Keeping Your Focus Where It Counts

Keeping Your Focus Where It Counts 

It goes without saying that we live in a world full of distractions and competition. It doesn’t take much more than simply logging onto social media to see a plethora of both. For starters, social media itself is a major distraction and has taken the attention of too many people who intended to only log on for a few minutes.  

Logging on to social media is borderline toxic for most people as they see thousands of people that appear to be just like them but have these insane connections or overwhelming amounts of money that allow them to experience things that your average person wouldn’t be able to. Social media is a place where a lot of bragging is done. If someone just got an expensive new car, or a bunch of presents for Christmas or their birthday, or went on a really nice vacation, you’re guaranteed to see the proof on their social media. 

It can be hard not to compare yourself to these people and all of the things that they post on their accounts, but at the same time, none of the harder or boring stuff is posted online. People online post the highlights of their life. So yes, they have a lot of really cool experiences, but take a second to consider that maybe you do too, you just don’t post about it. 

Everyone is at a different place in their life and has different things going on for them. While staying motivated and inspired is incredibly hard, it’s the best thing that you could do for yourself. Focusing on your goals and working towards them with a valiant effort is a surefire way to accomplish them. 

Staying motivated is easier said than done, so odds are that you will have to try to bring yourself back from the slumps where you struggle to find that motivation. 

Sometimes, it can help to take a step back and then return to your project. For example, as a writer, sometimes if I’m stuck on a certain scene, it’s better for me to skip to a different scene that I know that I’m looking forward to writing. Maybe I’ll even go back to the beginning and do a round of edits on what I have so far to see if anything needs to be changed. If the slightest thread needs to be pulled, it can alter the entire shape of my story and potentially iron out whatever issue I have at the moment. 

If I’m feeling really unmotivated with that particular project that I’m working on, I’ll let it go for X amount of time and work on something else to see if I can get those creative juices flowing again. 

If you’re going to try this method, the most important thing is that you bring yourself back to the project that you put on hold. Rather than just stopping writing altogether, it’s better for me to lose some time with a piece or risk rewriting some of it. If it helps, set a reminder on your phone for a few days or weeks later and remind yourself to revisit what you were previously working on. 

Another thing that works for me, not only as a writer but in all aspects of life, is a good reward system. I’m a big fan of lists, and I suggest that you consider making some if you don’t already.  

I write a list for myself almost every single day, whether it’s for the supermarket, or a list of things that I have to do at work, or when I get home, I’m definitely writing it down somewhere.  

To-do lists have to be my favorite by far. I write these down everywhere. If I have my preference, I’ll get to write it down on a whiteboard; there’s something so satisfying about wiping something off your list so easily. However, most of the time I have to settle for whatever I have that’s accessible at the moment which is usually a scrap piece of paper or a sticky note.  

I’ll bullet a whole bunch of things that I have to do or that I want to accomplish, and it helps me visualize what I have to do rather than it all being a jumbled mess in my head that things will inevitably get lost in.  

Sometimes I’ll cheat a little bit and I’ll really break down something that I have to do into the smallest and simplest tasks. For instance, if I have to clean a room, instead of writing “Clean the Bedroom”, I’ll write down things like “Make the bed”, “Vacuum”, “Dust”, and “Clean the windows”. I’m still getting the same amount of work done, but it looks like more and therefore feels like more when I’m getting it done and crossing them off my list. 

Now, having a really long list of things I have to do isn’t what motivates me. Honestly, I don’t want to entirely credit crossing things off as frequently as I do for my motivation either. What I believe truly motivates me is the reward that I promise myself after I finish either the entire list or at least a portion of it.  

If I’m being realistic, I’m not saying treat yourself to a shopping spree or some outlandish reward, although I would love to. My rewards are small, but they do the trick. Depending on the day, they may look something like “Once I clean the bedroom and unload the dishwasher, I can watch an episode of my favorite show” or something of a similar nature.  

I fully believe in treating yourself well, I just don’t think that should interfere with your ability to be productive and remain motivated. If you struggle with this, try implementing a reward system that you think would work for you. This may take some time to figure out what works for you, but it’ll be worth it when you feel like you can conquer the world! 

For more great blog post check out: https://kastral.com/blogs/awesome-sauce-blog

For more on this topic, check out: https://brighthealthcare.com/brighter-life/5-ways-to-help-you-stay-on-task