Your Everyday Girl

“Focus, Focus, Focus…” This has been my mantra for the last several weeks. I’ve noticed my attention span has shrunk into the size of a peanut when only last year it was about the size of a melon.

And social media hasn’t helped with the constant scrolling of videos and photos, consuming content at such a high rate. I’ve also had some hurdles I’ve faced in the last year or so which have led me to such a short attention span, but enough is enough. At this point, the bags under my eyes look like they’ve been etched into my skin for eternity and I need to reverse that…if it’s even possible.

I’ve been experimenting and trying to find out what best helps me to stay focused. I’m going to share my tips on what works best (for me!) and what has made things worse.

1. Early bird gets the worm. I make sure to do all work, writing, chores, texting and more during the day. I know that’s a lot for some, but I find I am not one to complete anything in the evenings. Maybe you are an evening person, but I’m not You would need to test it out to see if this works for you.
2. My greatest teacher, yoga, has put things into perspective for me. This has been the greatest technique to teach me how to focus. Not only do you have to take time with movements, but you have to watch for your posture at all times and focus on breathing. Anytime I feel like I’m about to lose my mind I immediately stop what I’m doing and do some yoga. It wasn’t love at first sight for me with this form of exercise, I had to grow to love it.
3. The crash and burn of caffeine is not fun. Coffee does NOT help me focus and the sad part is, I’m obsessed with it. I don’t even know who I am without it. If I do not want to be all over the place then I will drink my coffee AFTER I get my important tasks done.
4. The classic notepad will get you far. Lists are such a great way to hold yourself accountable for the day. I will write out my tasks on a notepad and check that task off once done. If for any reason I do not get that task done, then I will write it out again for the next day.
5. Reduce tension built up in the body and mind by taking breaks. I tend to take a break every two hours to stand up, stretch, look outside, and get away from my screen. I tend to overlook breaks because I always treat work like it’s life or death. My boss told me it’s not and ever since then I’ve allowed myself to take my time.
6. The biggest distraction of all, our mobile devices. I wonder how any of us are able to get anything done when we’re so busy with socials and texting. I try my best to not look at Instagram but I’m terrible at this. I try to turn off notifications for socials off and only keep my closest family and friends notifications on.
7. My mantra works and I think it’s magic. Saying the word “focus” out loud to myself has actually helped me. I don’t know if there is some science behind this, but it feels like I’m cheering myself on while seeming crazy to others.
8. Get those Zzzzzs in because you don’t want to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I’m serious, good sleep is necessary. Some are able to function with less than eight hours of sleep per night, but I need to have at least seven hours per night if I’m to not be cranky, sleepy, hungry, and lazy throughout the day. Yes, sometimes you end up sleeping less because that’s just how it is, but on average you should really try to get 8 hours per night.

There you have it, these are eight things I do to keep myself centered in order to remain as productive as possible throughout the day. The evenings are meant for lounging after all. 😉

If you come across this post, be sure to share any tips you follow through with that help you stay focused.

Your everyday girl,

Sara S.