By JD Meier
Article from ezinearticles
Improving your time management can improve your focus. Likewise, improving your focus, can improve your time management. In fact, a lack of focus is one of the greatest challenges to effective time management. Whether it's a lack of focus because of distractions, or because of having too many competing interests, or simply not being able to direct your focus, it holds you back from what's possible.
Think of Focus as a Skill
If you can improve your focus, you will find that your time management naturally improves, as well. Focus is a skill you can build. If you treat focus as a skill, you can practice and get better with time (in more ways, than one.) By treating focus as a skill, you give yourself a great excuse to learn from books, people, and quotes on how to improve your focus. You can continuously add to your bag of tricks, and your ability to focus will become a key strength to serve you through life.
Seven Ways to Improve Your Focus and Time Management
Once you've decided to make focus a skill, you can use multiple ways to improve your ability to focus in any scenario. Here are seven ways to improve your focus and your time management:
Focus on one thing at a time. Don't multitask. Have one fallback project for when you get blocked. By focusing on one thing at a time, you automatically focus your attention.
Focus on outcomes, not activities. Focus on flowing value, not spending time. Keep your eyes on the prize, and pay attention to what's actually valued. You can trim away a lot of distractions and waste, simply by focusing on the outcome. A great way to find the outcome that counts is to ask the question, "What do you want to accomplish?" Note that this is a very different question than, "What are you trying to do?" The former question helps you find the end in mind. The latter question can get you stuck or mired in the task, without a clear end game.
Learn how to deal with interruptions more effectively. Interruptions happen. The key is to find patterns that work for you, so that you can respond, instead of react. For example, you might have blocks of time where you let others know are good times to stop by, or you might use those times to deal with interruptions that you defer. It's easier to defer something if you have a time allocated to deal with it.
Limit distractions. If it's a distraction for you, then remove it or minimize it. You know your own weaknesses, and if your distractions are getting the better of you, then rather than fight it, eliminate it. One of my colleagues keeps an incredibly empty office, and he says it helps him focus, since there are no distractions. You can do a similar thing on your computer and eliminate alerts, pop-ups, reminders, and shut your Web browser down. You can be extreme as you want to, but I find the trick is to just look at each distraction on a case-by-case basis and see if there's a simple way to reduce or eliminate it.
Reduce interruptions by allocating time for things, including meetings. By planning out your time, you can set the stage for your success. You know when your best hours are for when you are most productive. You also know when your downtimes are. You can use this information to your advantage and plan your schedule accordingly. Structuring your time is one of thee most effective ways to reduce distractions, and make the most of the time you already spend.
Reduce interruptions by finding different places to work from. Sometimes the best way to improve your focus is to change where you work. For example, maybe it means finding a favorite haunt, where you feel you can focus your best. It might be as simple as changing how you sit, or reducing clutter. Sometimes, we get into habits where we encouraged distractions for so long, that the best way to change the pattern is to completely change our location for a while, and get a fresh start. Then, when we go back to our old location, we can set new standards, and we'll have a fresh perspective.
Reduce open work. Close something down before starting something new. This is related to working on one thing at a time. The point here though is to also take a look at what you currently have open. Focus on closing down the things you have open. This is something you will need to do on an ongoing basis. Periodically do an inventory of the projects and activities you have on your plate, and focus on closing them down. Don't take on new things, until you either close down or get rid of what's on your plate. This will help you stay focused, and avoid churning across a lot of things that never seem to get finished.
Practice Your Focus Habit and Get Better with Time
Focus is your friend. Focus and time management go hand-in-hand. If you can improve one, chances are you can improve the other. They real key is to find the things you want to focus on, and structure your time to support you. By having an effective time structure that supports you, you'll improve your focus, and will gradually build better habits, while improving your time management.
About the Author
J.D. Meier blogs on time management at Sources of Insight. J.D. created the time management system, Getting Results the Agile Way, a simple system for meaningful results. You can take Getting Results the Agile Way for a test-drive by checking out the free time management training system, 30 Day Boot Camp for Getting Results.
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