We have all been told from time to time to multi-task so that more work can be accomplished in less time. What if I tell you that you have been fooled and focusing on a single task at a time is actually the right way to do things?
How to focus your mind on one thing? Here is a list to follow that will get your mind laser-focused on your task.
- Eliminate distractions
- Prioritize your tasks with a to-do list
- Treat your mind like a muscle
- Practice mindfulness and meditation
- Delegate unimportant tasks
- Set a reward
We will be diving deeper into these topics later in this post.
Allowing your mind to focus on one thing at a time improves productivity, eliminates distraction, boosts creative thinking, and prevents procrastination. We’ve all had one of those days where we just fail to find that sharply focused mind. We are casually shifting from one thing to another without realizing how much time we are actually wasting. And why should you feel guilty about that? I did that too!
Not long ago, I was also one of those people who would mindlessly switch from one tab to another, then work on the task a little, then take a break, then go back to switching tabs or checking emails. Everything around me was an interesting source of distraction: the crack in the wall, anyone walking by my office, the stationary holder I got as a Christmas gift, or the unlimited, useless information that was on the internet and just a click away.
You must be wondering; how did this person do any work at all? Well, I wrote this article for you, didn’t I? And to be honest, it took me no less than a few hours for research and writing. How did I do that? By focusing on this, and this alone.
I started with just one goal and got down to it. It became the only thing on my mind, and in no time, I found myself lost in it. Everything started to make sense, like the pieces of the puzzle. When I allowed myself to be immersed in just one task at a time, the whole journey of completing it transformed into a meditative experience. The stress I had earlier about getting down to writing it vanished and everything fell in its place. And the result? You are reading it!
You can also achieve this sharp focus for all the tasks at hand. The reason this strategy works better than multi-tasking is because, as humans, we have a very short attention span. In fact, according to a 2015 study conducted by Microsoft, humans have an eight-second attention span on average. This is less than that of goldfish. Add to that the fact that this number has further shrunk over the past few years due to the bombardment of the internet, social media, and our addiction to technology.
Take a look at the table below to let me further explain my point about why we should only aim to focus on one task at a time.
| Task | Single-tasking | Multi-tasking |
| Focus and Concentration | Higher | Poor |
| Level of Stress | Less | High |
| Reasoning Skills | Better | Not up to the mark |
| Chances of Errors | Less | More |
| Efficiency and Performance | Improved and higher | Poor |
The Importance of Improving Focus
But why is focusing on just one thing at a time is so crucial? Take a look below.
Our Brain Sucks
Well, not technically the brain, but our memory is what sucks. When we occupy our brain with too many tasks at the same time, it becomes harder for it to store all that information and thus the brain ends up forgetting most of it. Think of it as a waiter taking orders at a restaurant. If there is no sequence and everyone starts to shout their orders out loud, how many orders do you think the waiter will be able to write down correctly? Not many, right? The same is the case with our minds.
Conversely, when we focus on a single task at a time, we free up the space available so that only the most important information can get through and be worked upon.
Improved Results
Often, jumbling up too many tasks at a time can decrease efficiency. How are you supposed to give 100% to just one thing when you have so much going on? Therefore, trying to focus on just one goal at a time enhances your focus and improves the quality of the work. It allows you to be more productive and get all the mental juices flowing.
All your energy is working towards achieving it. You are motivated with a single goal and thus prone to fewer distractions along the way. Additionally, when you efficiently accomplish a single task in a given timeframe, you will feel positively reinforced to take up another one. With too many goals, everything gets delayed and you get distracted, so you are unable to give 100%.
Keeps You Fearless
One of the biggest culprits of poor time management and task completion is the fear of failure. Each task comes with a deadline, different smaller tasks, and a ton of pressure. Filling your plate with more than you can eat is inviting all that pressure to overwhelm you. It is very easy to become crippled by it. Having just one goal and one deadline eases the burden on you. It makes you more confident as all your creativity and ideas are targeted towards a single point.
