Why don’t you ever achieve the goals you set or stick to the schedule you created for yourself? Why is it so difficult to concentrate for more than five minutes before getting distracted?
It’s because most of us have adopted negative habits, making them our way of working, to the point where they interfere with our obligations, studies, jobs, or whatever else we set our minds to.
The following are some examples of habits that can affect one’s ability to focus and be productive.
Lack of planning and patience
When we decide to work on something, we are often overcome by the desire to do it all at once, and if it does not work right once, we tend to give up. We may apply the Kaizen approach, which entails taking one step at a time. A series of small steps sets off a chain of larger ones!
Setting goals with specific objectives is one method to plan well. Goals provide a general view of the outcomes, whereas objectives define specific smaller deliverables that add up to the overall aim.
Planning ahead of time and breaking down activities into smaller bits can help you be more productive. Then add a little patience to the mix, and you’ll get a considerably larger yield.
Not finishing what you started
First things first. We tend to want to do everything at once when we have a lot on our plate. Multitasking, on the other hand, may not be a long-term solution. Instead, one could choose to focus on one task at a time, completing and polishing it before moving on to the next.
However, a certain amount of speed may be okay; quickly but surely! Setting a deadline for oneself has proven to be effective in terms of increasing motivation. It’s vital to evaluate yourself and determine whether you met the deadline set by your supervisor or by yourself.
Lack of time management
Time management is a notion that is sometimes overlooked. We hear a lot of motivational speeches about it, but the key to effective time management is the ability to do the right thing at the right time. If the right time isn’t determined, it’s up to the person to set it for themselves in a realistic and serious manner. This allows one to be more efficient, keep track of what needs to be done, and hold oneself accountable for it. Plus we don’t have all the time in the world, so why waste it!
Lack of enough sleep and rest
According to a Mayo Clinic article, the amount of sleep required is determined by a variety of factors, including age. Under normal circumstances, however, people require an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep. When a person is sleep-deprived, they may find it difficult to concentrate on tasks that demand focus and attention, such as school or work.
Getting the necessary amount of sleep on a regular basis is associated with improved health, including increased attention, behaviour, learning, memory, emotional control, quality of life, and mental and physical health, according to the clinic.
On the other hand, weight gain, having a body mass index of 30 or above, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and depression are all associated with getting less than seven hours of sleep a night on a regular basis.
Sport is also recommended as a way to unwind. Resting, however, can take several shapes, depending on one’s preferences. So, if it’s resting, meditation, listening to music, or anything else that helps you relax, do it!