I often get asked how I am able to get so much work done in short amounts of time. A big part of it is that I absolutely love what I do for a living, but I hear plenty of other people do as well and they still can’t concentrate. And so, the real question seems to be about tips for increasing concentration so they can get some work done.
I admit that I’m pretty self-disciplined by nature. I see a challenge and I like to tackle it head-on. However, I’m also still human. I get lazy just like everyone else. It’s during these times that I find the increasing concentration to be extremely important. Here are some of the strategies I use to do that.
Stop multi-tasking.
One thing that has helped in my quest for increasing concentration is to stop multitasking. As of late, I don’t even have my phone next to me while I’m working. Those interruptions alone can cost me valuable time I could be spending making money.
Additionally, I also don’t tend to jump from one task to an entirely different task. Instead, I focus on what action at a time. This may look like focusing on one client or one type of task during a set period of time.
Meditation
I’ve been meditating regularly since 2011, but it wasn’t until recently when I actually began a daily practice. At the time of writing this, I’ve been meditating each day for almost a year. In that time frame, my concentration has increased and therefore so has my monthly revenue.
Meditation has been proven to help individuals with increasing concentration. Fortunately, there are plenty of apps to help you get started. I personally like to use Calm, but Headspace is a good one too. You can also find guided meditations on YouTube.
Staying organized.
My team and I are pretty organized. This definitely helps with increasing concentration because we’re not wasting mental bandwidth figuring out our next steps. Here are some of the ways we stay organized as a team:
- Shared calendar. We know what’s going on when.
- Project management system for team communication and assigning tasks. It also houses all of our files. And finally, since we’re communicating via the system we’re not flooding each other’s inboxes.
- We’ve created systems over time. From the editorial process for my blog to a follow-up system for clients. Sometimes the systems are as a basic as a spreadsheet on Google Drive, but it gets the job done.
Listening to my body.
The last method I use for increasing concentration is listening to my body. This looks like different things depending on the day, but ultimately, I attempt to go with the natural rhythm of my body when scheduling out my work day.
Here are a few examples of what I mean:
- If I feel like I need extra sleep, I give it to myself.
- I have a cut off time each day. I need to give my mind and body a rest.
- Regular exercise is a must. (SoulCycle is my thing these days)
- I take days off. Sometimes random ones.
- For the most part, I eat right.
- If I can’t work at home, I go to my co-working space.
- I do not work at night. My brain isn’t up for it. So I schedule my day knowing this.
Bottom line is I don’t try to force anything if I don’t have to. That’s because I already know it won’t work out well for me if I do. Instead, I go with the flow.
Final Thoughts
Increasing concentration can increase productivity. This means you either get more done in less time or you make more money – or, like in my case, both!
Amanda Abella
Amanda is a best-selling author of "Make Money Your Honey", a book that helps freelancers and business owners understand their relationship with money and how to make it more productive. She's driven by helping others live the most productive and fruitful way possible.