How to Stay Focused Throughout the Work Day

How to Stay Focused Throughout the Work Day via Unsplash Get A Good Night’s Sleep It’s time to set a bedtime for yourself, just like when you were younger. It’s crucial that you get enough sleep so you can stay focused throughout your work day. Time your day just right so you get enough sleep to go into work the next day refreshed and motivated, even if that means waiting until tomorrow to watch the next episode in the series you’ve been binge-watching. Organize Your Desk Before you even think about what you have to do today, organize your desk. Clean up anything that may distract you throughout the day. Starting the day with a clean desk will make you feel like you have a clean slate. Declutter your desk by throwing things away, putting them in drawers, or organizing folders so you don’t get distracted. A lot of people will use the excuse of cleaning their desk to procrastinate from doing a task. With a clean desk, you’ll be able to stay focused throughout your work day. Make a To-Do List One of the best things to do so you stay focused all day long is to make a to-do list. Physically write down on a piece of paper all of your goals for the day. When you visualize all that you have to do, sometimes it makes your day less intimidating. It’s a great feeling to realize that you don’t have too much to do when you were feeling overwhelmed. A to-do list will keep you on track and focused. My favorite part of a to-do list is crossing off the things that I have done. It’s one of the most satisfying feelings in the world! Time-Block Now that you’ve created your to-do list, it’s time to time block. Time blocking is making yourself a schedule for what you will do and when you will do it. For example, if you were to time block your entire day it may look like this: 7:30-8 AM: Wake up 8-9 AM: Shower and eat breakfast 9-9:30 AM: Commute to work 9:30-9:45 AM: Organize Desk 9:45-10 AM: Read emails Time blocking can help you stay focused and keep you on track. This will help you to prioritize what needs to be done first and how long it may take to do it. Many successful people, like Gary Vaynerchuk, swear by time blocking. via Unsplash Block Distractions Stay focused at work by blocking distractions. This can be wearing headphones and listening to some calm, mindless music while you work so people don’t stop and talk to you. It can be putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” so you aren’t distracted by emails, texts, and other notifications. If you’re someone who cannot be trusted to stay off of social media, you may want to download apps that block websites for a certain amount of time. This will be sure to help you stay focused throughout your work day. Take Breaks You aren’t a machine that can work for eight hours straight. It’s important that you take breaks in between tasks. You may think that this would distract you and pull you out of your mindset, but it will actually leave you with a refreshed mind and new thoughts when you come back to your desk. If it’s a nice day out, take a short walk and enjoy the weather. Grab a snack or cup of coffee to keep you from burning out. via Unsplash Exercise in the Morning If you’re ambitious enough, get up early and exercise for 30 to 45 minutes before going into work. When you exercise in the morning you will stay focused throughout the day. Not only will you stay focused, but you will be more conscious of what you eat, have an increased metabolism, and just feel better all around! Stay Focused Throughout the Day It’s easy to be distracted by whatever is going on around us. However, by making a to-do list, time blocking, exercising, and organizing your desk before you being your day will increase your productivity and help you to stay focused. Make sure to take breaks throughout the day and do whatever is necessary to block distractions.