Improving Personal Focus and Productivity

Focusing on anything in the modern era has become incredibly difficult due to social media, video games, and instant gratification. Such things did not exist back in the day, and because of that, men and women alike were able to achieve things that would be unimaginable to us today. They did not achieve those things because they knew things that we didn’t or were just talented, but because they just sat down, planned, put it into practice, and focused on their goals. If you were just to forget everything and just focus for your own sake, you would become someone who may be written down in history books for their achievements, character, and abilities, or you would simply be doing this so you can finally stop being mediocre and be the person you know you can be. Don’t let your lack of focus hold you back.

Get rid of any distractions. Now I know that you've heard this many times before, but it’s for a good reason because this step is quite literally the most important in your goal to become hyper-focused. When you are distracted by your phone or TV, you are essentially wasting your time and energy on things that don’t benefit you in any way, shape, or form; you just become happy for a minute until it dies down. I know it’s hard to do because it is a habit most people develop, and it’s hard to break, so we’ll start with baby steps and work our way up.

How to take action immediately At first, you don’t have to make any drastic change unless you are mentally strong enough to handle such a change, but most people don’t like that path, so they'll stick with the easier one. First, lower your screen time by about 25–35 percent so you can still enjoy those pleasures and still have time to do other things that are far more important. Eventually, you can slowly decrease your phone and screen time to a reasonable amount. I am not telling you to stop watching TV and using your phone completely because to most, that would be completely unreasonable, so I suggest watching TV, using your phone, or playing video games for just an hour or an hour and thirty minutes. Over time, you would decrease your screen time or any other pleasures you may have to only take up a small portion of your day, saving lots of time for doing something productive or just going outside and staring at the wonderful world you live in. Something you should know is that if any distraction or pleasure is harming you, it would be best that you eventually stop entirely at a pace that is comfortable for you.

Clear you mind Overthinking is bad for you because some of those thoughts are just unnecessary, and they waste your energy on stuff that never really mattered in the first place. Sometimes overthinking forces you to make rash and uncalculated decisions that you are going to regret later. You may ask how thinking too much about a situation causes it to get worse. Well, it's because there is a good chance that you already came up with a solution; it’s just that your brain is racing with so many thoughts that the thought is mixed up and eventually lost. So slowing down your thinking can be a lifesaver.

Slow down, Sit down, and Think When you first read that read think you might have been confused because I just told you to stop thinking so much, and now you are telling me to think. It’s more complicated than that. Essentially, what I want you to do is to calm down by just sitting in a comfortable chair, breathing in and out slowly, and relaxing. Now, I want you to think about all the great things that happened in your life and the things and people you are grateful for, essentially reminiscing on the good things that happened to you. When you do this, you become nostalgic, which makes you feel calm and happy, clearing your mind so you can focus on the task at hand. Tip: Listen to any music that makes you feel calm, specifically music without lyrics.

What do you want to do? Now that your mind is cleared, you’re relaxed, and you've cut out most, if not all, of your distractions, it is time for the final step: figuring out what you are going to do with all your free time. This is something I can’t help you with; it’s just something that you have to discover on your own. Find your passion, spend more time with friends and family, learn a new high-value skill, create something, just do anything that makes you happy, essentially giving you long-term happiness, not instant gratification, and do something that will improve every aspect of you so you can live up to your potential and be great.

Remember, this entire process is for your benefit, and by the end of it, you’ll be glad that you took the time to increase your focus and cut out all the negativity because it would be a shame if you grew old and realized that you wasted your entire life. So take a step in the right direction, so you will have a story to tell and memories to look back on.