• Get a timer. The original method uses a timer that’s shaped like a tomato. You can use a kitchen timer. No cell phone – timer. You need to keep your cell phone turned off and away from you.
• Now, with this technique you will also want to disable your email alerts. If you use Gmail on your computer, just shut that tab. Turn off your desktop alerts. If you use Outlook, turn off the sound notifications. Turn off the tray notifications.
• Set your timer and stay on the same project for 25 minutes (or whatever amount of time that you choose). Do not take visitors. Do not take phone calls. No email. No Facebook. No Twitter. Nothing but focus during that time. At first, it’s going to be hard. You probably will spend time wondering about email, Facebook, and everything else. Just work through it. Do not check those things until the timer goes off. If someone comes to your door (or into your cubicle), they can wait unless they have a broken bone, they’re having a stroke or heart attack, or if they are on fire. This technique will make you more efficient. This is because you are working to complete as much as you can on a project in a specific increment of time.
• You’ll find with this technique that you feel less burned out once you get used to it. It creates a specific amount of time (multiple times per day) that you can totally and unashamedly focus on your work. This stops you from procrastinating. That means you aren’t working frantically next to the deadline.
• Give yourself a few minutes to take a break between each session.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

First, you must decide if you want to take notes by hand or if you want to do it electronically. If you choose electronically, you can just use a word processing program or you could use something like Evernote. That’s your first decision. I type much faster than I write by hand (thanks, age-related arthritis!). So, I tend to want to keep most of my notes electronically. Now, if you’re going to do this in a meeting you should check with the person hosting to ensure that you bringing a laptop won’t be an issue.

If you choose to take notes electronically, turn off your WiFi. This will stop any temptation you have to not pay attention to who is speaking. You’ll focus on keeping your notes. Make sure that you understand how to take notes. Notes should cover the important information that you need to know.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Arrange your schedule in such a way that you can remain focused. This does not mean that you neglect your family at the end of the work day. It doesn’t mean that you don’t take time to take care of yourself by eating or something else. If you feel like you can and should just keep working, then that’s what you do. Put time into your schedule to eat, check and return emails, and return phone calls. Just keep this one thing in mind: if you have ADHD or think you have ADHD, be aware if you tend to do this often (in a way that puts yourself in danger by not eating or sleeping) that you should look into the possibility of hyperfocus. Focusing in long spurts when you feel able should still be done in the right way. You don’t have to focus on the details of things you can do even on days where you aren’t focused. Some things really are just done at face value. Use this energy by focusing on projects that deserve it. This is a good time for problem solving.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

The biggest thing to watch is to figure out what type of background noise, if any, will work for you. This actually has two parts to it. First, you have to figure out the type of background noise that works best for you. You can try white noises or even a white noise generator such as a fan or a dryer. You can also try different types of music or the television. Second, you have to figure out the right volume. If it’s something I can use as background noise to improve my focus, it can’t be too loud. Otherwise, I can’t focus at all. It then becomes a huge distraction.

This is probably one of the hardest focus techniques to figure out because you lose a lot of time trying new sounds. If it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you. Don’t try to force it. Just move on.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

There are a lot of different concentration exercises that you can do. This list below isn’t an entire list. There are a lot more ways. Don’t think about these in terms of things that you look forward to doing every day. I don’t look forward to completing 11 miles every day, but the fact that I can pretty much eat anything I want solidifies that I am going to do something I don’t necessarily like doing. It’s the same when you use concentration exercises. There may be some that you like more than others. By all means, use those. Just realize that you should keep doing it when you get bored with it because it really does continue to help; that’s partially because you are taking the time to concentrate on learning something new.

1. Work up to using longer spans of focus. For this to be most effective, you need to figure out an average of just how long you can focus. This isn’t just how long you can focus on good days. This is an average of all days, good and bad, that you can easily focus. Unless I’m lecturing, my focus span (on average) is around 45 minutes. That’s the place where I start really getting bored. So, if I wanted to increase my focus to 90 minutes I wouldn’t just want to start forcing myself to work past that 45 minutes (unless I was having a particularly good day). Instead, I’d want to work up to it. I could start by working for a few days for 50 minutes instead of 45. When the 50 minutes becomes really easy for me, or when it becomes my new normal, I can move up to 55 minutes. Then, I would work at that level until I am used to that. Then, I’d move up five more minutes. I’d repeat the process until I am working, regularly, in 90 minute intervals.
2. Write down those distracting thoughts. If there are certain things that keep popping into your mind to distract you, write those things down. This acts to satisfy yourself to know that you won’t forget whatever you keep thinking about. I keep my list in Evernote.
3. Strengthen your will power. I know it sounds really lame, but it’s true. You have to strengthen your will power. Sometimes, we just have distractions in life and there’s nothing we can do other than either give in or work through it.
4. Meditation does help. Just 15-20 minutes of meditation three or four days each week can increase your focus. You should start your days off with meditation if you want to see how it affects your focus.
5. Exercise. No, really. On days like today where something comes up, I am still productive, but it just feels like there is something missing. You don’t have to be an iron man. Just get in 20 minutes of walking in the morning be it outside or on a treadmill. That’s my time of day that I use to think about projects and plan.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

You simply slow down and devote your full attention to what you are doing. Pay attention to everything that you feel, both physically and emotionally, during that time. Mindfulness is great because you can use it on its own as a focus tool or you can mix it with any other focus tool. In fact, if you examine any other focus technique you will notice that mindfulness is the one thing that all of them have in common: you are focusing… placing your full attention on what is going on during that time. Mindfulness and meditation have both been shown to affect your brain for the positive.