To-do Lists Become Easier to Cope with
Isn’t making to-do lists just everyone’s favorite pastime? I know so because it is mine. I carefully jot down everything in order, then allot time to each and tell myself to live by it. However, they rarely help when there are too many of them. Having one goal and a related to-do list for accomplishing that makes it easier to actually work through it. If you follow the strategy of focusing your mind onto just one thing at a time, you won’t be needing them altogether. You will wake up knowing exactly what you need to focus on and get to it.
Concentration Becomes More Focused
It is important when completing each task to give a sufficient amount of time to draw a roadmap. How much time will each task take? How much thinking and work does it require? What time it should be completed by? All these are crucial requisites. When you sit down to think about all of this, you need to be focused. Having a single task makes this process of mapping easier and less time-consuming.
Solutions Come More Easily
When we have too much on our minds, important information gets lost. Has it ever happened to you that you just had a brilliant idea a minute ago and the next you can’t even recall what it was? Again, it comes down to how much we give our brain to process at a time. The more information, the less efficiently it will work. The more poorly it works, the harder it will become to focus on the answers you have been looking for.
On the other hand, when you train your mind to just focus on one thing at a time, you allow it to work faster and with greater depth. It comes up with better ideas and you feel more capable of handling all the information you are receiving and making use of it in the best way possible.
Here is a great video about the mindset of focus done by Evan Carmichael that I think you will really enjoy!
How Does Focusing on a Single Task Improve Productivity?
It may be hard to believe this since we have been constantly told to multi-task, however, single-tasking is how improved focused can be achieved, making us more productive.
Many people argue that doing more than one thing simultaneously is how to keep yourself busy and engaged. Some even propose that multi-tasking stimulates the brain to release dopamine, which boosts our mood. Although it does help with the stimulation of the brain, at the same time it also makes us less productive.
Here’s what really happens when we multi-task:
Our mind is not designed to function this way. We can only fully concentrate on one thing at a time, which means we can only do one task with full commitment and focus.
According to a research study conducted by Timothy Wilson, researchers at the University of Virginia found that every second the human mind receives 11 million bits of new information. Imagine that? Add to your shock that the same study also proposes that we can only process 40 bits of this new information. This means not only we are losing information, only a small fraction of it actually gets processed. Wouldn’t it be a waste of time if, out of those 40 bits, nothing actually is of importance or able to help you with your work?
Moreover, even when think we are multi-tasking, we aren’t really multitasking. So, what are we doing exactly? We are just switching between tasks. Studies show it is impossible for our brain to work on two things simultaneously. So, we basically try to focus on each of them and switch back and forth after a few seconds without even realizing it. We channel our energy and focus and then spread it thin. This prevents us from diving into either of them completely.
To accomplish any given task, we need to really immerse ourselves into it so that every thought that our mind concocts is about that. When we multi-task, we are just preparing our mind for some mediocre job of completing multiple things rather than doing just one job brilliantly.
In another study that considered the impact of single-tasking and multi-tasking, it was concluded that focusing our mind on too many things at the same time reduces our productivity by 40%. Moreover, too many tasks also add more pressure, mental strain, and limits the working of our mind.
What Causes You to Lose Focus?
Why do we find it so hard to focus our minds on just one thing? There are a number of reasons why this happens, these include starting with an easier task, not eliminating distractions, not planning a to-do list, or working in poor lighting. All of these and more are briefly discussed below.
Doing Easier Things First
When making a to-do list, most of us note down the easiest of things first, thinking that once we move past them, we can focus on the most important task at the end. Sadly, it doesn’t work this way.
Take the example of any successful world leader or businessperson and they will tell you that the only way to succeed at anything is to prioritize it. There are hundreds of books written on just this one idea of doing your most important tasks first thing in the morning. There are fewer distractions, the mind is fully recharged, the mood is calm, and ideas just keep flowing like water.
