I was a workaholic. So much so that I burned out my body and brain.
In fact, I burned myself out by not being focused. I tried to do everything and that’s impossible.
As you can imagine, I now highly value relaxation and rejuvenation.
In fact, I spend several hours each day relaxing and caring for my body, mind, and spirit.
This commitment to myself limits the amount of time available for work. Therefore, I need to focus and use work time efficiently.
But – as you probably know quite well yourself – it’s easy to get distracted.
Whether you are too busy working or – like me – too busy relaxing, the answer to distraction is the same: focus.
10 Ways I Focus
Here are 10 ways that I focus inspired by Leo Babauta’s excellent new ebook called focus, a simplicity manifesto in the age of distraction.
1. Resisting the pull of email
Without thinking about it too much, I had my email program set to auto check every five minutes. Yes, almost every time it beeped, I would disrupt my work flow to have a “quick” look. Of course, that often led to more distraction. Now it’s reset to check every hour. The sound notification is turned off. I will probably turn the auto-check off completely and just check email once or twice a day.
2. Turning away from excess entertainment
My husband and I haven’t had a television for over four years now. We watch a movie or documentary, but we limit it to just once a week.
We often choose movies or documentaries about nature or ones with an uplifting message, which inspires our mind and heart. The violence that is an ordinary part of many television programs adversely effects all of us, but children and highly sensitive people – up to 20% of the population – are at greater risk.
Limiting television, movies, and other forms of mindless entertainment opens up so much time and space in your life, and allows you to focus on what’s really important to you. It’s such a wonderful way to find more peace, freedom, and creativity.
3. Limiting social media time
I value social media and the wonderful connections I’ve made there. But it can be a place where I easily fritter away time. I’ve decided to limit myself to 30 minutes a day.
4. Unsubscribing
I have hundreds of blog posts in my inbox. Since I follow all my blog friends on twitter, I see their new posts there – far before I see them in my inbox. I don’t need to receive them in my inbox too. I’d rather follow the twitter link and visit their blog.
I’m gradually unsubscribing to blogs – one a day. Don’t take it personally if I unsubscribe from your blog. I’m still reading it!
5. Turning off email notifications from social media.
I don’t need to know every time I have a new follower on twitter or a friend request from Facebook. This further clogs up my already hopeless inbox, which takes more and more time to clear.
6. Cleaning up my computer desktop
I tend to let files accumulate all over my desktop so I can barely see the bright blue sky behind them. It makes it difficult to find what I need, another time waster.
7. Choosing only the most important tasks each day
I love Leo’s suggestion of selecting just 1-3 most important tasks each day, focusing on the single most important task first, and single-tasking until it’s finished. This is proving to be a much more relaxing and productive way to work.
8. Blocking off undistracted time
I’m learning to work in 50 minute blocks of undistracted time interspersed with 10 minute breaks for stretching, resting, breathing, meditating, and other rejuvenating activities.
9. Disconnecting
Since the publication of Leo’s book, so many of my internet friends are disconnecting – some for short periods of time and others for far longer. To be honest, I miss them although I support them too. I’m myself plan to unplug periodically to focus on – you guessed it – relaxation, inner focus, and my close relationships.
10. Simplify my writing style
I tend to write long blog posts. There are times when I can deliver the same value with fewer words saving both myself and my readers time.
I’m putting these new habits into place gradually, there’s no need to rush. With every small step, I’m already enjoying the increased clarity and added simplicity that is blossoming in my life.
I recommend focus
In his simple, yet compelling writing style, Leo Babauta helps you step back and explore your own personal obstacles to focus. He tells you how to beat the fear of disconnecting and the rewards that focus will bring to your life. You’ll find easy to use ideas and methods for clearing distractions, simplifying your life, and finding focus.
Leo is a deep thinker and caring person, which sets Babauta’s focus apart from other ebooks on the topic. Whether you get the free, premium, or Kindle version, you will benefit from reading this manifesto.
How are you finding focus in your life?
If you liked this article, please share it with others on your social networks. Thanks so much! Sandra
Hi Sandra,
Nice post, as usual. My psychotherapist tells me I am one of those highly sensitive people. I have to tell you that being around a lot of people enervates me; the continous onslaught of picking up on their body language and the “emanations” of their egos leaves me drained.
I used to work for a publisher; part of the job was to read a couple of major newspapers a day and half-a-dozen news magazines each week. That sucked the life out of me–very depressing. These days I pick up a few headlines on the net to avoid being a total hermit, but that’s it.
