Do you want to accomplish your set goals? How about mastering the art of focusing like a laser so you can aim and achieve any target you want in life? These targets or milestones could be in your personal life, business, career, finance, or relationship. They may also be for your health and wellness or spiritual development. All of these will require new skills, strategies, and exceptional habits. However, you cannot acquire those skillsets and good habits if you have not mastered the art of maintaining a laser focus.
What Does Laser Focus Mean?
Before we define 'laser focus,' it is better to understand first what a laser is. A laser is a machine that utilizes crystals or special gases to produce a light with a single color. Therefore, the key phrase is a light with a single color, not light with multi-colors. Why the emphasis? It is because you aim at two birds and not miss one. Just like a laser, you need to bring together all your energy and focus on one thing at a time. It may be a great idea to multitask like Warren Buffet or Jack Ma. But the truth is that we are all wired differently. An infographic by Rancoteur predicts that about 463 exabytes of data will be generated daily across the globe by 2025. That is the same as producing 212,765,957 DVDs daily.((Visual Capitalist:
How Much Data Is Generated Each Day)) In the middle of this volume of data, your brain needs to process them to make critical decisions.
How Do You Help Your Brain Focus?
Steve Jobs's advice is to learn to say NO. ((Youtube:
Focusing is about saying no" - Steve Jobs -WWDC'97)) Focusing means less talk and more action. It means less time on social media and more time doing important things. Maintaining a laser focus is about saying no to irrelevant data and acting on the information you already have. Laser-like focus means aligning your thought patterns, belief system, emotions, and actions with your goals consistently. If you want to become significant in life, you need to align with your set goals. Stop looking at two directions at the same time, and start focusing like a laser.
Why Is Focus Important?
You may be wondering why it is important to maintain a laser focus. Here are four significant benefits of maintaining a laser focus.
Accomplish Greater Result
No one loves half-baked results. A result that is only at 99.9% is a sign of mediocrity. You can only achieve excellence when you realize your vision to its fullest. And that requires having a laser focus. Great accomplishments are generated by maintaining focus.
Generate Faster Results
Multitasking is a great idea. But if you want to generate results quickly, you will need to resist the urge to check your e-mail, Facebook newsfeed or other distractions every 5 minutes. Having a laser-like focus will help you to always produce faster results on anything you set your mind on.
Achieve Consistent Results
Success is an all-the-time thing. When you focus all your energy on one thing, like a laser that produces a single light, you will master the art of consistently generating quality outcomes. Do to be mediocre at many things o be a master at one thing?
Enjoy Peace of Mind
A lack of direction and focus will always lead to confusion. But laser-like focus eliminates every clutter and provides you a clean sheet to work with.
3 Strategies to Maintain a Laser Focus
Here are three requirements if you want to focus like a laser:
1. Be Clear About Your Life Vision
You should not focus just for the sake of it. You should utilize this productivity strategy to accomplish your set goals. And that means you need to be clear about your purpose. What is your passion? What keeps you awake when others are sleeping? What drives you in life? These refer to what you want from life and not what others want from you. Your life vision does not refer to the expectations of your parents, your boss, or society. What do you want from life? If you can align with your heart's desire, you will find it easy to eliminate distractions and maintain a laser focus to see your goals come to reality. On the other hand, if you consistently pursue things that do not make you happy, you will continuously experience burnout. Not only that, but you will also find it harder to focus, and you will need to push yourself harder.
2. Establish Your Game Plan
Once you have gained clarity about what you want from life, the next thing is to establish a plan to accomplish it. You may need to research, read books, or study some autobiographies depending on how complex the goal is to know the next action to take. Do not bother trying to achieve perfection with your first plan. Just keep moving forward as you learn and adapt your strategies. As you become more focused like a laser, you will begin to attract ideas, connections, strategies, and action steps to accomplish your goals.
3. Identify the Most Significant Tasks and Focus on Them.
Once you have established your game plan, you should now identify the tasks that are most significant to your goal. These are the ones you need to prioritize. There will be a few crucial tasks you may not have the capability to execute, but do not let them bother you. Only focus on what is important - the thought patterns, habits, and strategies that offer the fastest route towards your set goals. At this point, you should know what counts and what does not. Focus on activities that take you forward, and eliminate tasks that retract your focus.
7 Simple Habits to Sharpen Your Focus
1. Meditate
Meditation is an ancient means of managing emotions. It can relieve you of stress and anxiety. Not only that, but it can also help you focus like a laser. Researchers discovered that people came out with a strong ability to focus after three months of meditation retreat. They also noticed an overall upgrade in cognitive functions.((Time:
Losing Focus? Studies Say Meditation May Help))
2. Sleep
Sleep is a no-brainer. Sleep is linked directly to some cognitive abilities, such as the ability to perform and focus. The National Sleep Foundation confirmed that quality sleep, which is between 7-9 hours, could help you think clearly. Moreover, it also enables you to make informed decisions and remember more. So what happens when you do not get proper sleep? You will have reduced productivity levels. you may also become more forgetful, and you may find it hard to pay attention.((SleepFoundation.org:
How Lack of Sleep Impacts Cognitive Performance and Focus))
3. Avoid Multitasking
While multitasking may look like a great idea, it can affect your ability to maintain a laser focus. The American Psychological Association confirmed that constantly swapping between activities can reduce your focus as you are not giving yourself considerable time to adjust to a single thing.((American Psychological Association:
Multitasking: Switching costs))
4. Leverage the ABC Technique
Harvard Business Review revealed that your brain is continuously distracted by internal and external elements such as sounds, thoughts, and interruptions. One method that can help you wade through these distractions is known as the ABC technique.((HBR:
Train Your Brain to Focus))
- A stands for ‘becoming aware of your options’.
- B stands for ‘breath deeply’.
- C stands for ‘choose thoughtfully’.
Become aware of the options that are available to you by deciding whether to take heed to distractions. Then, breathe and relax while deciding on whether to focus or become distracted.
5. Work With Natural Light
You cannot achieve optimal focus working in a windowless room lit with artificial light. According to a study, individuals who work in offices lit with natural lights record substantially fewer headaches, blurred vision, and eye strain, all of which impede focus.((Cision:
Study: Natural Light Is the Best Medicine for the Office ))
6. Drink Some Water
According to research, high water intake can increase your alertness. About eight glasses of water have been recommended daily. Does water enhance focus? Short answer: yes. A research conducted by the University of Westminister and the University of East London revealed that you can enhance your focus by 25% simply by drinking 300ml of water.((OxbridgeEssays:
How drinking water increases your concentration)) Drinking water always also prevents dehydration and tiredness.
7. Listen to Classical Music
Music is therapeutic, especially classical music. Why classical? A study conducted by Stanford University revealed that people's minds tend to wander while listening to music. However, classical music can help people to gain awareness and attention because it features several transitional points that have silence.((Stanford Medicine:
Music moves brain to pay attention, Stanford study finds))
Final Thoughts
I would advise you to pause and reflect in intervals by asking yourself if you are genuinely focused or distracted. Anytime you are going in the opposite direction of your goals, simply bring back yourself to regain your focus. It takes time to maintain a laser focus. But with constant practice and the application of these techniques, you will eventually learn the art of maintaining a laser focus.
More Tips to Help You Stay Focused
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