The foundation for achieving success is in aligning how you spend your time on the daily choices that either support or subvert your dedicated focus on your highest priorities. Research has shown that multitasking is not the best choice for progress on your desired goals. Here are four productivity tips to help you overcome that distraction based fallacy of multitasking, so you can actually accomplish more, while boosting your brainpower and wellbeing with greater focus on those priorities.
- Set specific times to check incoming e-mail, and turn off the tempting distraction of notifications (yes, including all social media).
- Identify your 3 top priorities to anchor the day’s work flow. Include a starting and projected finish time. Begin on the #1 key task until it is done, before tackling the next item or anything else.
- Keep a ‘to-do tracker/reminder’ in way of notepad on your desk or an app on your pc to jot down and release any distractions from non-related thoughts, ideas or obligations that pop up. Writing them down keeps them from running around in your head, so you can maintain focus on the task at hand.
- Take breaks at regular intervals. Research studies have proven that getting up, stretching or walking around for a few minutes, rehydrating or having a healthy snack refreshes and improves productivity. Repeat every 60-90 minutes.
Like any new habit, the more you incorporate ways to sustain focus as part of your routine, the easier it will become, to be more productive, progressing toward your highest priority goals, with much less effort.