5 Ways to Regain your Focus When Having One of Those Days!

Ignore the noise, focus on your work.

I’ll admit, transitioning from being a student to a corporate girl, to now an entrepreneur was more difficult than I imagined. I underestimated the advantages of having a schedule given to me.

I was always provided deadlines, told where I needed to be and the exact time I needed to be there. That’s the beauty about having a boss to guide you.

Now, at 27 years old, I’m my own boss. That thought can be quite frightening given the fact that I’ve never lead a group of people before. And now I’m responsible for providing myself deadlines, telling myself where to be, and the exact times I need to be there.

Please understand that I am very thankful for the role reverse, and I’ve learned so much about not only business, but also myself during the past couple of years.

However, there are days where I feel tired, overwhelmed, and my brain just shuts down! This is when I begin to panic because deadlines are approaching and I have no time for my brain to stop working.

We’ve all experienced moments where we’ve lost focus at the task ahead, yet desperately need to regain it in order to reach deadlines. 

Whenever you feel your brain cells are taking a nap, try implementing the following five steps to awaken them. These steps can apply to anyone at any given time! 

Isolate yourself:  And no, I don’t mean lock yourself in a hidden chamber. Try no texting, no Instagram, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Friends, only for an hour or so. Put your phone on silent!  I either go to my room to read a book, put on headphones, take a walk outside, or hit the studio for some yoga. This is your body saying you need ME time, and engaging with outside distractions will cause you to slip further into your LOF state. (Lack of Focus)

Fix up some tea or have a nice, simple drink (non alcoholic): Make sure you’re not hungry or thirsty. Sometimes, if you haven’t eaten enough your body begins to crave what’s lacking, causing your mind to wander. This happens to me more often than not, so I recently started drinking tea and eating snacks while working.  

Clear your work space/ environment: I live by the phrase, “A cluttered environment leads to a cluttered mind.” It is scientifically proven that physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus. Whether that is your desk area, your office, your room, or even the kitchen table, make sure it is clean and clear of extra junk. If you are someone who fidgets with objects, remove them from your site. Hide them in a drawer if you have too. Once your space is nice and clean, light yourself a candle! 

Remember why: Remembering why you started the task or project might help you snap out of your LOF state quicker. Whether its finishing a task for a friend, completing a project for a boss or for your own company, finalizing homework for class, studying, etc. There is always a WHY you are doing something. You study so you don’t fail a class. You finish homework so you don’t get an incomplete. You complete projects for your boss so you can one day get promoted and not get fired. And you finish the task you promised your best friend because she is your best friend and you love her. 

Time yourself and set realistic deadlines: Each day, I give myself a small task to complete. And for each task, I allow a certain amount of time to get it done. I write it down on a huge calendar in my room so I can physically see it. I never give myself all day to complete one task. We’ve heard that phrase “don’t bite off more than you can chew.” When it comes to completing a task or project, that same phrase applies. Don’t dump too much on your plate at once, it becomes overwhelming. This causes your mind to lose interest. Once you’ve entered the LOF state, tell yourself that you’ll continue the task for one more hour. After that hour is complete, you’ll be done for the day. This mechanism might help you regain focus faster since your brain knows it wont be "working" for too much longer. 

Let me add, its OKAY if a day isn't your day for focusing, and you need to try again the next. No need to force it. These are just some helpful tips that might help you snap out of that LOF state that we often encounter. 

xoxo

Rye