13 Ways to have Eagle-Like Focus in Everything you do

In a world which is getting highly competitive, we all strive to make changes within ourselves which would help us to stay ahead of the curve. We want to be just a wee bit better than the best. Being focused in every activity that we do throughout the day and every single day determines our output and impacts our productivity.

Over the years, developing focus and improving productivity has been a subject for many researchers and organizations. At a personal level, one can do multiple things to ensure that we stay at the top of our game.

Let us look at 13 things which could help you develop eagle eye focus in everything you do.

1. Sleep.
Sleep has a direct link to cognitive functions such as the ability to focus and perform. According to the National Sleep Foundation, quality sleep, which is between seven to nine hours, helps us think clearly, remember more and make decisions.

Sleep is something which would be at the top of the mind for everybody. If you are not well slept, tiredness would creep in and you would not be able to focus  at all.

2. Use the ABC method.
According to Harvard Business Review, our brains are constantly distracted by “internal and external environments,” meaning thoughts, sounds or interruptions. One way to prevent distractions is the ABC method. As HBR explains, ABC stands for: aware, breathe and choose. To start, become aware of your options by choosing whether to pay attention to distractions. Next, breathe and relax while you choose to focus or get distracted.

Everyday, we tend to fight with a lot of thoughts. We think about things at work, activities at home,  bills to pay and people to take care of. And quite often, while working on something, we tend to focus on other activities which we could do later. This results in not paying complete attention to the task at hand. The ABC method, helps us to get rid of alternate thoughts and focus our energy in one thing. 

3. Meditate.
From stress to anxiety, meditation has long been known as an incredible tool in managing emotions. Researchers found that after three months at a meditation retreat, people came out with an incredible ability to focus and an overall improvement in cognitive functions.

Meditation helps significantly in channelising our  energy into something useful. It is of no surprise that The Beatles credited their stay at Rishikesh for Transcendental Meditation as the most productive period for their songwriting. In the following years since their visit, the western attitude towards Indian spirituality also changed.

4. Get dressed up.
According to a study, students who wore white lab coats while conducting experiments made half the amount of errors as the students who were dressed regularly.

Wearing the right dress, gives you the right attitude. Walk into an interview in complete formals, and you would play your part confidently. Have a shabby shirt on, and that would not only be caught by the interviewer but also by your subconscious mind.

5. Don’t multitask.
While multitasking might sound like the more productive thing to do, it actually has a negative effect on your ability to focus. According to the American Psychological Association, multitasking and constantly switching between tasks will actually take away from focus because you’re not allowing yourself time to adjust to one thing.

A lot of people confuse multitasking with doing many tasks at a time. These are two different things. When you have a list of task, and you try to complete them one after the other, this isn't multitasking. This is just about doing one task after the other and this retains your focus. Multitasking on the other hand is trying to do more than two things at a time. Think about driving while talking on your cell phone in an Indian road, or listening to songs while riding a bike, or working while watching television. Multitasking only keeps changing your focus.

6. Turn up the heat.
According to research, a warmer workplace will help you focus better and be more productive. In fact, one study found that a group of workers in a room set to 68 degrees made nearly 44 percent more errors and were half as productive than employees in a 77 degree room.

This is a very interesting item on the list. Personally, I've always preferred working in a warm environment and despised if the room was too cold. But then, I thought it was just me.

7. Go green.
Plants around the office have long been known to have a positive effect on employee morale, focus and productivity. 

Plants in and around work place can be very soothing if you're having a tough day. When you have a small plant at your desk, you could look it and wonder how nature provides us so many amazing things. Such small distractions go a long way in keeping our mind fresh and on the task at hand.

8. Look at the color red.
A 2009 study published in Science found that when people saw the color red while they were focusing on certain tasks, their performance, memory and attention to detail improved.

It is not surprising, but things point also isn't very obvious. The red color is often used to focus our attention to certain things. When a KPI is off target, we mark it in red color. The fire engine is also painted in red color to make it obviously visible and get our focus there.

9. Use natural light.
A study found that people who work in offices filled with natural light experience substantially less eye strain, headaches and blurred visions, all of which deter focus and performance.

The first thing I do after I get into work, is to open the blinds and let the sunlight come in. And once the light sweeps into my work area and eats away the artificial lighting controlled centrally, I feel at peace.  

10. Get your cardio in.
From better sleep to lower stress levels, exercise has many benefits, and that includes improved focus and performance too. 

Working out, specifically in the morning, sets you up for the day. There are many examples of high-performing CxOs, who start their morning with an exercise routine. You feel good and confident about yourself after a good workout and this translates into your work as well.

11. Drink some coffee.
According to research, a moderate amount of caffeine -- around one to two cups of coffee a day -- is beneficial to a person’s focus, alertness, performance and mood.

A little bit of caffeine in your veins definitely stimulates it in the right way. However, it is also important to note that excess of caffeine also has its own side-effects.

12. Take a break.
 According to an article published in Psychology Today, “Research suggests that, when faced with long tasks (such as studying before a final exam or doing your taxes), it is best to impose brief breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task.”

