How do you get back to work when you lose focus?
Ezgi Aydın
109 replies
It is the thing I struggle with the most. I usually get up grab a cup of coffee and get back to work but it doesn't always do the trick for me. So what are your tactics?
Replies
Matt Li@mattli
It's always starting that is the hardest part, and it's almost always a challenge! To make it easier, I try to have some notes or reference to remind myself what is currently important. Then, I just like to focus on one simple thing I can do to get the ball rolling.
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When I lose focus, I find it helpful to take a few minutes to step away and refocus.
Taking a walk can help me organize my thoughts and return to what I was doing.
@annachen_ Absolutely! Sitting in one place while trying to refocus never works
@annachen_ Definitely the best answer here, standing up and doing a short task can help you regain focus by relaxing and shifting your focus to something lighter which lowers your stress.
(in other words, short distraction)
But it is important to come back not too long after, otherwise you might lose your "hype" to continue working.
@annachen_ Agree. I always take a walk, too. It works wonders.
@kaperstone Yes, I usually choose to take a walk during my work breaks, and I must not exceed too much time, otherwise it will be difficult to get back into work afterwards.
@elif_on @ezgi_aydin you can`t do nothing? no procrastination?
I try to reject all distractions and focus on completing my goal. And remember that, breaks are very important in the whole process, coffee, lunch, etc.
@julia_gutkind Interesting. How do you do that?
I try to take a toilet and coffee break and get back to work afterward. Getting up on my feet and moving around a little usually does the trick for me.
We also have a football table at the office so when I can't regain focus at all I usually play a match with some of my colleagues in order to get some energy and refocus afterward.
I remember the paycheck lol
I try to get someone to work together with me, so we could encourage or support each other whenever one of us is feeling the downtime. It always works, for the most part. But you really need someone with the same sense of urgency as you do, otherwise you'd lose focus easily.
@isaacmurasaki I have tried this approach as well, but finding someone to stay on the same frequency with you feels difficult to me, it's like finding a true friend.
@annachen_ I agree, but what I find interesting is that it doesn't have to be someone you know. There's a product called focusmate.com that helps to connect people who want to focus on doing work. So, that might be an option.
I call my friends. As they all are builders, they just talk about what important work they did today or this week. I get FOMO and am back to work again 😂
Breathing. Closing your eyes and taking a few deep, cleansing breaths can do wonders.
@sakshi_gahlawat Same! Also a 10 mins mindfulness session can help you too! I do that or I practice some Yoga or Pilates and if I am too stress some boxing or cardio might help me better. Depending on the day, the blocker, the timing, etc.
Take a break: Step away from your work for a few minutes and do something else, like taking a walk or doing a quick workout.
Discipline is the key
Imposing myself a daily routine of tasks to be accomplished within a certain time, and constantly coming back to this list whenever I feel that I am getting lost in reasoning or actions that take me away from the goal. It is very easy to stray from the goals with the many sources of information and possible levers of action available to us Only daily discipline can prevent getting lost.
Getting up and moving around, for a few minutes with a cup of coffee will usually do the trick for me
Taking a short break is the way to go!
As an ex-manager I've experienced this a lot, it became worse when I should handle multiple projects.
Try breakdown the task into mini task, usually, I write it in notion or Trello. Achieving something can push us to get more achievement, it's something that Duolingo did.
What I feel sometimes, after taking a break or do on another project it's very hard to back to an urgent one and I notice it because the urgent one can be very painful, very hard, and get more obstacles. :D
I take a small break where I do something that's still productive but not super draining.
Have a cup of coffee, buckle up and dive in!
I just do 3 things that gets me back on track:
1. Get my music on and start working back, I get 10X focused and get the work done
2. Remember why I am doing what I am doing. This gets your purpose back on track which otherwise you thought is just a task you are executing.
3. Take a walk around my apartment or just take a look at Nature. It heals and gives your head the calm it deserves.
there is more to it. These 3 are somewhat responsible for bringing my focus back.
(btw, I wrote this while listening to 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams. Do check it out on Spotify😁)