Marie Curie, Nietzsche, Thoreau and others. As the Fast Company website states, all had in common not only incredible inventions but also incredible concentration on their experiments: Sklodowska worked long into the night; Nietzsche sought his muse in the mountains, Thoreau somewhere in the forests of Massachusetts.
What about in today's ultra-troublesome world? Is it even possible to escape from everything around us and devote ourselves totally to our own activities? It is possible, but it requires a disciplined approach.
The first tip is: Do you wish to complete your project successfully while still giving enough attention to your colleagues? Then switch to monk mode and bring rigid order into your life. Your resolution is a public declaration to yourself and to your colleagues that you intend to focus firmly on the demanding task you need to complete. Basically you ignore all distractions around you at the given moment and just fully concentrate.
Schedule specific time for each your task
One author knew very well that writing his first book would be a real challenge and, due to considerable anxiety and fear, he almost did not sleep at night. The result? Average, if not below average. It was quite impossible to write under stress with fatigue in tow. Why suffer sleepless nights if you cannot capitalise on them?
Another hint is: Strictly reserve the time that you will devote to each task. Do you have a challenging project pending and are too lazy to start? No problem. Reserve a specific time for it in your daily schedule and force yourself to follow the plan. It is better to reserve a longer time - even several days, depending on the complexity of the task. The aha moment usually comes only after long hours of concentration. However, time alone is not enough ...
Reserving time is just the beginning but does not guarantee full attention. You also need space and other conditions in order to eliminate distractions around you. A noisy office and constantly ringing phones will only irritate you. Is it possible to take a home office? Is there any free meeting room where you could be?
Have you reserved time and space, but your colleagues constantly bombard you with questions and requests? Have you tried an automatic email reply in such situations? Your colleagues will be more understanding if they know your situation.
What other tricks do you use to increase your concentration?
-bn-