One Step At A Time: Hack your focus to achieve efficient work that leads to less stress and a better life! [Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles]
Miles Everson’s Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, managing their investments, career strategy, and more.
A Note from Miles Everson:
Hi, everyone!
Let’s start the day with a mindfulness tip. Every Friday, we write about a topic or event that I find useful in my daily life with hopes to help you improve your personal life or career.
Today, we’re focusing on the topic of concentration. We believe it’s important to talk about this because it’s crucial in the world of work.
Ready to know some ways to improve your focus and eventually, your productivity?
For those of you who are flailing a bit in this aspect, we encourage you to keep reading the article below. This will help boost your energy so you can be more efficient at work.
Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute
Mindfulness by Miles
Have you tried burning a piece of paper or leaf using a magnifying glass?
If you observe, fire could only be ignited when the sun’s rays through the magnifying glass are focused on a small point. If you move the magnifying glass too far away or too close to the paper or leaf, the sun’s rays get scattered and nothing happens.
This experiment shows how the power of concentration works. When applied in the context of your profession, this skill enables you to focus your attention on a single thought or activity, and accomplish the task at hand.
As Norman Vincent Peale, author of the bestselling book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” said:
“When every physical and mental resource is focused, one’s power to solve a problem multiplies tremendously.”
In other words, the power of concentration manifests as focused attention on a certain task or activity. This is vital especially if you’re aspiring to be more efficient at work and take charge of your life.
Photo from Psychology Compass
Despite being in the world of work for over 3 decades now, Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, says his concentration is not always steady. There are days when he feels extra passionate and determined to accomplish tasks or projects, and there are also days when he feels like his mind is lagging and he finishes his work longer than usual.
In fact, during days when his concentration is wavering, he feels frustrated and a bit disappointed. It’s as if he has wasted a lot of precious time just because he couldn’t focus enough.
That’s why for him, concentration is vital for every kind of success. He believes without it, his efforts get scattered; with it, he can efficiently get his job done.
One of the ways Everson improves his focus is by organizing his diet. Since he’s aware that most of his energy comes from the food he eats, he ensures the dishes and snacks he consumes are healthy.
As much as possible, Everson focuses on nutrient-dense food that feeds his brain. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free milk products, seafood, eggs, peas, beans, nuts, and more.
He says a healthy diet helps him avoid brain fog in the long run and gets his mind to work on point.
Everson also shares a few non-diet-related tips that enable him to improve his focus. He says for those of you who are looking for concentration hacks that provide almost instant results, you may try these suggestions:
- Keep your surroundings clean.
Everson says your environment has a lot to do with your concentration. Personally, he prefers working in a clean and organized environment because it helps him avoid distractions and keeps him focused at work.
However, he agrees there’s no exact formula for an ideal work setup. What works for you might not work for him or someone else. What works for him or someone else might not work for you.
Examples: Ambient noise sparks some people’s creativity and focus, while others need noise-canceling headphones. Some people thrive in the chaos of a messy desk, while others need an advanced filing system and a squeaky clean environment.
Simply said, it all depends on a person’s preference!
That’s why Everson states you have to figure out your ideal workspace. This will not only help you get more work done, but also make you feel happier and more inspired as you do your job.
- Take care of your eyes.
In today’s technological era, many parts of the world are flooded with blue-light-emitting fluorescents and electronic devices.
Everson says he’s sure almost everyone knows the consequences of this: Blue lights cause eye fatigue and accelerate eye aging. He says he’s no longer surprised that he sees a lot of young people nowadays wearing corrective lenses.
For those of you who are looking for ways to prevent damaging your eyes, he suggests moving your computer away from artificial light and towards a window or any area where you can get a natural light source. Everson says he understands that many professionals are working using desktops or laptops so for him, this is the least we can do to protect our eyes.
Additionally, limit your screen exposure as much as possible. Everson says when it’s time for bed, you must refrain from fidgeting with your phone or any other electronic device. This will help you get better sleep throughout the night.
- Develop brain-friendly work habits.
Everson strongly believes that professionals need to develop healthy habits so they can constantly improve their skills and achieve greater success in the long run.
So, whether your habit is in the form of planning your day in advance, timing your concentration blocks, taking notes about work announcements or updates, exercising, taking regular breaks, or others, you have to make sure they are beneficial for your career and lifestyle.
Everson also agrees that habits aid in concentration. Once you’ve adopted a certain task or activity into your system, it’ll be easier to focus.
What’s more?
Habits also help you spend less energy sorting things throughout your day. By having a well-defined routine, you reserve your energy and focus for the actual tasks that you need to accomplish.
Take note of these tips from Everson!
Keep in mind that better concentration means more efficient work, and more efficient work translates to less stress and a better life.
By mastering concentration, you’ll experience a range of benefits and open doors to more opportunities. These possibilities are good not only for your career but also for your overall wellbeing.
We hope this topic inspires you to focus and do your work excellently today!
(This article is from The Business Builder Daily, a newsletter by The I Institute in collaboration with MBO Partners.)
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles”
High-performance businesses are run by people who think and act differently.
In other words, these are people who are high-performing individuals.
Companies and individuals of this kind have found ways to escape the grind of commoditization and competition by focusing on the RIGHT goals.
High-performing businesses and individuals are also “return driven” businesses and “career driven” individuals. They conscientiously develop unique capabilities and resources that allow them to deliver offerings in ways no other firm or individual can.
Every Friday, we’ll publish tips and insights from MBO Partners and The I Institute’s “The Business Builder Daily” newsletter.
These will help you gain knowledge on the things that Miles Everson, the CEO of MBO Partners, often talks about regarding the future of the workforce.
We’ll also highlight other mindfulness advice on how you can be a high-performing individual both in your career and personal life.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Mindfulness by Miles!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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