10 tips for staying focused at work

It's been a struggle, but I'm learning to "go with the flow." It's become relatively easy to do at home, especially since I live alone and I work hard to manage my life with conscious intent. My home environment is like a slow-moving river. I control the direction and the pace of the flow.

However, it's much more difficult to follow the tide in the workplace, especially when it's moving in multiple directions and changing constantly. It's difficult for me to stay focused at work when phones and fax machines are ringing, other people are talking, several people are asking me to do things (often at the same time), client requests are coming in, priorities are changing, the boss is overflowing with ideas... you get the picture.

There is a price associated with losing focus at work, and it's more than reduced productivity. Losing focus also leads to unnecessary stress, anxiety, pressure and feeling lost, overwhelmed, unproductive and more. Like a sailboat that's lost it's compass, losing focus can often leave us feeling uncentered, ungrounded, and aimlessly going in whichever direction the wind blows - whether that's where we need to be headed or not.

Need help remembering to stay focused during the day? Here are some tips that help me (when I remember to use them):

1. Uni-task. I used to think that the ability to multi-task was a virtue. During my many years as a single, working mother, it undoubtedly was a necessity. But things have changed and so have it. As I learned from my life coach, I'm more productive, and things go much smoother, when I "complete the circle" (finish one thing before starting another). This isn't always possible, but my compromise is to break the task into smaller pieces that can be completed in the time alloted.
2. Keep a single to-do/action item list. One of the most useful, and most wasteful, inventions of all time has got to be Post-It Notes. They're great when they're used for their intended purpose - to leave a quick note without writing on a document or labeling a stack of papers. They are NOT helpful when dozens of them clutter your workspace, each with a different to do item or thought to remember. It's much more effective to keep a single to-do or action item list and if needed, another list (I use a small notebook) to record ideas as they come to mind.
3. Break tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. There's an old saying that the longest journey begins with a single step. That's true when it comes to projects at work too. No matter how huge the task at hand may appear, there's surely a way to break it up into smaller tasks. Doing so helps you be more organized, better prepared and less overwhelmed.
4. Combine like tasks. It's counter-productive, and a total waste of time, to jump up to walk down the hall to the copier to make a single copy. Unless you need it right away, wait until you need to make several copies.
5. Limit the number of times you stop to read and respond to e-mail. E-mail is great, but it's a huge time-waster. If you have one of those annoying little pop-up windows that alert you each time a new e-mail comes it, turn it off! If you're like me, it's nearly impossible to resist the urge to peek. When you do check your e-mail, remember that not every email is worth reading or responding to and it's not necessary to subscribe to (or continue to receive) every newsletter ever written. It's hard, but try to delete, respond and/or archive each e-mail as you read it to avoid a junky e-mail box and more time spent re-reading later.
6. Take frequent breaks. Your brain, your eyes and your back deserve a break, regularly. Plan to take at least one short break each hour that you're working. Although it may seem as if that many breaks are wasting time, they're not. Believe me, you will feel much more refreshed, and productive, if you take care of yourself.
7. Clear off your desk at the end of each day. Another hard one, but it makes a huge difference. There's nothing that provides a greater sense of accomplishment than ending the day with a clear desk and then starting the next day with the same.
8. Keep mindful of what's truly important. A lot of things are "urgent", particularly to other people. But it's important to realize that not everything that's urgent is "important. " What IS important is knowing the difference and trying to stay focused on those things that are truly important.
9. Become a creative problem-solver. Not all work processes are set in stone. Just because something's always been done a certain way doesn't mean that that's the most efficient or productive way to do it. Be on the look-out for ways to cut costs, to reduce energy consumption (electricity and human energy) and to save time.
10. Pray throughout the day. Nothing helps maintain (or regain) focus like praying. And the best thing about prayer is that you can do it any time, any where.