By-the-way, perhaps we should link our sites to get the message out and boost rankings. I’m adding quality links such as yours.
Bob
Hi Bob,
Thanks for sharing your experience as a highly sensitive person. This is a very illuminating story of the impact of working for a publisher. The more we can share, the more empowering it is. Up to 20% of the population are highly sensitive, but many do not realize it and try to function like everyone else. That just leads to burnout, when there are so many ways to live comfortably and happily as an HSP. I really appreciate your comment and the link.
Dear Bob,
We have never met online but I’m the very same. I even got the same advice from my therapist that you did. I’m a highly sensitive person and an introvert too. After about an hour or two in the company of other people I feel totally drained and if I do not remove myself I feel bitchy. Then I feel guilty about felling bitchy and become depressed. I make forays into the social networking world and find that I burn out very quickly. Consequently, all of Sandra’s advice is excellent and I have implemented much of it. I have also downloaded Leo’s book.
Best wishes to you.
Dear Sandra,
I comment so infrequently and fail to let you know that I love both you and your blog. I appreciate your clean crisp style or writing so much. I am into all of the subject matter you publish on and I wish we lived in the same location so I could share a cup of green tea with you every week as we have so many things in common.
I’m a faithful reader who reads in fits and starts and forays all over your blog reading up great posts when I have the time to do so. I backed away from stumbleupon a couple of months ago. I couldn’t keep up with the shares I was sent. Currently I have a box that’s overflowing with 500 shares there that I’m completely ignoring. Like you I am now unsubscribing from blogs as well. Last week I unsubscribed from 40 blogs because the new blog links are available to me on Twitter and elsewhere.
Thanks you so much for this post which I will be bookmarking as a reminder to myself when I start overreaching again.
Love and peace be with thee always,
TiTi
Hi timethief,
Thanks for your incredibly kind words. They mean a lot to me and I feel so honored. I will always feel connected and grateful to you even though the complexity of life makes it difficult to comment and interact sometimes. You are one of the first people who extended their kindness to me as a new blogger and I will never forget that. We do have so much in common. I can easily imagine sharing a cup of green tea and wonderful conversations with you should we ever live nearby!
I have a hard time keeping up too. I like to Stumble my friends’ posts, but I don’t really use Stumble effectively for my own blog traffic. That’s OK. I’m learning to accept that I can’t do everything, but I can do the most important things!
I’m glad you liked the post. Thanks for your love and good thoughts.
I have scanned Leo’s book but haven’t taken the time to read it all the way through. That in itself shows a lack of focus.
I absolutely love this post because it is so straight forward, so direct, so easy to grasp, and so important to consider seriously. I have every intension of printing it out and taping it to my desk. It is also being linked to my blog the second I hit send.
Hi Bob,
I tried to write this post simply as an exercise in focus itself. I’m glad that came across and it resonated for you. I’m very selective about ebooks, but Leo’s is an excellent one. I hope you find some time to read it and pull out the tips that will be useful for you. All the best!
Hi Sandra!
I really appreciate this post. I remember before I got wrapped up in facebook and email. Socail media has enriched my life in many ways and in others it has become somewhat of a burden. I think it is about balance. I put myself on the top of my priority list. A good long walk with my bouncy puppy makes me happy and focuses me on the great things in my life. Prayer also feeds my soul. Profoundly. If I pray for peace of mind I get it. I really, really love the positivity of your blog Sandra and look forward to your posts. Keep up the wonderful work you are doing!! Take care!
Dandy
Hi Dandy,
I agree with you completely! It’s all about balance. I’ve also received so much from socia media and don’t plan on dropping them entirely.
I love your approach of putting yourself on top of your priority list! That’s an excellent idea. I do that too in many ways but I don’t think of it that way. I think recognizing that would be a nice little shift for me. Thanks for sharing the ways that you care for and inspire yourself.
Your appreciative words have really made my day. Thank you. We clearly have many positive streams in common and I look forward to discovering your blog more too!
Thanks for some very good ideas. Love the ones about the email notifications. You are right. I am gonna start unsubscribing as well. I am like Pavlov’s dog when I hear the ding. I have tried to de-condition myself. Not working too well. I like your idea of prolonging the time between auto-checks. The idea of it is already making me nervous though. Baby steps.
Another important one, I finally figured out how to turn of the instant chat feature on Facebook. Pop up chats are huge time waster. When I am on there or twitter, I allot myself a certain amount of time. While I do not mean to be rude, I do not want this eaten up. Thank you for these suggestions!
