Struggling to stay on task? Jumping from here to there and back to here, only to forget where here was. The good news is you are not alone. The bad news is if you don’t fix it, you will be alone (with a struggling business). Thanks to the amazing TPE Community, here are 63 tips on how to stay focused. OK, go ahead and read, and make sure to turn off the email while you read this…. you need to focus.
1. Fear–Plain And Simple
How To Stay Focused: In the heart of every successful entrepreneur, you’ll find fear. Nothing helps you focus quite like it. Harness it. Because if you aren’t able to focus, buckle down and accomplish what needs to be done for your business and your clients (in that order) – you’re finished. Game over.
How To Stay Focused: To stay focused you need to eliminate distractions. You may have remembered to turn off the phone and close your door, but did you eat? It is hard to concentrate when your tummy is rumbling, so have a light snack before you settle in to work on your top priorities. Not only will you avoid the “When is lunch?” thoughts, a healthy snack will give you more energy and help you to think better, too.
How To Stay Focused: Flaxseeds! Grind up a couple tablespoons (you can’t digest them whole) each morning and add it to oatmeal or a smoothie. The omega-fatty acids are crucial for keeping your brain sharp, and most of us don’t get enough of them. Over time, you’ll be able to focus more often and for longer.
How To Stay Focused: I stay focused, when it’s difficult to do, by getting into the spirit of the subject matter through what I wear and how I set up my space when writing or preparing a speech. If I’m working on a Western, I’ll wear boots and jeans and have a figuring horse by my computer. If writing a spiritual book, I might have a Bible and my teddy-bear-angel next to my computer. I try to make it fun – and act AS IF I’m totally in the spirit of the subject matter.
How To Stay Focused: One of my inspiration for starting my online jewelry boutique was my Grandmother. I keep a picture of my grandmother with me to gaze at when I need to stay focused on important creative tasks. She is the reason that I started this journey and I want to keep the creative legacy going.
How To Stay Focused: Do yourself a favor – turn off the computer ding and disable the popup box that tells you, “You’ve got mail!” Like dogs salivating to Pavlov’s bell, when you hear the “email bell,” you race to check your messages, inadvertently interrupting yourself and taking focus away from the project in front of you. It will take you 8 to 20 minutes to get back into the groove. So if the bell never rings, then you’ll stay on track and complete that important report or finish reading the manuscript from your boss…
How To Stay Focused: Do Nothing for 10mins each day – just watch the world go by! That’s when solutions to problems become blindingly obvious. That’s when you get new ideas. It’s called inspiration – and it arrives when your mind is still. When you’re still, your mind is fully focused on what’s important.
How To Stay Focused: To stay focused, I used a nifty little app for the mac called Freedom which disconnects you from the internet for a pre-specified amount of time. No one can bug me with email or chat, and I am not tempted to get sidetracked by wasting time online. At the end of your selected offline period, Freedom reconnects to the network, and everything is back to normal. Now my most intrusive distractions from my most important task are not an issue.
How To Stay Focused: It may seem crazy, but because focus is one of my challenges due to the fact that I have 100,000 ideas every day…I use a timer. I use http://www.online-stopwatch.com/ and set it for 30” (usually). Then I focus on ONE THING until the 30 minutes is up. There are times I feel pathetic that I need something like this, but apparently I do and so I use it and tell people in my workshops (who tend also to be pretty-darn educated, but lack focus).
How To Stay Focused: “I have A.D.D., so sitting and listening for longer than two minutes is tough. So I keep a jar of playdough on my desk and squeeze it and play with it anytime I think I might get bored and lose focus. It makes me feel like I’m playing and working at the same time, and keeps my fingers busy so my mind can keep thinking about what I’m hearing. Now the association of playdough helps me see fun in the mundane. And it smells good!”
How To Stay Focused: Lack of focus = lack of priority. Make sure you have decided it, or something else is your most important task. Then write it down, and tell 2-3 people you trust that you are going to do it, and by when. Be very specific about the date and what the outcome will be. If you want to be really focused, write it on 2 small Post-It notes. Put one inside your wallet so that you see it every time you open it, and put the other above the wall above your toilet roll holder! Over the course of the next day, week, month, take time out at the start and the end of the day to reflect on how you are doing on that task. Even just 5 minutes. An ideal time is when sitting on the WC!
