Transforming Your Workflow with Proven Focus Strategies | EP280

"Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore." - James Clear.

EP 280

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Welcome back to the blog, friends! This week on the Mindset & Action Podcast, we delved into focus—what it means, how to keep it, and why it’s critical in a world full of distractions. Inspired by conversations with Viv from our Mini Mindset Monday, I wanted to go deeper into the practical ways we can stay focused and avoid “context switching,” which, as I discussed, is one of the main reasons we struggle to stay on task.

To kick things off, I shared an analogy to help visualise the power of focus: Imagine you’re driving from Birmingham to Dover. You’ve got a straight, clear road with no distractions. Now, contrast this with hopping trains, navigating through bustling London, and endless switching between routes—this is context switching in action. Our daily lives resemble the latter, bouncing from task to task, but by blocking out dedicated focus time, we can avoid these detours, reduce stress, and be much more productive.

We then touched on a favourite concept of mine, “deep work,” a focused approach that helps achieve high-quality output by zeroing in on a single task. This idea, which some call “tiger time,” involves blocking distractions for a set period, allowing us to do our best work. By eliminating interruptions like phone notifications and open tabs, we can avoid wasted energy, which, believe it or not, can add up to 40 minutes of lost time daily. Imagine what you could do with that extra time!

Creating the right environment is also key to maintaining focus. Think of a tidy workspace as your mind’s personal “quiet room.” For some, background music works, while others prefer silence. And don’t overlook scent; certain aromas can actually prime our brains for focus. I’m a big fan of using a favourite wax melt or essential oil as a cue for getting into deep work mode. Visual and sensory cues play a surprisingly important role in our ability to concentrate.

Another major point we discussed was batching and calendar blocking. Batching groups similar tasks together, reducing the need to switch setups constantly. Imagine getting all your social media posts done at once instead of here and there throughout the day—far less time wasted! With calendar blocking, you can schedule these batches, like dedicating one afternoon to editing or content creation, which helps prevent distractions and increases productivity.

Finally, we explored some focus-boosting techniques, including the Pomodoro Technique for timed focus bursts and the power of automation. Automation saves us time on repetitive tasks, freeing us to focus on more meaningful work. I use templates for emails, blog posts, and podcast communication, so I’m not recreating the wheel each time. Small changes like these can have a big impact on our day-to-day efficiency.

If you’re ready to level up your productivity, try implementing just one of these tips this week. Let me know how it goes in our Facebook group, Start A Podcast UK. See you next time, and remember: a focused mind is a productive mind!

Show notes Links

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Episode 154 - Lost in Transition: How Context Switching is stealing your time and How to get it back

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