“Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.”
José Ortega and Gasset
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
It’s early in the morning. You’ve had your breakfast and done your morning routine.
So you go about your day. And soon you will be doing your daily work at school or at work.
But how do you get that work done in a way that is less stressful, requires less energy and is just a little smarter?
Today I would like to share 10 tips that helped me with this.
I hope you will find something here that will also help you simplify and relax your own daily work.
1. Do only one thing at a time.
It will help you get your task done, feel less stressed and confused, and do your job better than if you multitasked.
And if you feel stressed and overwhelmed during the day, you can tell yourself this simple thing to regain focus and inner clarity.
2. Have a minimalist workspace.
It makes it easier to keep your focus and attention in the right place and your thoughts clear.
I have a workspace with just a wooden desk, a chair, my computer, a larger screen and a glass of water or a mug of tea on that desk.
3. Go slow.
A good way to work more focused is to go a little slower than normal.
I’ve also found that doing something at a slower pace makes it feel less like a mental burden, so I’m less likely to procrastinate.
4. Eliminate.
Every now and then ask yourself:
What task during my day or week can I simply eliminate and not do with little or no consequence?
It’s easy to keep doing everything simply because “you should” or because that’s what you’ve always done.
So ask yourself how you do things to free up energy and time. There is often room to simplify at least a little through elimination.
5. Alternate 100% concentrated work with 100% complete rest.
This is a big one for me.
By doing things this way, you help yourself maintain your mental sharpness and energy throughout the day and work week.
I do this by setting the timer app on my phone for 40 minutes (or sometimes just 5-10 minutes if it’s a task I’ve been putting off).
During those minutes, I just focus on that one task and it becomes easier to do that because I know I only have to do it for this limited time.
When the timer beeps, I leave work for 5-15 minutes. During those minutes, I just focus on resting by having a snack, going for a short walk, or relaxing on the couch with my eyes closed.
6. Don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go as planned.
Instead, be kind to yourself and use your energy wisely, and ask yourself:
What can I learn from this?
Use what you can learn to do things better and avoid making the same mistake in the future. It’s a better use of your time than spending time regretting a past you can’t change.
7. Leave emails and other online checks until the end of the workday.
Or at least for a few hours.
Avoid starting your day by checking your email – if possible – as this can cause a lot of stress and consume your limited energy and attention early in the day.
Being too distracted by your inbox can also make it difficult to find enough time for your most important tasks.
8. Limit your daily information input.
Regularly unsubscribe from blogs, podcasts, social media channels and email newsletters that don’t add much value to your life anyway.
Save only the most helpful, funny, inspiring, and best.
This very simple thing can free up quite a bit of time and attention over the course of a month.
9. Ask yourself questions every day that will help you find your focus.
It’s so easy to get off track one day.
To stay on it or return if you get lost, use one (or both) of my own favorite questions:
- What is the most important thing I can do right now?
- What would I work on if I only had 2 hours to work today?
If you want, write these questions down on a note and put that note somewhere you can’t avoid it during the day.
10. Focus on the how rather than the what-if questions.
Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis, overthinking and worrying lack of self-esteem that usually comes from those destructive thoughts.
Instead, focus on what you can actually do, on what action you can take to move forward.
Empower yourself by asking yourself:
What is one small step I can take right now to move forward toward my goal or get out of this situation?