How To Stay Focused: Do not get overwhelmed by all there is to do. Quickly picture what you hope to achieve: Envision it, imagine yourself standing there, amidst all of your products or happy customers, or actually seeing and living how you want to change the world…be in that world and know that it exists. Allow yourself minutes to feel this and experience it, then come out of this state of mind and pull out a pad of paper. Write down at the top: Motive to Serve the World by Doing X” and then write the Top 3 Must Dos for the Day, and the Top 5 Hope I Get To Them. Start Doing!
How To Stay Focused: I check in with a buddy over the phone every hour. We start the day by declaring what we are going to do for the next hour, then check back in an hour later to share what we have accomplished and declare what we intend to accomplish the next hour. We repeat the same process until the day is done. I am not only more focused but I have a complete list of what I did for the day…very satisfying.
How To Stay Focused: Get the right things in front of you visually. You are mostly driven by the visual, so make sure you are looking at the important stuff vs. that email on your Blackberry telling you how you won the Nigerian lottery again! Keep your goals & strategies visible.
How To Stay Focused: After researching and interviewing people for over the past year for the current book I’m writing, “My Stillness: How People across America Cultivate Inner Wisdom through Meditation”, one of the most prominent benefit they list from having a meditation practice is becoming more focused during their business and personal day. Not only do they become more focused, the interviewees also maintain they intuitively know what their priorities are and end up making better business and personal decisions for themselves and their companies.
How To Stay Focused: In martial arts focus is the ability to tune out the noise. It’s a process of “letting go” of distractions rather then forcing concentration. Get rid of all distractions leaving only the subject that requires your attention; simple, not always easy in today’s noisy world.
If you’re having trouble with this a great way to practice is to fight a worthy opponent with a sword! Believe me, any distractions will quickly vanish leaving you with a clear focus on your immediate goal…survival!
(Disclaimer: Not appropriate in many office settings. Check your HR manual before issuing challenges!)
How To Stay Focused: Every morning before I begin my tasks for the day, I read my list of WANTS in life. But more importantly, I stand up and imagine myself in or with each WANT.
-I see my son’s smile as we play on the beach…and feel the joy it brings me.
-I feel the leather seats of my Lexus hug my body as I fly around dangerously sharp bends.
-I feel the cold, crisp air on my face as I swoosh down the Rockies.
After this morning experience, I can’t wait to attack my list of to-do’s.
How To Stay Focused: As an entrepreneur I do everything in my company, such as Accounting, Marketing, Pr, HR, Management, Design, Production, R&D, Customer Service, Shipping & Returns, IT, etc… Every Monday morning I have a meeting by myself for half an hour, I write down my goals for each department for the week, just as I would if I had employees. From that list I create a daily prioritized to do list with a time schedule for each department. My weekly and daily lists are written on a large poster taped on the wall next to my computer; this helps me stay focused even when I’m interrupted by unexpected problems.
How To Stay Focused: I stay focused by writing a “To Do List” the night before & scheduling time to return calls & emails. I find I save so much time and am able to focus on income producing tasks instead of checking emails & voicemails every 5 minutes.
How To Stay Focused: My tip for fellow entrepreneurs would be to leverage technology (off the shelf software or home grown) to drive efficiency and remove bottlenecks that will give you a great competitive advantage over your competition. A quick way to start is to comprehensively map out your sales cycle then pick it apart; brainstorm the craziest, wildest ideas, to shorten the cycle then throw them on the wall and immediately start working on the sticky ones!
How To Stay Focused: I write down my to do list right before bed. If I don’t, I’ll lie awake going over what I have to do, and worry that I’ll forget something in the morning. Writing it down clears my head, and when I wake up in the morning, the list is ready for me, which motivates me to get started right away.
How To Stay Focused: Create a weekly schedule that blocks out the areas that you work in and do only those tasks. For example, you can set client meetings for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and book all appointments then. Your last hour of work on Fridays can be data entry or banking. Mondays can be your Marketing time for writing articles and your ezines, sending out Thank You cards, or touching base with previous clients.
How To Stay Focused: Pretend you only have 2 hours a day to work.
What 3-5 things would you do during those 2 hours a day?
Once you know what those are – then delegate or stop doing everything else that you currently do. And start doing only those 3-5 things all day, every day.
By simply doing this exercise entrepreneurs will learn what matters most. The key is then just doing it.
Cameron Herold
Founder, BackPocket COO
Former COO 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
How To Stay Focused: Every morning, I complete a daily worksheet that lists my objective for the day and calls/projects according to AB priority. My daily schedule of work is taken from that worksheet. It’s the way I have found to ‘reboot’ my focus to start fresh each morning and stay fresh throughout the day.
