Productivity guru David Allen — he of the popular Getting Things Done productivity system — writes at the New York Times about how for many of us technology seems like it’s overwhelming and damaging our productivity. His solution: a five-step approach to prioritising your focus.
Dear Lifehacker, I need a little help focusing. I know part of it is just a lack of discipline, but I can’t help but kill time on sites like Facebook and even Lifehacker during the day when I should be working and getting things done. You guys post lots of great productivity tips, but how do I get myself focused and away from distractions enough to put them to good use?
In a recent review of studies in the journal Current Direction in Psychological Science, psychologists found that when people make decisions under stress they focus more on the positive outcomes than the negative. This means people don’t always properly weigh their big decisions.
Everyone has a creative sweet spot — a time during the day when you’re just better than your normal self. Studies show this, but the big question is: when is yours? Let’s find out.
If you find your attention wandering over the course of the day, and you have a difficult time staying engaged and motivated with your tasks, the secret may be in planning specific times where you dive into your work, and other times where you take real breaks — as in times when you do something completely unrelated to your job to recharge.