According to one study, our willpower to do work decreases with time. This means that by the time we are done with the easy tasks, we have little motivation and focus to work on the remaining, more important ones. Procrastination takes over and even if we somehow convince ourselves to do the task, we don’t do it with much focus or commitment. We just do it for the sake of doing it.
Therefore, it is ideal that you start with just one important goal to tackle first and later move on to accomplishing the less important ones. This way, you will have an increased focus and also have the most important task completed.
Consuming Too Much Caffeine
But hey, wasn’t it supposed to give you that kick you needed? I used to think the same. And to be honest, it came out to be a shock because I could swear my mind didn’t start working until I had my first cup of coffee for the day.
Coffee was my only friend on days when I had too much going on and just wanted to finish everything by the end of the day. However, when I came to know about an article published by Forbes, I knew why I felt so cranky, jittery, and nervous during those days: I was fanning my anxiety with shots of coffee. Overconsumption of caffeine makes you anxious, nervous, and fearful. When combined, all of these factors make it impossible to focus, cause digestive discomfort, add to your irritability, and even promote insomnia.
But don’t give up coffee altogether, just limit your consumption to one or two cups of it per day.
Skipping the Gym
This might seem out of context, but just wait until I tell you how regular physical activity improves your focus and concentration. For starters, you must understand that exercising isn’t only about losing weight. It is about maintaining a healthy weight and body.
When we are not in the best shape, say overweight or underweight, we have difficulty sharpening our focus. This happens because we don’t feel good inside out. Sometimes it is the muscle strain that prevents us from sitting in one place for a long time or digestive problems that keep refocusing our attention. According to a research study, when we exercise regularly for three months, our brain creates new neurons that strengthen our focus and concentration.
If this is the case, don’t skip the gym. Aim to maintain a healthy body weight so that you can focus better.
Taking Too Many Breaks
Well, of course, you need some timeout to refresh your brain, but too many breaks can make it difficult to revive your focus. Think about it this way: You are watching a movie. 15 minutes in, you finally begin to understand and enjoy the movie. Then, as you were just getting to know the characters better, there comes an ad. It breaks your concentration. Then again, when the movie is just about to drop the biggest climax, an ad appears again. Do you get the point?
It is often hard to rebuild the momentum from the start, which is why it is best to limit the breaks in between so that you aren’t disturbed and stay focused. Too much downtime can also trigger boredom and procrastination, which will eventually leave you feeling tired.
Poor Lighting
When the ultimate goal is to learn to improve focus on one thing, it is also important that we work in the right setting. The environment we choose to work in also plays a crucial role in its outcome. Have there been days when you just can’t get anything done because you were working from your home and not your office? Although, it is easy to assume that a noisy workplace can lower your productivity and keep your mind distracted, did you know that a place with poor lighting can also affect your productivity and focus?
Bad lighting is known to causes strain on the eyes, making you feel dizzy and nauseous over time. When your body isn’t comfortable, it becomes harder for your mind to maintain a steady focus. Poor lighting can also evoke symptoms of sleepiness, as the brain interprets it as nighttime and thus triggers the production of melatonin.
How to Train Your Mind to Focus on One Thing at a Time
Focusing your mind is, in itself, a difficult task. Why? It’s because we are constantly bombarded with external distractions that prevent us from achieving a razor-sharp level of concentration. Diversions are just a click away in this internet-driven world. Be it in the form of a notification, a buzz, or a beep, it instantly diverts our focus from what we were doing.
In this section, we are going to be talking about how we can minimize these external distractions and train our mind in a way that it stays focused.
Eliminate Distractions
Starting with the most obvious, the first hindrance to maintaining focus is distractions. We often overlook the impact it has on our abilities to concentrate by thinking they can’t be the reason we feel so bored and unproductive. Distractions, even when they come in the form of a car horn honking or the chit chat between two people outside your room, can result in the loss of focus, whether you accept it or not.
Minimizing these is a must! If the goal is to improve focus, you need to find yourself a place free of distractions. You need to put away your phone and close all the unnecessary tabs on your browser. You also need to sit in a place that is comfortable. Once you have eliminated or minimized such distractions, only then can you allow your mind to fully concentrate on the one thing you have been trying to focus on.
