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A<\/span>s an entrepreneur, motivation usually isn\u2019t a problem. Getting everything done is a different story. Until I figured out I needed a better system to help me stay focused. When I was writing my book I rarely had fewer than a dozen tabs open on my computer. I had books stacked alongside my desk and magazine articles littered throughout my house after I ripped them out for reference. Ironically, I was stressing out writing a book about how to be less stressed.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Lack<\/strong> of<\/strong> Focus<\/strong> and<\/strong> Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n Journaling every morning has been part of my life for years as my form of meditation. It\u2019s intentional. It\u2019sfocused. It\u2019s effective.<\/p>\n It also reminded me that multi-tasking doesn\u2019t work. Cal Newport\u2019s book Deep<\/em> Work<\/em> reminds us that the rise of technology has destroyed our ability to concentrate deeply on tasks that matter or require more of our brainpower and energy. I realized lack of focus was causing the stress but how could I focus when I felt so many things needed my attention? Newport\u2019s book offers four rules: work deeply, embrace the boredom, quit social media and drain the shallows. I was drowning in the shallows so I started there first.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Drain<\/strong> the<\/strong> Shallows<\/strong><\/p>\n Shallow work is work that is a time suck and doesn\u2019t require a lot of brain power. Responding to emails, scheduling a doctor\u2019s appointment, wiping down shelves, scrolling through social media for \u201cinspiration\u201d \u2013 these are shallow tasks because they take time but don\u2019t need to be done right now.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Prioritize<\/strong> Deep<\/strong> Work<\/strong><\/p>\n So how does one focus on things that matter and get everything they need<\/em> done? Prioritizing what matters most requires our brain power first and setting aside the shallow tasks for a time during the day when we don\u2019t need our brain power to be at 100%. What does this mean exactly?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example: my most productive time during the day is my morning hours. If anything needs to get done, it will need to happen between 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. I blocked those three hours for my deep work. As I write this column, it\u2019s 9:45 a.m. During that time, I will not check email, visit my social media accounts, respond to texts or check any websites. In the afternoon, I\u2019ll respond to emails, schedule social media posts, read the news of the day, and plan my work for tomorrow.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Find<\/strong> Out<\/strong> What<\/strong> Works<\/strong> For<\/strong> You<\/strong><\/p>\n While my morning hours are my most productive, my friend is a night owl so she exercises in the morning, responds to email and finishes her routine work throughout the day. She prefers a clean slate before starting her deep work which normally begins after dinner ends. She loves the calm of the evening, she says, when it\u2019s dark outside, her email isn\u2019t growing, and texts from customers or clients aren\u2019t coming in to distract her.<\/p>\n We all know when we\u2019re at our peak. Once you figure out your best time for deep work, honor it by setting aside an hour or two and commit to not allowing yourself to get distracted until the work is done. This includes not giving in to boredom.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Being<\/strong> Bored<\/strong> Is<\/strong> Good<\/strong> For<\/strong> You<\/strong><\/p>\n Turns out boredom could be sabotaging your focus game. Boredom starts to set in when you\u2019re trying to work through something, it gets uncomfortable, and you want to fill that boredom so you\u2019re no longer uncomfortable. Rather than work through the issue, you pick up your phone, start doom scrolling or you go grab a snack. What you think will be only a few minutes becomes 10 or 30 minutes and by then you\u2019re distracted so when you return to your work, you have to remember where you left off, try to figure out the challenge and then get frustrated when the answer doesn\u2019t come easily.<\/p>\n Being bored isn\u2019t a bad thing. In fact, according to scientific research, being bored can stimulate creativity and problem-solving while giving your brain time to recharge. Distracting yourself by filling the time isn\u2019t doing your body and mind any favors.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bottom line. If you want to get things done and focus on things that matter, carve out that time and honor it. Tryit for one week and see how it works for you.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n