The time is 9 pm and you have a test to study for tomorrow. All is set for a beautiful time of studying; but there is a tiny problem, you can’t find your pen. It takes you about ten minutes to realize you left it in class and then you borrow a pen from a friend. When you get back reading, you read for a few more minutes and you feel hungry, you stand up, and get a snack. You overhear a conversation that shouldn’t concern you as you have a test to read for, but you oblige yourself. One hour later, you remember you are meant to be reading and hurry back to your patient books. You read for your test amidst glances at your phone replying to different people and scrolling the phone. You write the test and do well (or otherwise) but you know you would have done much better.

The issue of focus is certainly very familiar. Whether it’s trying to code a program, write an essay, or read a book, one always has to battle the enemy called distraction, and run the never-ending race against time.

Long ago, when focus was being created, three elements were fused together to manufacture the magnum opus of productivity. These are:

• Specific timing

It is not a myth that every single person has only 24 hours in a day. The myth surfaces when we assume that we can all produce  the same results with these 24 hours. People use their time differently and when they use time, they use it with focus. The first element of focus is specific timing.

If you know you can accomplish a task in one hour, set the time you intend to start it and block your time for that purpose. Focus and multitasking are two worlds apart. If you want to get the best out of focused time, set the exact time and stick with one thing during that period.

Do not say you will do something in the evening, or tomorrow morning. You have to be specific about when you want it done. This way, you gear your mind towards that time. When you are to write an exam, you are given a specific time to write it. Everything about you notes that, and you find that the time echoes in your mind, ringing loud enough for you not to miss it and prepare adequately for it.

When you are specific with your timing and intentional about your actions, it becomes easier to focus. This is because you have decided to face something for that precise time, and you do not feel something else deserves to be taken care of in that hour.

It would help to use a timer when working.

• A distraction free zone.

Mobile phones and laptops usually give us a false sense of the way things work. When many tabs or applications are open working simultaneously, you start to believe that you can work the exact same way. The reality is that even though it seems you can actively do more than one thing at a time, you actually will not get the best results.

The truth about distractions is that they are subject to choice. We often choose to be distracted by different things and claim distractions are unfair viruses the universe sends to us when we work. If your phone can stop you from working the way you want it to, switch it off or put it in flight mode. Get a space that is comfortable for you and work with it. Put away distractions and work the way you are meant to within that time.

When those itches to do something else come, choose to stay put and keep working. The timer is ticking, and the world is waiting.

• A break.

This element of focus seems to be counter-intuitive but it is one of the most important. We all do not have the same attention span and once you know how long it takes for you to be tired or losing focus, stand up from that chair and take a break.

It helps to walk a bit, take a snack, drink some water or stretch your muscles. Taking a break is not one of the deadly work sins. Being able to rest well is as important as working well.

When you take breaks, you put yourself in a great position to work at your optimum. Do things that ‘recharge’ your batteries and get back to work.

Playing a game, or calling a friend could work, but ensure that the break does not get longer than it should. It is only meant to refuel you for a moment before you get back to work. What matters is that you do what works for you and get your desired results.

Paying attention to these building blocks of focused work is very important. However, being focused is entirely left to the person working.

Focused work can become a habit through practice. If you feel you are a beginner, start with 20 minutes of undisturbed work, take a break and get back to work. Increase the time as you get better. You will realize that it is fun and rewarding to do one thing at a time.

Yours in the direction of accomplishments,

Elushade Oluwatumininu

Contact: tumsielushade@gmail.com