You can also choose a time when there are fewer distractions around, like early in the morning. The less distracted you are, the greater your chances of building focus and giving way to all the best ideas your mind comes up with.
Prioritize Your Tasks with a To-do List
Takes prioritization helps with an assortment of important and unimportant tasks. It also presents you with an order in which each of the tasks needs to be accomplished. Prioritizing your tasks is essential to building focus and concentration. When you have a to-do list of things you need to get done, you stay focused and driven.
Always start by dividing your tasks into smaller ones. Next, prioritize them on the basis of order and importance. You can use multiple methods to arrange them accordingly such as the Eisenhower Matrix, ABCDE method, or eat the frog. Each one of these helps with the categorization of tasks in an order of importance.
Next, you need to set a time for each task. Define how much time each task will take. When you confine yourself with a time limit, it becomes a challenge to complete it within the specified time. When you do, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and you are more confident in moving forward with the other ones.
Once you have prioritized tasks in order and also timed how long will it take you to finish them, you need to start working on them right away. Cancel each task once you are done with it and move onto the next one. That way, you will stay engrossed.
Treat Your Mind like a Muscle
When we multi-task, our brain learns things and adapts them quickly. This might sound like a good thing, but it is the exact opposite. The faster it adapts, the faster it moves on to the next new thing. This makes staying focused on just one task a hurdle to overcome. However, if we treat our mind like a muscle, it is possible to train it to stay focused on just one thing at a time.
Our attention and physical muscles both have the same strength at any given time. They both require rest after activity and build stamina for the next thing before starting. Whether you are working another rep on an exercise machine or starting to work on any task, you are met with the same doubt, “Should I do it?” You are the decider of whether you want to go forward with it or not.
In both of the cases, if you tell yourself to dig deeper, you will! You will start with the next set or begin working on the task with the strength and focus that you need.
Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
There are countless benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Both have been in practice for centuries and have numerous health benefits to offer. Surprisingly, one of them is also improving focus and concentration to work on a single task.
In a study, researchers tried to figure out the effects of meditation and mindfulness on our ability to concentrate and perform a task. Two groups of human resource professionals were tasked with simulations related to multi-tasking. Each of the tasks had to complete in 20 minutes. The tasks included things like scheduling meetings, taking phone calls, and writing memos.
One of the groups of participants received 8 weeks of training on meditation and mindfulness and how to incorporate it into daily work practices. After monitoring the handling capabilities of both groups, the findings concluded that the group that had received the training on mindfulness medications performed better than those who hadn’t. They were better at performing each task, had better concentration levels, didn’t leave the tasks halfway through, switched between different tasks less frequently, and were more efficient overall.
This proves that practicing meditation and mindfulness can help with achieving better focus and concentration, which will also help when the goal is to focus on just one thing at a time.
Here is a 3 part video series for beginners that want to start meditating. She covers topics including finding a comfortable seat, paying attention to your breath, and observing your sensations.
Delegate Unimportant Tasks
Sometimes, we expect that we have to do everything on our own. This thinking and practice lead to wastage of valuable time and other resources doing things that someone else could have done. For instance, if we have a ton of things to attend to, such as responding back to emails, making a few calls, getting supplies for the project, finishing up a report, etc., many of these can and should be delegated so that your time and brain is saved for something more valuable. It comes back to having just one thing on your mind so that it can receive the brilliance that your mind comes up with.
Set a Reward
Rewards are positive reinforcements that keep us motivated towards our goals. Setting a reward for task completion prevents procrastination. It also improves your focus and concentration because you have tricked your mind into thinking that something valuable and worthy is in store. Therefore, it keeps pushing you forward with creative ideas that help you accomplish the goal. Hopefully, you now understand the power of focusing on just one thing at a time and how to achieve that particular focus with the help of the tips mentioned in this post.