If you are feeling unfocused, chances are you are burned out or tired and need a break. Take a quick walk and, while you are on the walk, think of 3 things you are going to do when you get back to your workspace. Works like a charm at finding your focus!
How To Stay Focused: I watch a lot of Internet marketing webinars to stay current on industry trends, so I play cards on my computer during the presentation (unfortunately, many presenters are not great at maintaining interest). Having two things to do at once puts me on “high alert” where my attention is very focused. This prevents my mind from wandering, and since one activity is unimportant, I’m free to drop the mundane task for the sake of the important one as needed.
How To Stay Focused: Our conscious mind has restrictions and limitations, but our subconscious mind does not. Knowing this, for me to stay focused, I close my eyes and visualize the outcome of what I want with the project I am working on. Once I get that image, I place it in my subconscious mind and then go to work on the project. Since I placed the entire event in my subconscious mind, I get the project done without hesitation and I get it completed.
How To Stay Focused: When you need to clear the clutter of your mind — I empty the all of the Garbage Cans, Ajax the Sink and Vacuum. Getting receipts out of your purse or doing some form of bookkeeping to keep up-to-date also releases energy and gains clarity. Absolutely do not deal with any e-mail, phones etc.
How To Stay Focused: Many entrepreneurs are visually oriented, thus the “stacks and piles” filing systems you see in our offices. So I use a visual organizer to keep my attention focused. My husband was once an attorney, so we happen to own a desktop- sized set of scales of justice. I moved the scales to my desk where I can see them whenever I’m working. This is the base of my focus reminder.
Flowerpots sit on both scales. The first pot contains a newly started, live plant along with a label stating the name of my current top priority project. The other pot is filled with rocks and dried flowers and is permanently labeled “Everything else.”
This arrangement symbolizes what I most want to be doing to “scale” my business. Watering the plant keeps me from becoming blind to the display. The scales sit on the edge of my desk behind my computer screen and catch my attention many times a day.
How To Stay Focused: The one thing that keeps me focused and rolling each day is starting with the thing I fear the most and getting it done. With all my list making and prioritizing, this one step is what moves me forward. Once I have the thing I’m dreading out of the way, all the rest looks like cake; I’m a dragon slayer!
How To Stay Focused: Organize a 3 hour (or more) time period with 2-5 people where you will focus on completing your most important tasks. At the first hour, have a quick five minute call on a conference line to share what you will complete during the upcoming hour. Then hang up, and each person follows through with their own tasks. At the next hour, celebrate what you have accomplished and share what you will do for the following hour. Repeat for the full 3 hours.
How To Stay Focused: Break your projects into small achievable parts and upon completion of each part give yourself a reward, like a night out of the house with the wife or just being able to keep that house and wife.
How To Stay Focused: 1. Determine you purpose or mission, your primary areas of work / business.
2. Print it, frame it, and hang it above your desk.
3. When something comes across your desk, check it against your intention.
How To Stay Focused: Keep a photograph of, or a quote by, your favorite hero/heroine. If I look at a photo of MLK delivering his DREAM speech, all the petty distractions dissolve and I am reminded of how one person can make a difference by staying on purpose.
How To Stay Focused: My biggest drawback to focus is being online. If I’m online I tend to drift to my email, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn during the day. By “unplugging” I can concentrate on the task until it’s completed.
How To Stay Focused: Observe the conversation in your head rather than participate in it. The more you observe, the less you participate which takes away the main distraction of focus – talking to yourself.
How To Stay Focused: I’m visual, so having something to look at is a great reminder of what I’m to be focused on. Writing or typing a daily to-do list gets me started and gives me a place to return when I get off track. Digital sticky notes with reminders and motivational quotes, and a vision board to reflect on help me remember where I want to be – and lead me to focus on what I need do now to get to there.
How To Stay Focused: Give yourself a break (even 10 minutes will work IF you occupy yourself with something completely unrelated) and you’ll see your focus come back even sharper. The secret (ok, the hard part!) is that you must completely unplug and walk away (both literally and figuratively).
How To Stay Focused: In order to get more queries out to reporters I set up two seperate word documents. One entitled Due Now and one entitled Due Later. Due Now is any queries due the 1st to the 15th of the month and Due Later is the 16th to the end of the month. Using this tip has helped me get blogged 5 times this year in The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.
How To Stay Focused: A small piece of paper with the words “1 Thing at a Time” mysteriously appeared in a pile of papers after a rather stressful multi-tasking session. I now keep this taped to my laptop!