I, personally, find the power naps to be very rejuvenating. A short twenty-odd minute of sleep during the day can literally recharge you. However, the temptation to sleep more should be avoided. If you end up sleeping more, you would get up feel tired and not energetic as you would have hoped for.

13. Listen to classical music.
 Researchers from Stanford University discovered that classical music in particular triggers the part of the brain used for paying attention and focusing. Why classical? According to the study, people’s minds tend to wander while listening to music but because classical music features many “transitional points” where there is silence, it helps keep people aware and attentive.

I am not much of a music guy but I do prefer to listen to slow and soothing songs while at work or in general. Too much of rock songs makes me feel as if my mind is too cluttered.

You can read the original article here. I would be really curious to know how many of these things would a super-productive person do in his or her day to day life. Some like, say Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos?  

'Stop-Motion' - - As an effective Viral Marketing Tool

‘Stop Motion’ has been in existence since the 19^th century. Early cartoon animations were actually filmed using this technique. ‘Stop Motion’ has evolved over the years and we can actually see a lot of ‘difficult to execute’ kind of videos.

It is a technique in which several photographs are taken with the subjects in slightly different position in each of these photographs. The photographs are combined and they appear to follow each other and invoke a feeling of motion.

‘Stop Motion’ videos have, in a way, revolutionized the viral marketing scene with an increasing number of successful viral marketing campaigns through videos following this technique. A ‘Stop Motion’ video retains the attention of an Internet user for a longer time than compared to a regular video. Clay, usually, forms a very important part in most of these videos because its repositioning ability.

Arguably, one of the most wonderful exhibits of ‘Stop Motion’ comes from a music album titled, ‘The Opposite Side of the Sea’.  The song and video has won several awards for the creativity involved. You can watch the video below.

A couple of other examples in which ‘Stop Motion’ techniques have been put into use is the Sony Bravia Ad and the Xbox 360 Ad.

There is not much of a requirement for expensive hardware to make a ‘Stop Motion’ video. A good idea, though, is extremely important. A good camera, tripod and a video making software such as ‘Windows Movie Maker’ would be sufficient. Of course, you also need to have lots and lots of patience.

The usage of this technique is increasing in India as well. One of the recent exponents of this technique in India was the MTS One Day Internet Ad. You can watch this advertisement here.

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Canon EOS Photochain Campaign

In the highly competitive world of digital cameras, there are quite a few major players. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus immediately come to the mind. It is becoming increasingly difficult for these companies to differentiate themselves on the basis of technology alone. Almost every feature of a camera is present in a camera produced by a competitive company.

Thus, marketing becomes an extremely important tool to be a preferred brand for the customers.

Leo Burnett and Canon came up with EOS Photochain campaign in Australia. The whole idea was to evolve a new form of social networking in which people can connect to each other using the inspiration behind photographs.

Eventually, the whole ‘Photochain’ campaign succeeded in putting Canon EOS series as a brand that signifies creative inspiration. Interestingly, about 35% of the users of EOS Photochain website were using cameras other than Canon.

So, if you're going to buy a camera, would you buy a Canon ???

Heineken - Guerrilla Campaign on a day when Real Madrid took on AC Milan

This particular campaign by Heineken is considered one of the most popular Guerrilla marketing campaigns ever.

Imagine attending a music orchestra based concert at a time when all your friends are watching AC Milan Vs Real Madrid. Difficult. Isn't it. A few people did that, because their girl friend asked them to; some agreed because their bosses ordered them to and some did owing to compulsion by their professors. Nevertheless, around 1200 people made it to the concert, and after about 15 minutes into the 'boring' concert.... people forgot everything about the AC Milan and Real Madrid match taking place somewhere else ??.. Why ??...

Well .. why don't you just watch the video below and try to find out for yourself.

Heineken.. Made to Entertain.... Indeed !!

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The Art of ..... (De)Marketing

Usually, companies sell their product and in order to understand and reach the customer target segment, they need engage themselves in marketing.

However, there can be times, when the opposite of what has been stated needs to be accomplished. The popularity of the product needs to be brought down or the sales needs to be reduced or the product needs to be wiped off from the market completely. Application of marketing ideas and principles to achieve these objectives can be termed as 'Demarketing'.

Demarketing can be majorly classified into two types.

1. General Demarketing

Companies engage in this kind of Demarketing in order to reduce the consumption of a product. Sometimes company tries to reduce the sales in a particular region. An example, when this might be required can be, when the sales units of one particular region needs to be diverted to another region where the company feels the product would be more profitable. So the company engages in demarketing practices to reduce the sales in the low profit region.We often see government agencies engaging in Demarketing to reduce the popularity of certain products such as cigarettes, alcohol etc. These advertisements are not targeted at a particular brand but generally try to reduce the overall consumption of the product type.

An Indian example could be the 'Save Oil Save India' campaign by IPCL.

2. Selective Demarketing

Companies generally target a specific kind of people for their products. They try to avoid consumers who do not form a part of this target group. A consumer from another target group could often lead to brand dilution of the product and the product might loose its dominance in the core target group. This is achieved by promoting the products through advertisements, word of mouth etc. which focuses only on their target group.

