Keeping your eye on the prize basically means shutting away both the internal and external noises that can interrupt your ability to concentrate. You need to focus on what you have started, and you need to find a way to see it through! It is all about having priorities and focusing. Living in the digital age has meant that we are bombarded with information – we are never too far from our phones. There is a lot of research to suggest that our phones are now the closest things to us as a lot of our hours are spent on the phone. Whether for research or just to be updated on the latest trend, our phone is an integral part of our lives. A question that always seems be asked is, what did we do before we had our phones? We have become so distracted, and our attention has become so divided that it is no wonder we are not always able to keep our eyes on the prize. We have to be able to decipher what we keep and what we disregard to ensure that we stay on target.
Find a few suggestions on what we can do to keep our eyes on the prize.
- Setting a daily priority list is a good way to keep focused, writing a to do list for the day ahead helps you to commit to your goals. Tackle the big jobs first and leave the small stuff till later, and break down the larger tasks into smaller ones. Once you see your list being ticked off, you start to feel a sense of accomplishment which encourages you to do more.
- Try to create a calm atmosphere for you to achieve your work. If you are not able to control your office space, at least, try to manage the things within your control; like noise-cancelling headphones, desk organisers, etc. Keep your environment clear and clutter-free.
- Make use of timers. Put a time to a particular task and be dedicated toward that time for that task and nothing else. In other words, concentrate on the task at hand. You can even schedule a time for short breaks so that your tasks do not become monotonous. You can either take a walk or do some stretching exercise, then reset the timer and start again. This technique has shown to be effective in improving concentration.
- The next thing you can do is actually concentrate on the latter part of the earlier point – to exercise. It is said that exercise is a good way to improve your concentration levels; so schedule time to exercise daily. Do the research if you really want to be sure.
I believe that if these pointers are followed, it will help all of us to keep focused and reach our goals.
