Staying focused when there is so much distraction
(I bought these super cute temporary tattoos for our family Christmas catch up yesterday from the gorgeous Melbourne based party business Frog Goose and Bear.)
Hello,
I hope your year is ending well. My husband started holidays this week adding even more to the holiday vibe of the house. I am however not on holidays and really need to complete some substantial work this week before I have a few days off.
Here are some things I am doing to help me maintain focus when there is so much to distraction around me:
Choosing one song to work to and playing it on repeat. It is amazing how this can help me block out everything else yet allow me to focus on my work.( I have been playing this Taylor Swift song so much over the last week!). This isn’t just a me thing either, so you might like to give it a try too - Listen to a Single Song on Repeat When You Want to Get in "the Zone".
Lots of lists. As we all do, I have a lot of extra workload this time of year with preparing for Christmas. I have a series of lists and plans for each key activity or event and if I find my mind worrying about things when I should be working, I write the action I need to take on the list and then do my best to let it go and get back to work.
Set myself rewards. For example, it was a beautiful day to day with lots of sunshine which we have had so little of in Melbourne of late. I had a list of things I needed to do and as soon as I finished them I could then go outside and have lunch and enjoy the sun.
Delegating tasks. As my husband is on holidays this week he can do more of the errand running that I would usually do and this helps me have more time for work.
Doing the hard things first. I have had some things that are important but not urgent on my list for a number of weeks now and to be honest I haven’t done them because they are boring and I didn’t want to do them! I have made myself do a couple of these tasks first thing each day to get them off the list so I can start the new year organised and without these tasks hanging over my head.
What are you doing to keep yourself focused at this challenging time of the year?