When needing to focus, how to resist distractions?

Hello! I'm happy to help.

I admire you for recognizing that you have trouble focusing. Awareness is the first step to making a change.

Many people feel this way today because we live in a time of lots of information, knowledge, and distractions. It's hard to focus on one thing, but you can do it with a positive attitude and some techniques. What do you think?

Set yourself goals and break them down into small steps. This way, you'll know exactly what you want to do today.

When doing things, try to avoid distractions. Turn off your phone, turn off the TV, and don't stay in places like the bedroom.

Use the Pomodoro technique to set a fixed amount of time to complete a task. Start with 15 minutes and gradually increase to 20 or 25 minutes. Reward yourself if you can complete the task without distraction.

I hope this helps.

I'm Lily, the Q&A Museum's little ear. Love, Lily

Hello, Thank you for your question!

I'm Yi Ming, a mindfulness coach.

After reading your question, I realized this is a pretty common problem that many people face.

The more we try to focus, the more often our minds wander.

We all know that sometimes we just can't control our thoughts.

I'd be happy to share what I know and my personal experiences with you, and I hope they'll be of some small inspiration to you.

1. You don't have to force yourself to resist distractions. Just find a method that works for you.

We've all been there. You know you should be reading quietly and attentively, but your mind keeps wandering to other things.

We don't have to feel like this can't happen.

The brain has its own objective laws, so it's inevitable that we'll sometimes think about everyday, non-urgent things.

The more we try to control and resist distractions, the less effective we are.

To handle the demands of work and life, we often have to juggle multiple tasks at once.

Scientists say that this makes it tough to filter out irrelevant info, which makes it harder to concentrate and causes stress to build up.

When stress is kept within healthy, acceptable limits, we're in a good place mentally.

We can all take a moment to see if we're feeling the pressure.

Instead, try to take a step back and see the brain's non-cooperation in a more calm light. Think of something the brain is more willing to do.

This way, we'll have less internal conflict and self-doubt, which will make it easier to focus.

Needless to say, this method also requires some personal exploration.

The thing is, what works for one person might not work for another.

I'd be happy to share some effective methods that have been proven by many people.

2. Make energy management a priority.

In the past, we always focused on time management, but now we're more into energy management.

Some people can get a lot done in a day and are very efficient, while others feel tired after doing little and have a low completion rate.

There are lots of different methods for this.

For instance, Ye Wubin suggests that when you're feeling your best, tackle your most important tasks.

When you're feeling tired, do things that don't require a lot of thought and are more routine.

We can also look at what times of day suit us best.

Some people are morning people, especially early risers. They don't want to think about anything else in the morning. They focus on what's most important to them, like preparing for exams.

Some people get all their other tasks done during the day and then have an uninterrupted period in the evening to study or focus on what's important to them.

This also makes it easier to focus.

The worst part is that you can't focus on the task at hand and you're wondering if you should do something else instead.

Thoughts like these use up your energy.

Another example is categorizing things.

Important and urgent matters get our immediate attention, while unimportant and non-urgent matters can be put off or delegated.

Important but not urgent tasks, like preparing for exams, are done in person, with good planning and execution.

There are also some specific methods you can use.

For instance,

The Pomodoro Technique is a simple and effective way to manage your time. Just set a 25-minute Pomodoro timer and focus on studying or working without getting distracted.

Until the Pomodoro clock rings, take a quick 5-minute break, then start the next Pomodoro.

And staying physically healthy is the best way to maintain energy. That means exercising scientifically and reasonably.

We can try out different methods and then find the one that works best for us.

For instance, I could only focus on one Pomodoro at first, but now I can easily do four Pomodoros, which makes work and study very efficient.

You can also start with a more modest goal.

We're more likely to get positive feedback.

Feel free to share this with anyone you think might benefit from it.

If you're interested, I'd recommend reading the book "Energy Management."

Best wishes!

It seems like you have a lot on your mind! Distractions are getting in the way of you doing what you need to do in the present moment. And these things don't seem to be very important. Since they are very routine matters, there is no need to spend too much time on them.

When you need to focus on something, it's best to just focus on the present moment, rather than on other things. We all have things we need to accomplish, so it's really important to focus on the here and now. One great way to do this is to write down the things you're thinking about first.

It's totally okay to take a moment to notice what's going on in your mind. We all have those days where our thoughts feel a bit scattered. If you're feeling overwhelmed, it might help to write down your thoughts in a diary, on post-it notes, or even in a memo on your phone.

Then, focus on what you're doing right now, which is reading. Reading is really important, more so than other things that might be going on in your life. It's good to know the difference between primary and secondary conflicts.

It's so important to learn to release pressure and block secondary conflicts. I can see you're feeling very distressed because you're unable to concentrate at the moment, and you want to improve your efficiency. Perhaps you also need to gain a deeper understanding of yourself. I really recommend that you take the necessary Inner Animal Archetypes psychological test to understand some of your inner personality blind spots and to find out why you are in this situation. I also recommend that you have a good talk with a heart exploration coach.

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