How To Stay Focused: 1) List current tasks in an excel sheet and assign a priority rating from 1 – 10. 2) Filter the list and sort by highest to lowest priority. 3) Run through the list once outsourcing any tasks you can and delete or move these tasks off the list. 4) You are now ready to focus on your most important tasks instead of wasting previous time on less important tasks.
How To Stay Focused: Every day I decide the one thing that I absolutely must accomplish that day, determine how much time it will take me to accomplish it, schedule that time in my calendar and at that scheduled time set a kitchen timer(yes, a good old-fashioned kitchen timer). I turn off my phone and shut down my email and work on the project until the kitchen timer goes off. Once the timer goes off, I’m done–I turn the phone and email back on and go on to other less vital tasks. With this system I know that I have a finite amount of time to work on a project, I’m out of touch only for the time it takes me to complete that task and I don’t even have to check the clock because the kitchen timer is taking care of that.
How To Stay Focused: Get a water fountain that burbles. It puts you in a relaxed state, settles your mind, and helps you concentrate. Whenever I have a power conference call, I snap the thing on. It helps tremendously to keep me on task.
How To Stay Focused: When I get overwhelmed or stressed with all there is to do…I simply take a deep breath, put on some Jimmy Buffet and close my eyes. Then, I remind myself of a prior life of a job I hated and how I never want to return. Follow that with a reminder of all that I’ve accomplished and the customers that love the brand. Then I am able to refocus on all there is to do and continued growth.
Smile.
How To Stay Focused: Stay organized and know everything that you need to get done, but when it comes down to it; focus on one thing at a time and FINISH IT. Your phone, e-mail, Facebook, twitter, etc. will be there when you are done. (don’t get distracted!)
How To Stay Focused: Establish a work environment to keep you focused. Have a command center for action papers, a desk drawer for reference and filing, and a clear desk top to keep distractions to a minimum. Productivity comes from the clarity of the space and your readiness to work.
How To Stay Focused: I used to have meeting “alerts” pop up that used to drive me crazy (and made me feel more overwhelmed than motivated). Now I have phrases like: “Don’t Forget the Passion You Have for this Business” or “Keeping Focus Results In Good Things” or “Leaders are Disciplined” popping up on my calendar once or twice a day (usually before lunch at 11am and around 2pm to help me maximize the last hours of the day). It also reminds me of the things my staff needs to hear too—making me a better and more motivating manager to them.
How To Stay Focused: I have found that wearing headphones that are connected with a very short cord to my computer helps keep me from wandering away from my desk, and the music keeps me going too.
How To Stay Focused: If I want to focus on a project, I get rid of the distractions. That means turning off Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn, not checking email and letting voice mail pick up calls.
How To Stay Focused: Sometimes we are too busy with material and tangible stuffs that we forget to feed our soul. It helps with the spirit and increased motivation.
It makes you sharper and more focused.
How To Stay Focused: My tip is the phrase “it will only take two minutes.” Whether I’m doing admin work, organizing paperwork or filing, I have to remember that if I just keep up with it (instead of catching up), it will only take two minutes to put things in their place. It helps me stay focused later to not have those tasks tempting me to procrastinate.
How To Stay Focused: To stay focused and get from your dream to your vision requires a plan. First, set your intention. Second, act on your intention. Third, reset your intention and decide on an action daily. Your dream has now become a vision you are living.
How To Stay Focused: Work on one task/activity at a time.
Use a kitchen timer to maintain pace, sense of urgency and focus.
Work in 55-minute blocks (with a 5-minute break in between.)
Take a 30-minute break every two hours to do something fun or relaxing.
How To Stay Focused: This is a tip actually taken from Mary Kay Ash’s autobiography, and she credit Charles Schwab. Each night I list the top 6 goals/things to do for the next day. If I have more than 6 things, I reschedule some goals for later in the week. Having a list of 6 things, helps to prioritize my day, but keeps me from being overwhelmed with my more traditional page long to-do list.
How To Stay Focused: Keep your work space clutter-free so your current focus isn’t distracted by the chaos around you. Clutter saps energy and brain power. Save that energy and power for your project and making money!
Sounds counter productive, but I’ve always believed that refocusing your energy on a project requires you to step away and reevaluate the way you’re doing things. Team Brazen plays kickball every Thursday with a group of friends from other startups in the area. Something about taking your entire team out of your traditional work setting to do something fun really changes the momentum of your group when you finally come back.
How To Stay Focused: A not-to-do list is work that *you* do not add value to your company by doing. It might be work that’s not strategically important now, it might be less important work than you you could do now, or it might be work you should or have delegated.
