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?