How to Manage Your Attention At Work

How many times have you told yourself you will get a specific task done by a certain time, but get caught up with all kinds of different tasks in between? Some may say this is due to poor time management skills, and while that may be part of the case, let’s not forget about attention management. Learning how to keep your focus on a certain task is the key to getting it done efficiently, and in this article we will cover how exactly to do that. 

Break down your tasks

Instead of thinking about one large task that has to be completed, break it down into steps. Then, set a certain amount of time to complete that one task. It’s easier to dedicate time to a small task than a large one that will require countless hours to be completed. 

Eliminate distractions

Some people may love the sounds of colleagues chatting in the background, while others need their peace and quiet to focus. Only you know best what distracts you at work, so make sure you control your environment. Whether that means closing your office door for some peace and quiet, putting in some headphones for some relaxing music, or even putting up a do not disturb sign on your door – create an environment that you can focus in and eliminate all distractions. 

Control your technology

Distractions don’t just stop inside your office – they’re in your technology as well. Therefore, it’s best to close all tabs in your browser, silence your phone and email, and only keep task-relevant programs or files on your screen. This way, if an email pops up, you won’t feel the urge to reply because you won’t even see it. And this doesn’t have to be done for a full day, but rather for the short amount of time you set for your task, such as 30 minutes. You can always reply to emails in between tasks. 

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to manage your attention. In the end, it solely depends on you and your dedication to a certain task. So next time you find yourself wandering in your mind or getting distracted with random things at work, be sure to create a task-specific time slot when you eliminate all distractions and focus on getting that important job done.