How to Tame Your Wandering Mind and Find Focus
Prevent your mind from worrying, wandering and slowing you down.
Finding it hard to concentrate? You’re not alone. Let’s explore ways to combat distracting thoughts and make sure you’re on the right path.
Acknowledge the Distraction
The first step in regaining your focus is admitting that your mind is wandering. These aren’t just random thoughts; they stem from underlying concerns or doubts. So, the next time you find yourself distracted, take a moment to pause and acknowledge it:
“I’m getting sidetracked because I have doubts about what I’m doing.”
Choose Your Strategy
There are two core approaches for reclaiming your focus, depending on the root cause of your distraction.
Strategy 1: Question Your Direction
If you find yourself persistently wondering about the point of your current endeavor, it might be time for some self-reflection. Here’s how to go about it:
- Jot Down Concerns:
List all your worries and explain why each bothers you. - Identify Joys:
Note down what makes you happy and why. - Craft Your Future:
Visualize your life five years from now, detailing every aspect — career, earnings, and family life. - Set Goals:
Create short-term goals that align with your long-term vision. - Compare and Reevaluate:
If your current activities don’t align with your goals, alter your path.
Making these lists can give you a clear roadmap. Consider framing and hanging this plan on your wall to keep yourself accountable.
I did this a little over a year ago. I had just finished my PhD, and I was lost. So, I sat down and took the exact steps I wrote above. Within a day, I was happier. Within a week, I was making progress. Within a month, I was full steam ahead on my goals.
The power of deliberate, detailed life planning can never be overstated.
Strategy 2: Overcoming Uncertainty
The solution is simpler if you’re generally content but unsure about what to do next. As long as your tasks align with your overarching goals, don’t overthink it. Prioritize them based on urgency and tackle them one at a time. This will naturally help you make progress.
If there are two that feel equally urgent, choose one. You can get both done if you stop fretting.
I still struggle with this. The gnawing feeling that there’s something more productive that I should be doing. But, using this method, I’ve improved drastically. I can numb the feeling, forget the worry, and get shit done.
Final Thoughts
Employing one or both of these strategies can dramatically improve your life by expediting your progress, or altering your path and then expediting it.
Stick to them, and you’ll be on your way to achieving your goals faster than you thought possible.
Put that coffee down and pay attention.
Are you a writer, coder, entrepreneur, or data scientist?
Do you want to be financially free?
Good. Because everything I create is for you. Data science and coding tutorials, productivity tips and tricks, and a running narrative of the lessons I’ve learned writing and building my own business.
Follow me, and you’ll get smart, skilled, and rich.
Interested?
Hit follow. Pick that coffee back up, and take your first sip from your mug in the Dr Connor Club.