Hi Debbie,
It’s interesting to hear about the fear that pops up for you when you start to disconnect. Leo speaks working with an overcoming this fear in the ebook. I think it’s common to most of us! Baby steps are definitely the way to go. I started with changing my email notifications to every 30 minutes, then to every 60 minutes. We’ll see what’s next soon! Good tip on turning off the instant chat feature on FB! Thanks!
Helpful tips Sandra.
The first one in your list is my biggest nemesis as well – email. When I need to get a post written or edited, I will close my email so the temptation goes away.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Alex
Hi Alex,
We’ll tackle that email nemesis and win! That’s definitely the way to write posts. Thanks for the tip.
Hi Sandra,
I adopt many of the same practices.
I check my email once a day. Sometimes I go 2-3 days without peering into my inbox. It means a load emails to go through, callbacks to make, etc, but I figure that everything comes from Source, and when I can trust absolutely in Source I don’t need to look outside for what’s within. I liken it to playing the quantum field. The more I let go and trust the more easily things come to me.
That being said, some pretty wicked blockages have come up from disconnecting. Just this morning my ego threw a real fit with my disconnecting practices
I also do the 50/10 on the hour split, or sometimes 45/15. It’s amazing how light you become about your work when pulling back frequently to attract.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful insight Sandra. Have a fun day!
Ryan
Ryan,
Wow, you’ve really made a leap to be able to go 2-3 days without looking into your email inbox. Bravo! Letting go and trusting are so crucial to living a happier and more relaxed life. I’m glad you raised those points in this discussion. Thanks for telling us about the focus tips that work for you. Have a great week!
Sandra, I really love your approach. I think it’s finding what works best for you. We all have those nasty time wasting habits. For me, I find I’m more able to manage subscriptions than twitter so I keep subscribed and let twitter feeds flow past because I just can’t keep up. In fact, I’ve just subscribed to your blog after it’s been recommended the millionth time to me. Somebody’s trying to tell me something. Thanks for the link to my post. I’m not disconnecting entirely, but I am when I write and that’s been very key to focusing on what matters most to me. Terrific dialogue here on time managing the blogging life.
Katie,
Thanks for joining the conversation and adding your insights. You’re absolutely right, we each have to find our own ways, the one’s that work for us. Disconnecting judiciously – when writing posts, for example, is really smart. As you point out, it’s a great way to focus on what matters most to you.
Thanks for your kind words and for subscribing to my blog. All the best to you!
Hi dear Sandra, I commend you immensely on this – something that I simply cannot do where my blogging life and friends are concerned but I have unplugged from the work world so anything beyond my responsibilities is simply not on my radar. I used to worry and fuss and now I aim to do a good job and be done. I have started meditation again though – and it reminds me of your beautiful suggestions around keeping a meditation going strong. You live in paradise and I am so happy you take so much time to enjoy it!
Hi Farnoosh,
Thank goodness everyone isn’t disconnecting! We are all in different phases of our life and our blogging journey. Disconnecting may be wise for some and foolish for others. I don’t think there is one ‘right’ way and I appreciate your reminder of this! You have so much passion and I appreciate how it infuses all that you do.
The benefit of focus for me is being able to accomplish the most important tasks in a more simple and relaxed way. I’m just trying to bring more mindfulness to when I connect and when I disconnect, not disconnecting entirely.
I know you are not disconnecting entirely, dear Sandra, thank goodness for that -if I lived in Hawaii, I’d have a hard time staying focused. It has a mesmerizing effect on my mind and body – Mother Nature in all its grandeur and beauty…..and thank you for the kind words. I am so happy we met online and have such support for each other’s effort in making an impact in this world!
Yes, just imagine if you lived in Bali, Farnoosh!
I’m happy we have connected too. By the way, I need an elephant. I’ll be in touch about that.
No.9 is No.1 for me Sandra. I switch off by switching off and disconnecting. Why be hooked up to some electrical grid all of the day? That has to be damaging. 5o years ago smoking was seen as cool and the thing to do without knowing its harmful effects. I think that’s what will happen with the computers in the future when the surge of electrical power that harms our cells will become wider known…when it’s too late. So disconnect and reconnect to a more balanced life say I and I’m glad it’s on your list too. A mighty fine list if I mayalso say so!!!
John, I’m delighted that you’ve raised this incredibly important point. Most of us have no idea and do not take into account how all this electrical energy is impact our body, which runs on electrical currents too. Thanks for adding this crucial point to the conversation. And enjoy your balanced day!