If you catch yourself thinking about anything on that list, or doing something on that list, you’re not adding the most value to your organization.
How To Stay Focused: Take a deep breath and hold it for a moment. As you let it out, take your fist and thump aggressively on your solar plexus—just a little lower than the middle of your chest. As you exhale, (try to make the exhalation last for 60 seconds) loudly say “Ahhhh.” Do this 10 times and you will be amazed at how focused, energized and powerful you feel!
How To Stay Focused: To stay focused on a task, break it up into the smallest possible activities and do the easiest first, the second easiest second, etc. By the time you reach the hard part, you’ll be so pumped (because of all you’ve accomplished), it won’t feel nearly as hard as if you had started with the difficult activities first.
How To Stay Focused: Our CEO, Razor Suleman, has all of our employees participate in a “TTP” (To The Point) daily nine minute meeting. Everyone is required to attend including the CEO, to ensure that he is always aware of what is going on with all aspects of the company and can focus on tasks that are truly important. Agenda wise, it is broken down by the minute based on topics that we feel are of importance.
46 Responses to “How To Stay Focused – 63 (Very Focused) Ways”
Rita Says:
May 27th, 2009
Thanks for the tip, Lorena. I constantly check my email messages and try to reply to everybody immediately. Well, I agree that it interrupts and takes focus away from the project I working on… I am going to turn off my email until the work is done.
Wow! There are a lot of good suggestions. Thanks for letting me participate (I’m Tip #8). I especially loved Tip #13 – posting your goals above the toilet paper roll – funny AND effective. I’m in the industry (I’m a Productivity Consultant), and I just added a few new ideas to my seminars. Great Stuff! Thanks!
Tips on Staying Focused | The Organized Woman Show Says:
May 27th, 2009
[...] want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet BoxGreat tips on staying focused! Be sure to check out [...]
Life Of E’s » Blog Archive » Staying Focused – 63 Ways Says:
May 27th, 2009
For a list of how to stay focused, this seems a little long to me! I guess that might be because I was reading this while I should have been doing something else!
Meggin McIntosh Says:
May 27th, 2009
OMG! These are great and very helpful! Glad I could be a part of it (#11) and I am going to share this far & wide…we all need help with focusing! Thanks for gathering these, Mike.
Meggin
Staying Focused: 63 ideas for staying on task | Studiofluid, Inc. Says:
May 27th, 2009
[...] at the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, a group of entrepreneurs contributed their best strategies for staying focused and getting things [...]
Ricky Buchanan Says:
May 27th, 2009
These are fantastic and creative!
I have a virtual sticky note on my desktop and my OS X dashboard saying “When I look back on this, will I be glad I did it?”
I’ve left lots of free space around it so I see it clearly and spend a few seconds thinking about it every time I see it. It’s really helped!
Kathy Myers Says:
May 27th, 2009
Love these tips. We contributed one, and received 62 great tips back! I enjoyed Chris’s comment–the irony of getting distracted reading tips on how to stay focused! Love your TPE site–great energy here.
Joanne Says:
May 27th, 2009
These are wonderful! I do like ours (#50) but I am taking note on some of the other suggestions too. The spirit of collaboration….love it!
Colleen White Says:
May 27th, 2009
Even if you are on the right track, if you just sit there long enough eventually you will get run over.
Andrea Says:
May 27th, 2009
Love this list. 1, 12 and 30 are my favs tried and true!
Terrill Welch Says:
May 27th, 2009
WOW what an outstanding collection of “How to Stay Focused” tips you have hosted for us Michael. And such fun! My tip is #55 but I am thrilled to have 62 other tips. The strength is in the collective contribution. I am particularly attracted to tip #41 by Bobbie Adallah (Your Virtual Partner). A delight to be part of the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur community. thank you Terrill
Thanks for Mentioning eWise Communications! « Working eWisely Says:
May 27th, 2009
[...] by ewisecomm A special thanks to the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur for including us in their list of 63 was businesses can stay focused. We think all the suggestions are great, but we are particularly fond of #50. Please be sure to [...]
venkat Says:
May 27th, 2009
that’s nice list will help me to concentrate on my blogging
Zele Says:
May 27th, 2009
Really enjoyed reading ‘How to Stay Focused’ tips! Some are easy-to-do tangible reminders; others look at the ‘big picture’ yet are inter-related. I really liked #8, from Lorena at Clearly Organized and 53. Feed Your Soul from Din Amir of RASSA
TMathison Says:
May 27th, 2009
Great strategies all around, my philosophy is to BE AWARE of all of the things that affect my busines, but only focus on the ones that I must change/use/manipulate to better my business. If I fret too much on things I cannot change, I tend to loose focus on what is truly important.
