{"id":73447,"date":"2022-07-21T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T16:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=73447"},"modified":"2022-07-28T15:13:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T19:13:34","slug":"how-to-stay-focused-on-a-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-stay-focused-on-a-task\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stay Focused on a Task: 3 Effective Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does your mind wander when trying to work? Is it difficult to concentrate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Time<\/em> by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky is a guide to improving your concentration skills. If you can’t keep your focus on one task, then read their three tips that will help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn how to stay focused<\/a> on a task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Staying Focused on a Task<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As stated before, we spend most of our days reacting to a barrage of intrusions and demands: emails, phone calls, and notifications, not to mention other human beings encroaching on our time with action items, meetings, committees, and chores. Even when we squeeze in some time of our own, the siren call of social media, 24-hour news, and TV tricks us into frittering away the hours we otherwise might have spent pursuing some long-forgotten goal or dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knapp and Zeratsky suggest that the most important step to reclaiming control and learning how to stay focused on a task is to choose one task to be your Focus each day<\/strong>. This won\u2019t by any means be the only thing you do, but it\u2019s the one thing you\u2019ll prioritize over everything else. It might be a project you\u2019ve been putting off at work, or it might be something you\u2019ve always meant to do in your free time. Whatever you choose, it\u2019s the thing you\u2019ll look back on with a feeling of satisfaction, or even joy, at having accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a \u201cDaily Focus\u201d?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Learning to determine an appropriate Focus is just as vital as maintaining your attention and using whatever tricks you can to keep yourself in the groove. According to the authors, your Focus will be a single task<\/a> or project that will take 60-90 minutes to complete. Anything shorter may not be long enough for you to get fully immersed in your work, while anything longer risks wearing you out and impacting your energy for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be clear, your Focus doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be related to your day job<\/strong>. It might be a project at home, something to benefit your family, or something done merely for pleasure or growth. The importance of choosing a Focus is that it lets you set your own priorities instead of responding to external demands<\/strong>. Also, be aware that your Focus doesn\u2019t need to be set in stone; you can change it at any point throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your daily Focus can be anything you want, but Knapp and Zeratsky offer several ideas to help you decide where to dedicate your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n