How do you stay focused?

The secret to discipline is to remember what you want.

Personally, I refuse to work from home. It's easy to set time-based goals (Work 8 hours a day at the office, then spent one or two at home), but it's harder to KEEP them when you're entrenched in something and you need an extra 10 or 30 minutes to finish it up. The more you do that, the more you're cutting into your family time, whereas if you have a hard stop at a different location, you leave. That may be as simple as going to a coffee shop for an hour a day after work, or getting up earlier and doing it before you head into the office for your full time gig.

I've found that family time is less interrupted in the early AM than in the afternoons and evenings. When everyone is winding down at the end of the day, the last thing you want is to be pecking away at a computer... you'll annoy your family and even though you're physically there, you aren't really "there". But if you were to get up at 5 AM before everyone else and work THEN, no one has a problem with it.

Taking 5 to 10 minute breaks EVERY working hour, slowing down my actions, to where I see, feel and hear each word I'm writing, and meditating, keeps me focused. 3380 posts on my blog, while traveling the world for 3 years straight, has been possibly ONLY because I followed each tip to a T.

Good tips guys. Thanks!

Avoid all distractions. Turn off the internet. Turn off your phone. Isolate yourself.

Set a timer and work on a single task until the thing rings. Take a break and repeat.

It will be hard in the beginning but you will get use to it

Cheers,

C.G.

You actually want to write your GOALS for the next day so that you don't get distracted from other things that come up.

You also want to think:

"Are these action going to move me forward to my real goals or not?"

Here's how I stay focussed, I write lists constantly, breaking down all the elements of what I want to achieve. For my blog schedule for example I write down 5 ideas a week on my notepad and then buillet some of the key points under each headline.

When I come to write the posts, the lists helps me focus the direction of the post and I'm done in no time. If I'm building a landing page I'll write down each aspect of what I want to achieve first - add button, link to purchase, change headline colour, format main text, align images.

I don't know why but constantly writing lists really does work for me.

I stay focused by staying rested unless I am exercising. In exercise I have different motivations.

Once I am rested than I simply can’t sleep anymore. I have to do something. Same thing with meditation. Once I hit enlightenment I am full. I want to do something more. (Enlightenment or feasting on conscious rest isn’t all that hard. Just check out Genpo Roshi’s work on it.) Then it is a simple question of what to do. What do I really want to do?

Income, food, toys, shelter, friends, social causes, communication, power, development, growth, etc. etc. etc. all play into this.

Let us say for example that you want to have an incredible adventure camping, 4-wheeling, star gazing in the mountains (please insert own greatest desire right now into this example). What do you really want to do that is far from what you need to do? Motivation.

Then I realize it is the feeling I am after (thank you Tony Robbins – among many others). And I look at what I know I need to do (work), what I need to do to take care of myself (eat, sleep, etc.) and see how close I let the feeling of what I want to do (adventure, etc) align with what I need to do.

Now work is just simply not so bad. It does not always work like my system Gutap (another conversation) but it helps a lot. Takes the edge off. Allows me to enjoy work better. Significant progress.

Or in other words have your work (and workplace) be as enjoyable as possible. Right now I am kicking back in a giant lazy boy chair typing this. This is a large part of my work right now. The more physically comfortable I can be the better I am at writing. The desire to connect to the world through you flows more unhindered this way for me. It begins to rejuvenate me as I do more.

In a way I end the day more in the zone and refreshed than when I started it. (in a way) That way I can keep going. Find that for yourself and off you go!

To completely focus I need a distraction free environment. No phones, no TV, no kids.

Most people find it easy to focus when they have nice, relaxing music or sounds on the background. But for some reason, I find it easy to focus to death metal music. I don't listen it for fun and it's not relaxing. But I noticed when I listen to it I force my mind to "drown out" the music and focus on what I'm doing instead.

Forming Good Habits
When I have a goal in mind, Thinking of habits I can form that will help lean my mind towards achieving my goals instinctively.
Becoming a great personal development writer is a goal of mine.. I now keep a notepad with me when I am inspired. Instead of programming it into my phone, I write things down. This way my grammar and spelling are required more so and not corrected by technology,.

I have formed a habit that will help me become a better personal development writer. A better writer overall if you really want to get down to the "nitty gritty"

These habits can you form I feel can help you stay instinctivly focused into achieving almost anything. Be created with yourself and you will find ways to get better at everything you put your heart and soul to.

I set goals for every day, it's easier to stay motivated when you can check your list every evening and say: "Hey - I did all those things, nice!"

Remind yourself that time is passing ... time that you can never get back. Wasting time pushes your goals back and back, or worse, you may never reach them.

I think its important properly define "wasting time" as the definition should be your own. What may seen like a waste to one could provide great fulfillment or pleasure to another. Do whats going to make you happy and move you along toward the feeling of fulfillment.

also, making daily lists and crossing off the completed tasks helps me.