In the ever-evolving digital world, our brain’s ability to concentrate on a primary task or life goal has become significantly more difficult to do. However, with the right mindset and habits, you can train your mind to ignore distractions and stay focused at work. 

All people experience poor concentration or trouble focusing on work at any point of time in their life. Some possible contributing factors are:

  • Multi-tasking
  • Stressful lifestyle or poor work-life balance 
  • Being tired or having poor-quality sleep
  • Being stressed or overthinking
  • Not having a proper scheduled plan  

If you can relate, we are going to discuss a few tips on “how to stay focused at work” in this article that can boost your productivity. Understanding the benefits of these tips and practises to focus at work can be crucial to success, no matter how small or large the task. Practising and adopting these simple things can help you to grow in your professional career as well as in your personal life.

Here are 7 best practices to focus at work which will improve your concentration and boost productivity at the workplace: 

1. Make a Daily Schedule and Work Plan

To get your day started right, make a to-do list and keep it nearby to follow properly. 

As we all know, multitasking is sapping your ability to focus. So all you need to do is set your daily work schedule according to the tasks’ importance and urgency. This technique can prevent you from switching between tasks and increase your focus on a task at a time. 

First separate value-added and non-value-added tasks using this method:

Urgent + Important = Do first 

Not Urgent + Important = Do later 

Urgent + Not Important = Delegate 

Not important + Not urgent = Eliminate 

Using this method, items on a to-do list can add up quickly. This enables you to tackle urgent and important tasks when your mind is fresh and your energy levels are high.

2. Work in a Quiet place and organise the workspace properly 

The objects in front of us or right next to us have an immediate impact on our brains. If your workspace appears to have been hit by a storm and everything is jumbled, then guess what? That is exactly how you would feel throughout the day, distracted and lost. Keeping your workspace clean and organised takes little time but can have a big impact on maintaining your focus and increasing your productivity.

Are you working from home? And get distracted every minute because of multiple noises and other distractions. Here we are giving tips on how to focus working from home. Select a workplace far from the kitchen and living room and then organise your space accordingly. For sure, you can be more focused and concentrate on your study or work. 

3. Do one work at a time to work efficiently

To become more efficient and increase your productivity, focus on one work at a time and set personal deadlines. Instead of doing multiple tasks, pick out one task to focus on so you can give it all of your attention and do your best. This is the primary reason for more than 72% people to lose focus and not able to stay focused at work so you have align with single task at a time. 

According to American Psychological Association research, constantly switching between multiple tasks reduces our chances of successfully completing any one of them on time. Furthermore, when we juggle more than two tasks at once, we lose focus and make more mistakes. In short, multitasking saps your mental energy and reduces your productivity.

4. Take a regular 5 min break (Pomodoro technique)

When you can’t concentrate on a task any longer, the best thing you can do is take a break. Our brains are not built to focus for long periods of time. Long periods of time spent looking at a screen during work can also cause fatigue, headaches, and lethargy. It is therefore advised to take 5 minutes short breaks after every 60 minutes. Also, when working on a long task, such as studying for a final exam or working on a project, it is best to take small breaks to stay focused at work.

5. Eliminate distraction: Stay away from social media and mobile for a certain period of time

Your phone is often your biggest obstacle to concentrating at work. You may use it to make phone calls, text, browse the web, post photos on Instagram, and more — which means you can use it to waste time that you should be working. That’s how you usually break your workflow, divert focus, decrease productivity, distract from your goal and lose concentration. So, if you’re wondering how to increase focus and attention, avoid using your phone during work hours, turn off your mobile notification, and stop using social media during work or study.

6. Get a good night’s sleep 

To stay focused at work, you must have proper sleep at night and sleep at the right time. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of the inability to focus. We define sleep deprivation as multiple days of poor sleep quality or no sleep at all. Sleep deprivation also causes decreased cognitive accuracy and lapses in attention, as well as other issues, such as: 

  • Mood swings, 
  • Mental fatigue, and 
  • Poor work-life balance

7. Regular exercise, and meditation & drink water regularly 

Exercising boosts your energy level, blood flow, and confidence. All of these characteristics are ideal for concentrated work. Exercises including Yoga, jogging, cycling, and swimming are all great low-impact ways to get your blood pumping.

After a stressful work session, meditation can help you relax and refocus at your work. You can easily perform it at work whenever you need to relax your brain and regain your concentration. 

When you’re thirsty, you can’t think clearly; science shows that even mild dehydration causes mood swings, tiredness, low concentration, frequent headaches, nervousness, and lack of energy. So, even if you’re engrossed in your latest project, you’ll need to make an extra effort to drink enough water at work after every 45 minutes. 

Tips to instantly focus at work: 

If you need some tips for instantly focusing at work then follow these three techniques: 

5 Second rule: When you can’t make yourself start working on a task, countdown from 5 and the moment you reach 0, plunge yourself into work.

Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique: This technique was developed by Dr Andrew Weil and is based on a yogic practice of controlled breathing, i.e. pranayama. There is scientific proof that it not only calms the nervous system but also improves concentration.

Talk with family and friends: If you cannot focus even after tried the above two methods then take a short break from work. Please Go and Talk with your best friend or family. It will be beneficial to calm & relax your mind. After 5-10 minutes you can refocus at your work or study. 

Conclusion: 

Keeping focus at work is essential for a successful career. It can be difficult at times, but it is always manageable if you follow the right focus tips. You will get benefits such as building a strong mindset and momentum and increased productivity that motivates you & stays positive. In the end, you’ll eventually realise that you’re finishing your work more quickly and efficiently which will make you happier with your job and life overall.