Distractions are a part of everyday life. Whether it's notifications from social media or a colleague interrupting your work, it's easy to lose focus and become sidetracked. However, your personality can play a significant role in helping you avoid distractions and stay focused. In this post, we'll explore how to use your personality to avoid distractions and strategies for staying focused.
Know Yourself:
The first step in using your personality to avoid distractions is to understand yourself. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you prefer a quiet work environment, or do you thrive in a busy atmosphere? Knowing these things about yourself will help you create a work environment that suits your personality and helps you stay focused. If you're not totally sure what your personality type is, click the link at the end of the article to read more about the Enneagram personality typing system.
Create a Schedule:
One way to stay focused is to create a schedule. This doesn't mean you have to schedule every minute of your day, but having a general idea of what you need to accomplish and when will help you avoid distractions. Make sure to include breaks in your schedule to help you recharge and stay focused. For some personality types, the more rigid the better, for others, being rigid and overly organized is the distraction. Get to know yourself well enough to set yourself up for success.
Set Goals:
Setting goals is another way to stay focused. Knowing what you want to accomplish will help you avoid distractions and stay on track. Make sure to set realistic goals that are achievable, and break them down into smaller tasks. This will help you stay motivated and focused. Some personality types are afraid to set goals because of their perception of failure, or lack of big picture awareness. Other types set goals just so they can feel accomplished, and pay little attention to the actual benefit to the big picture. Find out which one you are, and begin to find out your best goal setting strategy, and your perceptions of failure, or success. Big and small picture. Here's a video I did recently in my private Facebook group on the power of having a goal to attach to vs walking blind.
Eliminate Distractions:
Eliminating distractions is key to staying focused. If you know that social media notifications distract you, turn them off while you're working. If you have a noisy workspace, consider using noise-cancelling headphones. Identify the distractions that affect you the most and take steps to eliminate them. Some types love to be entertained (distracted), while some lose their composure and that distracts them for hours or days. Find out how you best handle distractions, and you will set up an optimal productivity flow that is for you, by you.
Take Breaks:
Taking breaks is essential for staying focused. It's easy to burn out if you don't take time to recharge. Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day to give your brain a rest. You'll come back to your work refreshed and focused. Some types are very attuned to their inner state, and can feel burn out coming on. Other types, have a muted connection to their inner state, and may be at burn out stage before they really begin to feel it. Know which type you are, and you can plan around your energy, and use lifestyle habits to cultivate more energy and focus, while recovering from burnout. Conclusion: Using your personality to avoid distractions and stay focused is an effective way to improve your productivity. By knowing yourself, creating a schedule, setting goals, eliminating distractions, and taking breaks, you'll be able to stay focused and accomplish your goals. Remember, staying focused takes practice, so don't be too hard on yourself if you get sidetracked. With time and effort, you'll be able to improve your focus and achieve success. The better you know yourself, the more efficient and productive you become. Your work will be more appealing, as it will be your personal flavor.
If you know you are missing a few key pieces in your ability to focus or produce, and you feel the answer lies in self knowledge, or in your health and fitness, feel free to reach out and we'd be happy to see if we can help you find what's missing! Link below.