Thank you for your tips Sandra! Leo Babautas book is really a great tool for focusing. I have used some of them already before but will focus even more on some of the others in the future. I also like your thought of writing shorter blogposts. It is really possible to say what we want with fewer words.
Hi Tom,
I found Leo’s book a great tool as well. Thanks for weighing in on the topic. I think long blog posts can be worthwhile sometimes. I think it pays to be mindful though rather than writing on automatic and to be economical with words when possible. Thanks for your thoughts.
All good stuff you’ve got going here, Sandra.
I recently cut back to two e-mail checks a day (just one for facebook, my true nemesis). So far it’s made a huge difference in “controlling the beast.”
As for desktop cleaning, I’m a freak about it. As a part of my weekly review (every Sunday for me), I clean up all the notes that have accumulated on my desktop. I found that cleaning up on this weekly interval works great.
Good stuff!
Hi Travis,
I love this idea of a weekly review! Thanks for adding that to the tip pool. I’ve started to get a glimpse of the bright blue sky as I’ve gradually cleaned up my desktop. It’s so inspiring. Thanks for your ideas.
Loved this list Sandra….and love the direction you’re going in with your life. I think for each and every one of us, ‘disconnecting’ comes in different forms. The key is that, like you, we recognize where we are (physically, mentally, and spiritually) in need of breaking the typical cycle and we do what it takes to keep everything grounded, fresh, and positive.
Great stuff…
Welcome Marcus,
This is really the key: “…for each and every one of us, ‘disconnecting’ comes in different forms.” We can inspire each other and share ideas but we each need to find our own best way. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I really appreciate it.
Hi Sandra, I admit I was reluctant to read this post at first. Most posts on focusing assume that you could, but you don’t. I have off the chart ADD so I just can’t sit there and decide not to be distracted. Sometimes it’s a struggle to focus for 15 minutes.
That said, you did come up with some helpful suggestions. I have Facebook and Twitter set on their defaults to alert me to things I don’t need to know at the moment. My email program also auto-checks for new emails which is distracting, so I will have to learn how to change that. I have set a time limit for social media as well, which has helped. I am still overscheduling myself but that is a work in progress.
Hi Jennifer,
That’s a really good point because I don’t have ADD. So I’m happy you helped me see the idea of focus from the perspective of someone with ADD instead of me just making assumptions about the world. No wonder why it’s hard for you to meditate!
Tess from the Bold Life also has ADD. You might enjoy connecting with her if you haven’t already. She’s a terrific blogger and human being.
Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Hi Jennifer,
I see that you have ADD, me too! I struggle either with no focus or hyper focus. I came across a tool today that I am going to try using and thought I would share. Hope you don’t mind Sandra! http://ticktocktimer.com/ It is an online timer that you can set for how long you are allowing yourself to work on something. You can use it as well to help you stay on task Jennifer, but set if for shorter increments 10 or 15 minutes max.
HTH!
Bernice
Hi Bernice,
Thanks for this resource. I will check it out myself. All the best!
Sandra,
I’m drawn to what you’ve shared here…and I am…because if I look at this list you’ve shared – the honest answer is that I can see many areas where I can improve my focus.
That’s a hard thing, too – to read this, and look honestly at where I’m at. One of them which really jumps out for me – is this idea of disconnecting (and even in blocking off of time buckets). I recently disconnected for a couple of days – and it was so, so good. Now, if I really work to create these time buckets (and then also put in a few minutes of disconnecting there, too – to “disconnect” from the task at hand) – that, too, will be so good.
Sandra, thank you. Your words are helping me already to be more focused on what matters to me…
Lance,
I really love the word “time buckets.” It’s fun to see how we all bring our our spin to the challenge of focus. I think most of us would agree that focus is not easy if we are honest with ourselves like you have been. I appreciate your willingness to look even though it’s really hard for you.
It helps to hear your experience of disconnecting. The more we hear how nourishing it is, the more encouraged we all are. Thanks for your thoughts and honesty.
Sandra,
I love how you are working to decrease your distractions so you can increase your focus! I have turned off all my alerts. I have turned off notifications. I am so happy, I actually cleaned off my desk! It just takes that determined focus to make it happen!
Have a great weekend!
Bernice
Bernice,
I’m so happy to hear how much you are accomplishing on your own path of focus. Wow, a clean desk. Bravo! Wishing you a wonderful weekend too.
I love your article here. I got rid of watching tv- I’d rather blog, write and read. I think I found my own focus which took two years (books, and book reviews). You have a great list.
Thank you, Jackie! I’m glad you found your focus. I’m amazed by your participation in the post a day challenge. Awesome!