Focusing on Focusing

Amy Wartham //

My brain feels like it runs 24/7 where my gears are whirling and sputtering like a Willy Wonka candy contraption. There are some days when it seems I just can’t reel it in and get focused. What’s interesting is that I’ve been talking with others and they’re feeling the same effects.

According to Better Up….  Even though they’re often used interchangeably, focus shouldn’t be confused with concentration.

“Concentration is the act of devoting your attention span to a particular stimulus. When you’re concentrating on a book, you filter out the noise around you and lose yourself in the words. Focus, on the other hand, is about discipline and willpower. You can decide where to put your attention. You decide to open the book and start reading. You’re choosing to concentrate on the book, rather than other stimuli in the room.”

Great, now I realize that I’m not concentrating nor focused! 

In doing a little research on how to get things under control, here’s a few tips that I picked up. 

Start by determining what causes lack of focus at work. Then you can take steps to do something about it. For me, I have a crepe myrtle tree right outside my window. As a bird enthusiast, I’m always eager to see who’s landed on one of the branches. Before you know it, I’m like, “Is that a tufted titmouse? and I’m getting my bird book out to confirm.

Set a clear goal. That’s what I did when writing this article. I blocked time on my schedule, put my phone in a drawer, pulled my resources and told myself that I was going to get this article written. I visualized what it would look like and voilà I was able to put it together in the timeframe I allotted.

Tackle the hardest things first. Mark Twain once said that if you have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day. There ain’t no way in hell I’m eating a live frog, but nonetheless, the eat the frog strategy is a prioritization and productivity method used to help people identify difficult tasks. I stand by this strategy. By tackling the hardest items first thing in the morning, it takes away your excuses that you ran out of time later in the day to get something important accomplished. 

Don’t get overwhelmed. If you’re like me, you have 623 things on your to do list and it seems like all them need your attention pronto. It’s easy for me to look at the list and get overwhelmed. It can be paralyzing trying to figure out where to begin. It’s like the Desmond Tutu saying that “there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.” Take it slow and steady and tackle your tasks one at a time. (Is it me or is there a lot of eating going on in this article?)

Hydrate! I have to admit, I’m late to the party on this one. Water isn’t my favorite. It’s not even my third or fourth favorite, but I’ve learned to drink it. Did you know that the brain itself is made up of approximately 85% water?!? Water gives the brain energy to function including thought and memory processes, but since the brain can’t store water and you’re constantly losing water through perspiration and other body functions, it’s essential that you continuously hydrate. You’ll be able to think faster, focus more clearly and experience greater clarity when your brain is functioning on a full reserve of water.

There are still three months left in 2023. 

To make big freakin’ moves.

So get your head down.

Focus.

And make stuff happen.

Shock everyone. But more importantly, shock yourself. 

You got this! 

Let’s go! 

If you’d like to know more about our programs on productivity and process improvement, then email me at awartham@charlotte.edu to set a time for a quick conversation or check out our Course Catalog for a program description.