Terry Kohl Says:
May 27th, 2009
Hoping to help everyone who made the list with a little free PR. Press release on this blog distributed to the media promoting primarily, well me, of course (# 61) and TPE. E-mail me for a copy if you like. pr@terrykohl.com
Thanks to you all and to you Mike!
Claire Tompkins Says:
May 27th, 2009
Wow, there are some really creative ideas here! I’ll use some of them with my organizing clients, who are always desperate for help in staying focused. Good work, gang. And kudos to Mike for putting this list together.
Ricardo Bueno Says:
May 27th, 2009
I could benefit from #4 and #9 now and then…
Great list of ways to get focused!!
Wendy Wolfe Says:
May 27th, 2009
Many great ideas for focusing. For me, learning the times of day I am productive has really helped. No use in fighting the biological clock.
Mike Michalowicz Says:
May 27th, 2009
Welcome to all the Digg traffic!!!!!!
- Mike
Ellen Delap Says:
May 27th, 2009
This is a great collaborative effort with everyone able to focus on what really works with their strenghts. Thanks for sharing everyone!
Mike Michalowicz Says:
May 27th, 2009
@Wendy Wolfe – GREAT TIP! When you are in the river, it is easiest to swim with the flow.
- Mike
Laura Says:
May 27th, 2009
What great tips–Thanks for collecting and sharing! No excuses now!
Col @ life by muse Says:
May 27th, 2009
Awesome tips … nice and concise and rich with ideas.
Aaron Says:
May 27th, 2009
#64 – Stop readings lists about how to concentrate while you are working
kay Plantes Says:
May 27th, 2009
Great tips. Thanks. I created a second office when I wanted to write a book. Had I not had a separate office with a different purpose, I am not sure that I ever would have completed the book or started the two columns that I write. Client work and administrative work would have taken priority.
Kay
links for 2009-05-27 « LAN b4 Time Says:
May 27th, 2009
[...] The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur | How To Stay Focused – 63 (Very Focused) Ways (tags: productivity tips blog creativity entrepreneurship entrepreneur focus) [...]
Martha Doyle Says:
May 27th, 2009
These are great!
I love the reminder from Confuscious..”It does not
matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop” also known to me
as “The Turtle won the race.”
I’m going to experiment with Cameron Herold’s idea to pretend I only have two hours to work each day .
Martha Doyle
Television Media Marketing
TELEVISION Spy Says:
May 27th, 2009
Great tips #33 rang most true for me.
D Ellus Says:
May 27th, 2009
for every way to stay focused the converse always applies, eg numbers 9 and 11, using timers to stay focused and taking time out, one contradicts the other..
the same philosophy applies to diets and losing weight, you need to ensure you have a good diet (and exercise) but if you exclude chocolate totally your body will crave it so much that you will freak out and over indulge…
the rule is …. there are no rules… everything in moderation is goood
Gladys Says:
May 27th, 2009
Wow – what a great list of tips to help get focused! This will be a wonderful resource to return to when I have trouble finding and keeping my focus. Thanks for including my tip (#40)!
Brad Says:
May 28th, 2009
Damn, I will never learn to stay focused as I get to nine and totally lose mine….
irtiza104 Says:
May 28th, 2009
thanks for the tips. I hope this will help me to focus, when i’m writing blog posts also.
peace
Flameater Says:
May 28th, 2009
Thanks! These are great tips. I will be sure to try some of them. The replies to your post contain some great tips too! My own way of staying focus:
1. Install Google Desktop Gadgets
2. Download Steeltimer (a countdown device which countdowns passing minutes)
3. Set the SteelTimer on then stay focus while it’s counting down.
Francine Huff Says:
May 28th, 2009
Great tips! Especially No. 61 from Terry Kohl and 55 from Terrill Welch.
Men in Kilts – Brent H. Says:
May 29th, 2009
Amazing content and thank you for sharing everyone. Men in Kilts runs a Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning and Pressure Washing company in Vancouver, Canada…and we will be putting a couple of these on our company wiki for sure. Thanks again and NO PEEKING!
radsaw Says:
May 30th, 2009
the sad thing is i’m supposed to be studying my business exam now and i just drifted on to this how ironic…
saurabh shah Says:
June 1st, 2009
nice tips .. and really meditation and yoga helps to get focused too .. i have experienced too by doing these since last month …
barb Hranilovich Says:
June 2nd, 2009
Slay that dragon for sure…tops on this list!
