Hugh Jackman and Elmo…wait, what was I supposed to be doing? When I saw this one, I literally laughed out loud. I’m so easily distracted, and I was supposed to be doing something else…not watching random Sesame Street videos on YouTube, for sure. The “concentrate” video mostly put me back on task. At work, we’re in cubicles, and some days even the quiet noise of typing and people walking by in the halls is enough to throw me out of my groove.
I have to just plug in my headphones and listen to music with no lyrics in order to focus. Bach, Mozart, Handel, Chopin, Wagner and, recently, Sigur Ros all help me stay on task. Words in English aren’t good on those days. I tend to make up stories around the lyrics, and that is not at all productive while I’m at work. Do you listen to music while you work? What helps you focus? Seriously, I need all the help I can get.
Let’s not even talk about the internet, which I use quite often for work, because that is one huge distraction waiting for the right moment to pounce. Blog posts, industry articles, TED Talk videos, the Vlogbrothers, Mental Floss…I’m not even talking about social media here. Wikipedia can be a giant rabbit hole too…I want to know all the things…
The state of my work place also impacts my ability to focus on the task at hand. Currently the messiness of my work space is driving me batty. However, that is one that I’m valiantly fighting until I get to a place in my never-ending list of things-that-must-get-done-today. Then it will get organized and cleaned…and probably stay that way all of five minutes.
So, obviously, I’m needing some help here. What do you use to stay focused? Any advice?
‘Til next time,
Jessica
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