller, professor of neuroscience at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT explains that every time our brain goes through the process of switching tasks, there is a loss in productivity and creativity.
When you return to the activity you stopped, you expend a lot of mental energy refocusing.
Neuroscientists agree that the human brain works best when tackling one task at a time – aka monotasking.
The zen-like focus in extended concentration on one task at a time is the most beneficial for innovative thought.
In short, learning how to monotask can radically improve your performance and life!
You will be calmer, more focused, and importantly – more aware of your inner voice when it speaks.
The challenging part is that we are all so used to multitasking!
Most people take their cellphones to the bathroom, scroll while eating or cooking, and are rarely ever focused on just doing one thing at a time.
Here are five easy steps to improve your focus:
- Plan your time effectively
Think about your day ahead of time and schedule how long you believe each task is going to take.
Plan to spend that allocated time purely focusing on that one task.
- Detox from technology
Take a break from the scroll! Turn off your phone while working on tasks or silence notifications.
Work up to taking an entire day (or longer) off social media or whatever technology keeps you hooked.
- Declutter your workspace
Make sure that where you work is distraction-free.
This will help you to train your mind towards working on just one thing at a time.
- Rest and nap
Taking short naps during the day or even just making sure you take a 15-minute break from work every couple of hours does wonders for your brain and body.
Add in a walk outside or a quick yoga routine and you’ll be feeling amazing!
- Remind yourself
Every so often when you catch yourself bored, or reaching to try and balance tasks, just take a breath and be where you are in that moment.
If you are cleaning the dishes, just clean the dishes.
If you are talking to someone, just talk to them and listen. It will bring you back to a zen frame of mind.
Try implementing these easy steps and you will reap the benefits of slowing down and creating excellent focus in all areas of your life.