Hot Links & More « Train Thyself Says:
June 16th, 2009
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Brandon Says:
February 23rd, 2010
Hey!
I love these practical solution to stay focused. And once you have found the few that work best for your, then your productivity will skyrocket. Keep up the good work!
Best,
Brandon
Mike Michalowicz Says:
February 23rd, 2010
@Brandon – thanks for comment and checking out TPE.
How To Stay Focused: 7 Ways To Keep On Task « Binkis Weblog Says:
March 7th, 2010
[...] More ways on staying focused here and here – Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)No Title5 p’s of pain [...]
Stay on Task: 3 Web Tools for Staying Focused on the Computer — Almost Organized Says:
March 8th, 2010
[...] Working on the computer has become a daily part of life for most people in the modern workplace. Whether you use your computer in a cubicle or at your desk at home, it’s a challenge to stay focused with so many distractions just a few clicks away. Between social networking sites, e-mail, blogs and dozens of other websites that can take your attention, you need a strategy to get your energy focused and keep your mind in order. [...]
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May 27th, 2009
Thanks for the tip, Lorena. I constantly check my email messages and try to reply to everybody immediately. Well, I agree that it interrupts and takes focus away from the project I working on… I am going to turn off my email until the work is done.
I highly recommend to visit Lorena’s website http://www.clearlyorganizedlife.com
Rita
May 27th, 2009
Wow! There are a lot of good suggestions. Thanks for letting me participate (I’m Tip #8). I especially loved Tip #13 – posting your goals above the toilet paper roll – funny AND effective. I’m in the industry (I’m a Productivity Consultant), and I just added a few new ideas to my seminars. Great Stuff! Thanks!
May 27th, 2009
[...] want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet BoxGreat tips on staying focused! Be sure to check out [...]
May 27th, 2009
[...] http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/how-to-stay-focused-63-very-focused-ways [...]
May 27th, 2009
For a list of how to stay focused, this seems a little long to me! I guess that might be because I was reading this while I should have been doing something else!
May 27th, 2009
OMG! These are great and very helpful! Glad I could be a part of it (#11) and I am going to share this far & wide…we all need help with focusing! Thanks for gathering these, Mike.
Meggin
May 27th, 2009
[...] at the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, a group of entrepreneurs contributed their best strategies for staying focused and getting things [...]
May 27th, 2009
These are fantastic and creative!
I have a virtual sticky note on my desktop and my OS X dashboard saying “When I look back on this, will I be glad I did it?”
I’ve left lots of free space around it so I see it clearly and spend a few seconds thinking about it every time I see it. It’s really helped!
May 27th, 2009
Love these tips. We contributed one, and received 62 great tips back! I enjoyed Chris’s comment–the irony of getting distracted reading tips on how to stay focused! Love your TPE site–great energy here.
May 27th, 2009
These are wonderful! I do like ours (#50) but I am taking note on some of the other suggestions too. The spirit of collaboration….love it!
May 27th, 2009
Even if you are on the right track, if you just sit there long enough eventually you will get run over.
May 27th, 2009
Love this list. 1, 12 and 30 are my favs tried and true!
May 27th, 2009
WOW what an outstanding collection of “How to Stay Focused” tips you have hosted for us Michael. And such fun! My tip is #55 but I am thrilled to have 62 other tips. The strength is in the collective contribution. I am particularly attracted to tip #41 by Bobbie Adallah (Your Virtual Partner). A delight to be part of the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur community. thank you Terrill
May 27th, 2009
[...] by ewisecomm A special thanks to the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur for including us in their list of 63 was businesses can stay focused. We think all the suggestions are great, but we are particularly fond of #50. Please be sure to [...]
May 27th, 2009
that’s nice list will help me to concentrate on my blogging
May 27th, 2009
Really enjoyed reading ‘How to Stay Focused’ tips! Some are easy-to-do tangible reminders; others look at the ‘big picture’ yet are inter-related. I really liked #8, from Lorena at Clearly Organized and 53. Feed Your Soul from Din Amir of RASSA
May 27th, 2009
Great strategies all around, my philosophy is to BE AWARE of all of the things that affect my busines, but only focus on the ones that I must change/use/manipulate to better my business. If I fret too much on things I cannot change, I tend to loose focus on what is truly important.
May 27th, 2009
Hoping to help everyone who made the list with a little free PR. Press release on this blog distributed to the media promoting primarily, well me, of course (# 61) and TPE. E-mail me for a copy if you like. pr@terrykohl.com
Thanks to you all and to you Mike!