Ex. Ibiza, a popular tourist destination for youth, tries to avoid elderly people. Adventure sport advertisements generally show young adults engaging in the sport. Insurance companies try to avoid costly customers. They screen their potential customer base through several criterias and questionnaires and avoid certain type of customers.


How Can Demarketing Be Exercised ?

Based on the level of demarketing which needs to be accomplished, the companies can fiddle with the marketing mix of their product and achieve the level of demarketing which they intend to.

 A. Product

They can modify the product features. By reducing certain features, the benefit derived out of the product would be reduced and this would immediately have an impact on the sales.

B. Price

They can increase the price of the product and make it dearer. An expensive product would find few takers. The level of price change would determine the extent of reduction in sales.

C. Place

The product can be completely taken off from the market. This could be done, if the company wants to kill the product completely. It is also done, if the company determines that the product fails to live upto the quality standards. Several instances have occurred in the past with pharmaceutical companies having been forced to remove their products off the shelves because they were causing certain side-effects.

D. Promotion

This can be done in two ways. One is by cutting the promotion completely. This would be done by cutting on sales promotion, advertising expenses etc. The other is by encouraging the consumers to not to use the product. An example of this could be 'PETA' advertisements which encourage people not to use certain products which have been produced by bringing upon atrocities on the animal kingdom.

Tata Steel - Values Strong Than Steel Campaign

I was watching the India-England Test Match yesterday and came across an ad by Tata Steel.

Now, it is not often that a company which is primarily in B2B ( BusinessToBusiness ), kind of model, to advertise on national television. This is because, generally, people like us, who are watching a cricket test match, are not their target population. We eventually might end up using their product but we are not their direct customers. I do not recall, seeing any ads by Tata Steel earlier as well.

So, the ad got me interested. You can watch this ad here.

They’ve also come up with a few other ads in this campaign and you can watch them here.

Tata Steel - Tejaswini Project Ad

Tata Steel - Bachendri Pal Ad

One of the first things which I noticed, was how subtle and soft the ads where. There is nothing flashy going around. It, in fact, gives a very amateurish feel to the advertisement. Each of these ads is imbibed with a theme value and gives a brief look into the life of employees at Tata Steel. They’ve even got their R and D Chief, Mark Denys on one of these advertisements.

One of the key things which they are trying to drive home through this campaign is to give the viewers a feel of the life which one leads at Tata Steel. The ads end with a statement, “This is not an advertisement…this is life at Tata Steel”.

There was also an Indian Army campaign encouraging youngsters to pursue a career with the Indian Army. It used to run long time back and I felt that campaign communicated the message perfectly. Here, however, connect between the ads and the theme is definitely there, but somewhere, I feel the pulse doesn’t actually reach the viewer.

Rom Chocolate's Innovative Marketing Campaign

Rarely, companies come up with a staggeringly innovative marketing campaign, which goes against, every integral value which the product stands for.

And even if they do, they seldom succeed.

Recently Rom Chocolate, which is a popular chocolate bar from Romania came up with a campaign to address the falling sales which the company was facing.

Rom, traditionally, had positioned itself as a national chocolate bar. The packaging of the bar prominently includes a Romanian flag. The entire idea was to instil a sense of patriotism amongst the consumers. The chocolate was extremely successful, until recently when the sales began to drop.

Romania, as a country too, is suffering from the aftermaths of recession. The economy is projected to grow at 1.5 %. The government is trying to privatize a few state-controlled energy companies to kick start the economy and bring it back on track.

Now, the problem which ‘ROM’ was trying to deal with was the lack of popularity among the Romanians. The grim economic scenario wasn’t helping the cause either. The political and economic situation of the country was disrupting what ‘ROM’ stood for…the patriotic feel which one derives out of the ‘ROM’ bar. People started believing that nothing good can happen in Romania and they were willing to seek opportunities in other countries.

The company came up with a shock and awe inspiring kind of a campaign. What did they do?

They changed their packaging drastically. Now, instead of featuring the prominent and popular Romanian national flag on the chocolate bar, the company came up with the American flag. Ads came up and intensive promotion was done, in English, to promote ‘ROM’ as a ‘Taste of Coolness’ and as something which upheld what can be called as an ‘American Dream’.

The results were as expected by the company. There was a serious backlash from the people. Their national ego was challenged by the company. There was tremendous criticism in the social media, blogs, television and website. The general public wanted the chocolate to keep up with the Romanian traditions and values. The backlash was unprecedented. There were even self-made videos for Youtube to criticize the entire idea of presenting the American flag on ‘ROM’.

After an intense week, the company came forward and expressed that the whole idea of ‘American ROM’ was a joke. They came up with a ‘ROM’ anthem too and the whole campaign raised the brand awareness to a new level. The campaign reached 67% of the country’s population and was hugely successful in improving the sales of ‘ROM’, which incidentally, increased by 79%.

It was one such campaign, which could have gone seriously wrong, but it didn’t. The campaign won the Grand Prix at Cannes Direct Lions.

A truly amazing campaign indeed. But would it work in the long term?? After all, the success of a chocolate cannot rest solely on the marketing campaign. Well, only time can answer.

You can view about the campaign here.