Minds go off at a tangent all the time. But, sometimes the casual drifting becomes more than normal and we find that we are unable to pay attention to anything. The wandering concentration sucks away our valuable time and looking back, we are left wondering where did all the time go!
All we can do is go through the motions at work and start getting increasingly forgetful. Life starts spinning out of control, progressively impacting our quality of life and work. The situation is quite serious as the vortex can even unhinge the best minds!
Truth is that small things are to blame which slowly steal away our time without our ever realising what is really happening.
The result is that we lose attention frequently and end up just wasting time, as we are unable to concentrate.
But, this does not mean that you have to necessarily go with the flow and cannot regain control on your attention.
Here are a few tips and tricks, which once integrated into your routine, will help you to stay focussed on the tasks at hand:
Sit down to think – The battle to reclaim your time and attention begins with first determining what parts of your time are being wasted.
Take the time to ponder on your schedule and mark the everyday activities that sink your time and yet do not provide any value.
You may be surprised to realise the amount of time that is wasted in sorting through your mails/reports, gossiping around the water cooler, musing over your work or even daydreaming! Skipping or at least minimising these idling activities makes good sense.
Let go of those habits – Operating simply on habits or reflexes even when they suck away time is unhealthy. Think about such tendencies like carefully reading every report in detail or sitting through every meeting and alter your routine accordingly.
Control your online drifting – While the Internet forms an indispensable communication and information tool, the amount of time that gets wasted in the cyber world can knock you hard. For all you know, you may be spending most of your time catching up on the email deluge, reading RSS feeds, blogging or casually surfing the web.
It makes sense to budget your time on the Internet by say, turning off messenger alerts, setting email filters that prompt only when important messages are received and checking mails at allocated times.
Single tasking is the way to go – Working on multiple things at a time can seem quite timesaving, but ultimately the brain overload will play total havoc with your attention span.
While running from pillar to post, you will still be thinking about other things and become unable to get anything done at all. Going back to single tasking emerges as the best option as you can start concentrating solely on one task until it gets done!
Learn to say ‘No’ – A normal workday brings an endless list of demands that needlessly fritter away your time and attention. Everyone will want a slice of your attention leaving nothing for yourself.
You have to eliminate the interruptions and distractions by learning to put your foot down firmly but politely.
Start strategising – Experts advise that time management tips come in handy when it comes to reclaiming your attention. You have to decide what you want to do with your time and set priorities accordingly.
Plan out things in a to-do list (with reasonable deadlines) and deliberately focus your attention on the top ones, as they are truly important. Schedule downtime – Last but not the least; you cannot expect yourself to concentrate solely on work all the time.
Everyone needs some time to relax and simplify his or her life. Use the respite well by reconnecting with yourself, exercising or indulging in a hobby and not squander it away on watching television and the like. If you practise these simple time tested methods, you can regain some lost time.
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