May 27th, 2009
Wow, there are some really creative ideas here! I’ll use some of them with my organizing clients, who are always desperate for help in staying focused. Good work, gang. And kudos to Mike for putting this list together.
May 27th, 2009
I could benefit from #4 and #9 now and then…
Great list of ways to get focused!!
May 27th, 2009
Many great ideas for focusing. For me, learning the times of day I am productive has really helped. No use in fighting the biological clock.
May 27th, 2009
Welcome to all the Digg traffic!!!!!!
- Mike
May 27th, 2009
This is a great collaborative effort with everyone able to focus on what really works with their strenghts. Thanks for sharing everyone!
May 27th, 2009
@Wendy Wolfe – GREAT TIP! When you are in the river, it is easiest to swim with the flow.
- Mike
May 27th, 2009
What great tips–Thanks for collecting and sharing! No excuses now!
May 27th, 2009
Awesome tips … nice and concise and rich with ideas.
May 27th, 2009
#64 – Stop readings lists about how to concentrate while you are working
May 27th, 2009
Great tips. Thanks. I created a second office when I wanted to write a book. Had I not had a separate office with a different purpose, I am not sure that I ever would have completed the book or started the two columns that I write. Client work and administrative work would have taken priority.
Kay
May 27th, 2009
[...] The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur | How To Stay Focused – 63 (Very Focused) Ways (tags: productivity tips blog creativity entrepreneurship entrepreneur focus) [...]
May 27th, 2009
These are great!
I love the reminder from Confuscious..”It does not
matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop” also known to me
as “The Turtle won the race.”
I’m going to experiment with Cameron Herold’s idea to pretend I only have two hours to work each day .
Martha Doyle
Television Media Marketing
May 27th, 2009
Great tips #33 rang most true for me.
May 27th, 2009
for every way to stay focused the converse always applies, eg numbers 9 and 11, using timers to stay focused and taking time out, one contradicts the other..
the same philosophy applies to diets and losing weight, you need to ensure you have a good diet (and exercise) but if you exclude chocolate totally your body will crave it so much that you will freak out and over indulge…
the rule is …. there are no rules… everything in moderation is goood
May 27th, 2009
Wow – what a great list of tips to help get focused! This will be a wonderful resource to return to when I have trouble finding and keeping my focus. Thanks for including my tip (#40)!
May 28th, 2009
Damn, I will never learn to stay focused as I get to nine and totally lose mine….
May 28th, 2009
thanks for the tips. I hope this will help me to focus, when i’m writing blog posts also.
peace
May 28th, 2009
Thanks! These are great tips. I will be sure to try some of them. The replies to your post contain some great tips too! My own way of staying focus:
1. Install Google Desktop Gadgets
2. Download Steeltimer (a countdown device which countdowns passing minutes)
3. Set the SteelTimer on then stay focus while it’s counting down.
May 28th, 2009
Great tips! Especially No. 61 from Terry Kohl and 55 from Terrill Welch.
May 29th, 2009
Amazing content and thank you for sharing everyone. Men in Kilts runs a Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning and Pressure Washing company in Vancouver, Canada…and we will be putting a couple of these on our company wiki for sure. Thanks again and NO PEEKING!
May 30th, 2009
the sad thing is i’m supposed to be studying my business exam now and i just drifted on to this how ironic…
June 1st, 2009
nice tips .. and really meditation and yoga helps to get focused too .. i have experienced too by doing these since last month …
June 2nd, 2009
Slay that dragon for sure…tops on this list!
June 16th, 2009
[...] This blogger found 63 ways to live longer. There are probably more, but this article is good enough to spend some time digesting. You may think of more, but, if you need to get started, click here. [...]
February 23rd, 2010
Hey!
I love these practical solution to stay focused. And once you have found the few that work best for your, then your productivity will skyrocket. Keep up the good work!
Best,
Brandon
February 23rd, 2010
@Brandon – thanks for comment and checking out TPE.
March 7th, 2010
[...] More ways on staying focused here and here – Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)No Title5 p’s of pain [...]
March 8th, 2010
[...] Working on the computer has become a daily part of life for most people in the modern workplace. Whether you use your computer in a cubicle or at your desk at home, it’s a challenge to stay focused with so many distractions just a few clicks away. Between social networking sites, e-mail, blogs and dozens of other websites that can take your attention, you need a strategy to get your energy focused and keep your mind in order. [...]