** replace with published episode **
Focusing Your Brain
If you're not mindfully focusing your brain - every alert, email, person, or thought could become a distraction. If you can decrease these distractions, your productivity will go through the roof!
Yesterday I discussed how to find a quiet space with fewer interruptions. Once you’ve found that space, here are seven ways to focus your brain.
1) Control Your Phone
Take a look at the alerts that are set up on your phone. Are you getting alerts that relate to work? Your personal life? Are you getting them for social media? Breaking news?
Do you really need this information immediately?!
If not, turn them off!
Here’s an experiment to try. Turn off all of your alerts and see if you missed anything important at the end of the workday.
I also recommend turning off Wi-Fi and turning on Airplane mode! With this combination, you will get far fewer alerts. Your social media won't refresh, you won't get text messages, and your phone won't ring. More importantly, you won't be disturbed by your phone in the middle of a thought or meeting.
2) Block Time for Strategic Thinking
Build strategic thinking time blocks into your calendar once a week or every day. Spend the time thinking about a challenge, the future, or your vision, and stay focused!
I also use the term, unbounded problem-solving. This is something I'll discuss more in the future, but it’s means getting extremely creative about an idea while brainstorming with yourself. Think through all your options without limits!
3) Use Paper
Step away from the computer, put down the phone, and just use paper! It’s been proven to enhance creativity!
4) Use a Meditation App
There are lots of meditation apps out there, but I use Insight Timer.
Whenever I need a stretch of time to work on a specific project, I turn on my favorite track that instantly allows me to focus. It’s a signal to my brain that it’s time to work.
5) Use YouTube Study Music
Similar to Insight Timer, YouTube has a wide variety of instrumental music options. With YouTube, there’s an audio component and a visual component.
Just search “study music” or “instrumental music for studying” or anything along those lines. In one of my favorites, I’m calmed by beautiful images of forests and waterfalls.
Sometimes I even use YouTube at home when I'm working around the house and sream it using my phone, computer, or my smart TV with the YouTube app.
6) Use Earbuds
As you listen to Insight Timer or YouTube, you can block out external sounds with your earbuds!
Earbuds signal to your brain that it’s your focus time. Sometimes I even put in my earbuds and forget to turn on music!
And if others walk by you while you’re wearing earbuds, they tend to be less likely to stop and chat!
7) Use a Subtle Distraction
Listen to a webinar or podcast. I love listening to people who inspire me. I find their voices very soothing. By putting something on in the background, I get subliminal encouragement while working on a task.
Tara Mohr, the author of Playing Big, has some great webinars! I love hearing her voice, and she constantly inspires me. I can still work while listening because her words are not distracting enough to take me away from my tasks.
So try these out for yourself! If you've got other ways to focus your brain, please send me an email at Lisa@everbetteru.com.
References
For more on Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/
For more of Tara Mohr’s work: https://www.taramohr.com/
Transcript
for a complete episode transcript, please click here