When you are trying to take your business further, the biggest enemy can be yourself. We live in a world full of distractions, and as entrepreneurs that are meant to lead and steer the ship, it can feel like you are unable to fulfill every aspect of your role. When you are trying to answer calls, deal with emails, as well as firefight numerous problems that can arise during the course of a day, focus can be hard to maintain. Here are some things to bear in mind so you can stay focused.
Stay Active
Keeping active can be hard when you are chained to your desk, but this is why you may want to rethink the idea of being active. Firstly, you can invest in a standing desk so you don’t need to sit down all day so your posture can thank you later in life! But there are other things that you can incorporate into your working day to remain active. You can always have a little jog around the office, and if you feel self-conscious, no one is going to make any silly comments because you are in charge! Exercise is an amazing thing to keep you focused, and for those who are chained to their desk for umpteen hours a day, the solution lies in performing simple exercises like isometrics. Taking the opportunity to tense a muscle in your body as hard as you can between 7 and 12 seconds can get the blood flowing and help you get stronger! You don’t need to feel guilty that you’re not hitting the gym!
Block Your Time
To-do lists are an amazing tool. Some people believe that to-do lists detract from actually performing the task, but when you have a list of things to do, you can break these things down into digestible chunks that field doable within a time span. This allows you to be more methodological, but also don’t run the risk of feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks you need to complete.
Structure Your Days
Similar to blocking your time but for the sake of your sanity inside and outside of work you will need to compartmentalize. For example, before your workday begins, you can spend some time sending out all of the relevant emails but you need to stop yourself from answering any of the inbound ones until you have sent everything. This will help you to cut through the noise and get you into the habit of doing one thing at a time. Multitasking is a myth, so don’t try it!
Stop Fiddling With Your Phone
You need to have 100% focus on the thing that you are doing, whether it’s a meeting or an email. By learning to be physically and mentally present, it will help you to focus on the other person, but they will also feel the benefits of you giving your undivided attention to them.
There are so many ways to maintain focus, but while so many entrepreneurs have fallen at this hurdle, you don’t need to feel like you are fighting a losing battle.