Ask Steph is a monthly column where I answer all of your tricky business questions! Get ready to tackle everything from setting up better software & systems, to making space for reflection, to planning out your business launch, to learning how to focus. Have a question for me? Ask away, right here. See archives here.
How do I stay focused when the world is so dang noisy?
Dear Steph,
As we move into 2021, I feel like I need some new techniques to up my productivity game. It’s so hard to stay motivated, especially during this pandemic, and I feel like the strategies I normally use are just not cutting it anymore. How do you stay focused and get so much done in your business? I try hard, but every day I find myself losing steam and wind up doomscrolling on Instagram instead of working. Help! What can I do to stay focused in this noisy world?
Thank you,
Fumbling for Focus
Technology is a good servant, but a bad master.
Life just keeps getting noisier, doesn’t it?! These days, it feels like it’s impossible to go more than five minutes in our work days without some kind of distraction or interruption. Unfortunately, if we don’t learn how to focus, we’re never going to get around to doing the deep work that actually moves the needle in our businesses!
I think it’s crucial to learn how to resist the siren song of social media in any way we can. These apps are money-making machines, and our attention is the commodity that they are selling. We know this, and yet we can’t seem to help ourselves from going down the rabbit hole that is Instagram, or YouTube, or Twitter.
So how do we reclaim our attention and focus? With intention, of course! There are so many ways that we can learn to resist the temptations of these apps and get back to the work that really matters.
In this Ask Steph video, I’m sharing my five favourite unconventional strategies for building the muscle of focus and discipline in my work life. They’re a little bit outside of the box, but that’s why they work so well for me!
How do you focus on your work?
We’re fighting an uphill battle when it comes to staying focused. All the smartest minds in Silicon Valley are conspiring to keep us distracted and scrolling, all the live-long day! But it’s up to us to resist these pressures and find ways to set our own boundaries when it comes to technology and productivity. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I am saying that we always have a choice. Next time you sit down to work, remember that your focus is actually up to you, and choose accordingly.
Which of these strategies are you most excited to implement? What helps you stay focused on your work throughout the day? If you have any unconventional focus strategies of your own, I’d love to hear them! Let me know in the comments below or over on Instagram @stephpellett.
PS. Every month in The Profoundery, we do Productivity Parties! These are focused, intentional work sprints designed to help you get things done in a supportive community. Sound helpful? We love them! Click below to find out more and join us next month.
