Every Monday morning, Campus Philly Program Manager, Cory Dulaney, sends “Motivational Monday” emails to the Student Leader Network (SLN). Learn more about SLN here and sign-up to receive weekly words of wisdom from Cory!
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
– Alexander Graham Bell
In a world where there are thousands of distractions every day, how does one maintain focus? This is a personal challenge of mine and I’d like to share three practices that help me enhance and maintain focus.
1. Set aside a specific time and write out a particular goal including all the tasks needed to complete that goal. This does wonders! Giving yourself a solid 2 or 3 hours and allocating times to take a break works with the clock in your brain and makes it easier to follow through. Writing down a goal and the tasks needed to complete the goal gives your brain a map of specific instructions and you don’t waste time on needless activities.
2. When I am working on a particular goal, I sometimes drift off into a daze where I have random thoughts that are totally off topic or I enter a social media black hole of posts and snaps. Begin recognizing these moments! What are your distractions and why are you distracted? Personally, I learned that I subconsciously rationalize why I should check social media or read this off-topic article. Soon I was able to consciously check these moments, call myself out, and ignore the urge to get distracted.
3. Remember why you want to complete your goal and get in the “zone”. When you are fully enveloped in a project, an article your writing, or a piece you are creating, when you put 100% of your energy and intention into anything it acts like a magnifying glass that enhances your focus and concentration. Think about the last time you were fully invested in something. It felt almost euphoric, right. Remembering why you are working on a goal and getting in the zone makes the work flow effortlessly!
Until next time, peace!
Cory
