3 steps for killer focus..

We are in an age where we can have access to most kinds of knowledge and our opportunities to develop skills have never been greater. If you want to learn a new language there are multiple sites for every native tongue. If you want to increase your selling skills, there is plenty of content available from people ready to turn you into a master salesman (woman).

However a problem that is prominent within business is adopting a focus in an area where you can be good enough to make an impact. By impact I mean, good enough to be heard amongst the crowd and be seen as the expert or the best service provider.

Ander Erickson who spent his career looking at what the difference was that made the difference between amateurs and true experts. He found that the experts focussed in on what they needed to get better at and practiced it (deliberate practice) until that area was considered expert. Even the areas they didn't particularly enjoy, they worked on it while amateurs tended to just work on what they were good at. It was the individual's focus that marked them out among the amateurs and allowed them to excel in their level of skill and expertise.

There are a number of points on how to develop killer focus. Developing focus is a skill that needs to be nurtured, so there is a necessity to spend time on developing the focus.

1. Aim to focus on one thing at a time

Your mind is always going to focus on something. We can't not be attentive on a moment by moment basis, however if we are continually refocusing on something different or requiring our attention to be split, we are not going to give the task the focus it requires. If you have any type of business it is likely there is not a lot of monotony like you would find in work like counting widgets on conveyor belts. As a result, in order to do good work you have to allow your mind the opportunity to focus on one task at a time.

2. Be clear about what you are actually doing

ambiguity is one way for the mind to stop doing anything. Being focussed involves you intently working on a task. Knowing what that task is can stop the 'shall I do this, but I should really do this' type mental conflict. Have a clear idea about what you are doing; if you get to sit down, start and your head starts getting confused, it is normally a sign you are not quite clear about what you're supposed to be doing.

3. Cut off distractions

Email, phones, Facebook; they all demand a large portion of your attention when you engage in them. As a result you are not able to focus completely on what you are supposed to do. The idea of communication portals like emails and Facebook is that they require a reaction to happen in your head due to the stimuli that it has provided. If you choose to attend to these portals when doing work, be aware that research shows that it can take up to 15 minutes to return to the level of attention you have before you viewed the site. Set aside time when you can view these sites as a way of preventing your mind from confabulating that you are being restricted in some way.