How to Improve Focus and Reduce Wasted Time
by Karla Brandau, CSP
Most teachers probably don’t give much thought to their student’s writing utensils. Pencils and pens come in many disguises but the usage of the wrong type can waste time.
Pencils reduce wasted time for the student because correction of mistakes is simple: just turn the pencil over and erase. A simple rubber eraser provides far neater correction of mistakes than correction fluid, not to mention the elimination of spills and students losing valuable brain cells by engaging in solvent abuse.
This may seem insignificant for adults, but the lesson is: what do we do that wastes our time? Are we using correction fluid instead of a good old-fashioned rubber eraser?
In our environment of lean profit margins and cost-cutting organizations, individual productivity is crucial and should be focused on minimizing or eliminating wasted time and preventing errors. Lean management principles state that anywhere work is being done, waste is being generated and waste is the enemy of value and profits.
Therefore, the question becomes: What can individuals do to reduce waste in the daily routine which will automatically increase output and performance?
They can improve their focus. What can you do to improve your focus?
1. Make your problems line up one-by-one. If you have several competing demands, prioritize them then focus and give the highest priority your undivided attention. The other tasks are not going away, but you will be more productive by putting the other demands in the hidden file status.
2. Break tasks down into manageable increments. As you examine your task list and identify productivity targets for the day, break those targets down into time frames that are realistic. If you have a project with an estimated time frame of 25 hours, break the components of that task down into 20-30 minute increments. This allows for the natural human attention-deficit mental breaks your mind takes and for the interruptions inherent in business life.
3. Evaluate the unnecessary. A few minutes wasted each day performing an unnecessary task or procedure can add up to several hours of lost time each month. We naturally resist spending time on a spontaneous request from another person, automatically viewing it as unnecessary. However, humans tend to hang on to unnecessary tasks out of habit. In order for you to identify the unnecessary items in your day, look to the routine and habitual things you do. What are you doing that is unnecessary and obsolete?
4. Make a daily effort to stay organized. There are few time wasters more irritating than looking for lost items or files, whether in a physical filing cabinet or in the computer. Reduce frustration and free up precious minutes every day by having a home for physical objects and putting those physical objects back in that home every time they are used. A few minutes spent in deciding how you want to organize computer files, especially emails you need for reference, is time well spent and will save time as well as aggravation down the road.
5. Negotiate emotions. Personal emotions concerning past events are huge time wasters, often requiring whole bottles of correction fluid. Sometimes the simple old-fashioned eraser method is better: If you can do nothing about a past event whether it is a work-related incident or a personal experience, let it go. Tuck it neatly away in the hidden files in your brain and then erase it from your present so you can focus.
6. Climb invisible walls. You can lose your focus and waste time because of a simple disagreement with a team member, employee or peer. The incident keeps replaying on the stage in your mind while you feel an invisible wall being built between you and the other person. Be proactive. Be courageous. Climb that invisible wall by asking for a few minutes of the other person’s time to revisit the conversation.
Tactical Tips to Improve Focus:
If you are not getting as much done in your daily allotment of time as you would like, try improving your focus with these easy ideas:
- Concentrate on one problem at a time.
- Overcome adult attention deficit by breaking large tasks into small increments.
- Eliminate unnecessary or obsolete items you do from habit.
- Do housekeeping items such as filing, on a daily basis.
- Stop letting worry and guilt break your concentration.
- Patch up disagreements with the people that work with you.
These simple ideas will give you mental and emotional release so you can focus on daily production goals.
Karla can increase performance and productivity in your organization through keynotes and workshops. Call 770-923-0883 for a free consultation.