You definitely shouldn’t discard mindfulness and meditation used together to increase your ability to focus. After all, it doesn’t cost anything other than your time.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Just pick some books that you want to read. Again, you can read fiction or nonfiction. I prefer nonfiction. Find time every day or every evening to spend 20 minutes reading without interruption. This means turn off your cell phone. Don’t sit near your cell phone. No email. Nothing. Just you and your book. This will help condition your mind to focus. You can then use your new focus that you developed from doing something enjoyable on the project that you need to finish.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

• Be prepared. This means that you are totally ready for the conversation where you will be the listener. This transfers over to focus because you should also be prepared for any project that you want to take on. 
• Pay attention and show that you’re engaged. You certainly don’t want to stare someone into oblivion and make them uncomfortable, but you also want to make sure that they know that you are paying attention. This means that you make eye contact. .
• Don’t interrupt the speaker. Let the person finish what they are saying. You would want someone to totally hear you out. So, you should do the same thing. As you listen, make sure that you are empathetic. This also ensures that you don’t jump to conclusions. This transfers over to focus because it encourages that you continue to work through until your time to work is complete.
• Provide feedback to the speaker. Feedback can take place in a number of ways. It can involve thinking and responding. It can involve asking questions. It can also involve summarizing what you believe the speaker said. This type of feedback is great because it ensures that there was no miscommunication and that you understood what was said or if there was something required of you. Feedback during work projects is also important. It helps refine where your focus needs to be.
• Continue with the feedback process between you and the speaker until the conversation is complete. This is how you make sure that you are paying attention and that there is no misunderstanding. It works the same way with work projects that require your focus.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

First, you need to know if you are focusing on a short term goal or a long term goal. Once you have your goal in mind, you must then have a plan to accomplish those goals. You can make your plan in a number of ways. My favorite method is called S.M.A.R.T. goal setting.

• S means specific. It means that you have determined exactly what you want to accomplish
• M means measurable. It means that you are able to see that you are making progress. Other than finishing it, how will you know that you are making progress toward your goal? Thinking about your goals in terms of measurement makes it easier to focus because you know what you are looking to accomplish. Measurable can also include a timeline.
• A means attainable. That means that you are setting a goal that you can accomplish. Don’t be afraid to set big goals. You can break down large goals into smaller steps to make it easier to meet your goals. You can even do this every day.
• R means results oriented. When we set goals, we are doing it with a specific end in mind. You shouldn’t set goals just for the idea of setting goals. You should do it with some results in mind.
• T stands for timeframe. This is part of the measurable category. You should be able to measure your goal in how long it will take for you to get it done. A self-imposed deadline isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can actually help keep you focused longer.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Spend some time thinking about how all of our lives will end at some point. It doesn’t matter if you believe in life after death or not. It doesn’t matter if you believe in the concept of a God coming back and taking people to the afterlife. It just means that no one on Earth lives forever. Because of this, we have limited time. So, we should spend the time that we have in a wise way. This means that we must focus on the tasks at hand to get done things that need to be done and not to procrastinate too much.

Every day, you have 24 hours. You have just as many hours in a day as Bill Gates does. You have just as many hours in a day as a rap star. The difference is what people choose to do with their time. So, it’s so important for you to focus your time on things that you need to get done.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

An external factor for your motivation can be used to help you focus and complete your tasks. You can use a simple external motivator or you can do something more complicated. Here are a couple of examples:

If you’re short on money for bills, that’s an extrinsic motivating factor for your to focus on finding ways to make more money. It could be a second job. It could be freelance work.

If you like video games of any kind (be it Call of Duty, Halo, or Candy Crush), work for a certain amount of time or until you reach a certain part of your project and then reward yourself by playing a few minutes of your game. Sometimes, I will write for two or three hours at a time and then take a break for 30 or 45 minutes and play through all of my lives on a match 3 game of some sort.

If you don’t necessarily like to work out, you find something to motivate you. For me, it’s not the 11 miles. It’s the fact I can eat pretty much anything I want.

What you do is find an external motivational reward that can help you focus and complete your goal.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Intrinsic motivation for focus means that you have to find the reasons why you need to focus to accomplish your goals. These motivating factors come from inside of you. These could be different for every person and could also vary from project to project. Here are some examples:

You enjoy what you’re doing. This is one of the biggest intrinsic motivating factors. It’s why people lose track of time or get lost doing things that they want to do: they enjoy it. So, even if you don’t like the project at hand, you can probably find at least one aspect of the project that you enjoy. Try to keep your focus tied to that (although you’ll still have to do the whole project). It will give you something to look forward to doing.

It’s the right thing to do. Most people do things simply because it is the right thing to do. This is no less true when we are referring to work projects. And, yes, I do know that there are coworkers who exist that believe others should do their work for them. I’m not referring to those people. I am referring to projects that are legitimately yours. In that case, it was assigned to you and it is the right thing to do to finish it.

It’s good to do. Many people do things because it is good. So, if you find the spots in your project that provide good for other people, you may also find that it is easier to focus on it because you know that you are making a difference.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.