Are you having trouble staying focus while studying or working? Then this article is for you.
In the scope of project management, time management is about using the amount of time allocated to a project wisely to meet scheduled deliverables and conclude all work by or before the project completion date.
“Concentration refers to the mental effort you direct toward whatever you’re working on or learning at the moment. It’s sometimes confused with attention span, but attention span refers to the length of time you can concentrate on something.”
Managing my time properly as well as having a deep level of concentration on a given task has not been my strong suit.
If I am allowed to improve just one thing in life, I will do just this.
Factors Affecting Our Focus
I believe one’s level of focus on a particular task is directly proportional to the time spent to deliver the task. How can I improve my focus? Answering this question helped me a lot.
What is often holding me back from reaching this level of deep concentration and the ability to have attention for a long period?
Some of the answers I had were mainly technology-related and it all balled down to my relationship with technology. Could be my phone, checking who texted me at the sound of every ‘ding’, YouTube recommended videos, slack message alert, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. This ability to instantly gratify me at any given time, is an unending process, when bored, the feeling to see some miss notifications, see some photos on Instagram, the list goes on…
This kicks in when I am a little bored or frustrated while studying or working on a particular project, the first temptation is to get instant messaging apps, social media, etc then switch back.
The problem with this is that it –
- Addicts the brain to the ‘instant gratification’ routine
- Promotes task switching, i.e. quickly switching from one task to the other.
The problem with this ability of ‘task switching’ is that it prevents the brain from being able to focus. As a developer, the more complicated a problem is, the more we need to have a deep level of concentration.
Go on a Technology Diet
How does that sound? Just what you think. Going on technology or social media diet would be an appropriate title since technology is rather a necessary evil, can’t entirely get rid of it just to attend some level of focus in our life but to cut the rate of consumption.
- I don’t have to look at social media or my phone as evil instead try to see how I can have a healthy relationship with it and then go from there.
- After allocating the needed time you wish to spend on the phone and social media, do not try to rely on your will power to enforce it. Always remember we are humans, there’s always a ‘primary-urge-response’ so to speak to every situation. For example, when you are hungry, the primary or default response is to look for something to eat, etc. If you are going to say I am not going to check my phone when it ‘dings’ while it is just beside me – you are going to struggle a lot and soon you will break.
- Have rules in place that you are not tempted to break.
- Replace those habits with other things, e.g. You can switch books if you are reading a book for task switching instead of encouraging unhealthy habits with technology.
- Some apps block out applications that you find distracting during your focus hours: I use the Digital Wellbeing app.
- I found this article also useful:
