How to Maximize Focus and Set Priorities

Pause for a moment. What comes into your head? Are you thinking of so many things? Perhaps, yes. When setting focus on a specific task, these thoughts in your head must go together and work well towards accomplishing that particular task.

Focus is a matter of disciplining the mind, and discipline, as we all know, is not easy or something we would quickly love to do. However, there are no shortcuts to success, and focus is one vital element that bridges us to it.

Perhaps, while you are reading this post, other things distract your head. If you want to know more about getting focused, keep on reading before jumping into your next task. You must not miss these important tips on how to stay focused!

Binoculars, telescopes, or cameras are a few tools that are adjustable for focus. The same with your life. Identify your priorities or the things you are more driven to accomplish and try to adjust your time, effort, and steps towards reaching them or getting a clearer view of them. 

Many people list their New Year’s resolution but usually ended the year with barely half of the list completed or fulfilled. So, how can one be genuinely focused on life?

Identify which aspect of your life you wanted to improve on

  • Health and Fitness
  • Spirituality
  • Romance
  • Profession
  • Business
  • School
  • Financial
  • Relational (Family, Friends)
  • Personal
  • Social
  • Living Environment 

Identify with of the things listed above are your topmost priorities

If you know which is most important to you now, it will guide you to your next steps. 

Specify your goal so you can adjust your trajectory

A lens focusing a distant view

Specifying your goals helps you whether you’re going to achieve them or not. For example, many people aim for a healthier and fit body; thus, overweight people say, “I want to lose weight”. So, the goal is losing weight, but to make this more specific, you can ask, “How much weight will I lose?” and “what are the things that I can do to lose this amount of weight?” and “How long will I work out this goal?”. In this way, you are making your goal more specific and clearer.

Make a to-do-list Calendar

Not just make a list but stick to it! You must do a comprehensive report in your office next month. If the task seems big, divide it into task milestones based on the number of days before the deadline. Ensure that you give extra time about 2 days before the presentation day to review your work. This allows you to perfect or have a quality output before you show them.

Set up your day the night before

A woman sitting, and writing on her notebook

This is a helpful and productive habit. Train yourself to plan the next day, including the sequence of the things you will do, the clothes you will wear, what to cook for breakfast, and the route you will take to work.

Decide the night before that you won’t surf the net nor accept more commitments from outside your work before you have finished the more critical tasks that need to be completed. Sticking to your schedule makes you more in charge of your day.

Eliminate distractions

There will always be distractions, both physical and mental. If they aren’t urgent or important, for example, a friend will call and ask you out for a coffee date. Try to weigh if the situation is an emergency or not before saying yes. Just respond to urgent requests that need your help. However, avoid extra commitment outside your schedule. By saying ‘No’, you send a message that you are a strong-willed, focused person. Eventually, you will be bothered less by trivial, time-wasting matters.

Regenerate and keep up your energy

When you feel that you are running out of energy or ideas, take a quick break and do a refresher. You can do this by taking a brisk walk, a stretch, a coffee break, or doing whatever makes you feel better and will fuel your energy and motivation to keep going.

Other helpful things to do are having enough sleep at night and quick naps during the day. Instead of eating heavy meals at lunch, you can eat healthier snacks like fresh fruit and vegetables during the day. Drink lots of water and have regular exercise.