You don't need more time, you need more focus.

The Problem with Focus

They say time is the most valuable commodity, but there’s something even more precious: Focus.

From the moment we wake up until we go to bed, distractions surround us. Thoughts on what to do for the day, news updates, social media, requests from your boss, coworker gossip, street noise, your kids wanting your attention, and of course, your bedtime TikTok session.

These distractions can drain you and leave you feeling unaccomplished.

What's worse is that it’s a lucrative business to steal your focus. Companies invest billions every year to unite software engineers and marketers with the sole mission of capturing your attention and bending your will to their agenda.

What do they do with the focus they steal? They get you to buy their products, perform tasks that advance their goals, and internalize their narratives as your own. No wonder it drains you.

Your boss, your family, and the world around you are all competing for your focus. This is why you always feel like you are distracted. And if you work in a high-touch job like finance or healthcare, where you juggle multiple tasks, projects, and collaborators, you know this struggle all too well.

Why Take Back Your Focus?

Reclaiming your focus will help you:

• Get more done in less time
• Perform tasks more accurately
• Get more out of the situation

Most tasks that require your higher-level brain are done more effectively and efficiently with your undivided attention. Tasks like analyzing an investment or compiling a work report.

High-stakes tasks need to be done this way as well, such as like wiring funds to the correct recipient. Imagine if you’re distracted by your coworker asking you something and you enter 1 digit wrong. The money is gone, and you’re at fault.

And activities where the outcome is open-ended is where having focus is invaluable. For me, this is conversations with owners of properties I’m trying to buy. I listen for subtle hints at their motivations to transact, and sprinkle in perspectives that would change the dynamic of the conversation.

Ok, How Do I Take Back My Focus?

How do you get the right work done despite everything going on? The key is to be conscious of how you allocate your focus throughout the day, and what's taking your focus away from you.

Here are 3 main areas to work on to improve your focus.

1. Phone

This will be the most impactful area to improve for gaining more focus.

• Limit your screen time
• Put it in another room if you need to concentrate
• Put your phone on grayscale to make it less visually stimulating

2. Environment

Clean up your environment, both digital and physical, and set boundaries with your coworkers.

• Organize your living and working space.
• Organize your computer desktop and phone screen.

3. Behavior

Hardest to implement because you are changing your neurochemistry, but worth it in the long run.

• Meditate and give yourself some more headspace
• Go into Monk Mode - concentrate and shut the world out
• Let your coworkers know when and how they can get your attention

Taking these steps can help you achieve your goals, solve problems more effectively, and communicate better with others. It’s so easy to lose focus nowadays, but with conscious effort, you can reclaim your attention and productivity.

Have you tried any of these strategies?

Anything to add to this list that’s worked for you?

Comment below which solution you’d like a deeper dive on.