How to ACHIEVE ANYTHING?
Some daily hacks to improve focus and achieve more.
I am a student, and I am managing multiple things at once; therefore, I should put my full effort into the things I am doing at the time, and I am willing to do so; however, I frequently find myself scrolling through my phone while sitting on my desk with all books open, and even more shocking, I spend roughly 6 to 7 hours on my desk, but only 4 to 5 hours working. After this self-analysis, one thing was very clear: I was not lacking anything other than focus.
“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate, and make sure you know exactly what it is you want.” “No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
~Paulo Coelho
To reach my many different goals, I need to work on them separately, which requires a great deal of time management. That is all well, but I have to improve my focus to work on them.
While I was researching to improve my focus, I found many small methods with huge results, and one of them is worth mentioning: candle meditation, which helps you improve your eye sight and allows your mind to focus.
Here are a few daily hacks to improve focus
Keep track of your progress
If you are somehow able to see the results of your work frequently, you will understand that the result is one of the best motivations you can ever get. Sometimes you need results quickly, and if your work can’t get results quickly, then you have to trick your mind. The outcome of the work is not the main motivation for you. It can be the completion of the work that is the main motivation.
If you track your minor progress, then it will become a never-ending source of motivation that will keep pushing you forward.
Usually, I set a benchmark for everything and work toward that benchmark, and that’s one of the best methods of measuring your progress. As a beginner, you will not be able to make a lot of progress. You have to be patient and put small markers in between big markers. For example, if you are currently scoring 50% on a test and you want to score 90%, the big marker is 90%, but in order to reach that marker, you should put markers in between. Your marker can be 70%, and then your marker can be 80%, and then, later on, you can think about 90%.
There is a golden rule you can follow everywhere.
If you want to improve anything, then just start monitoring it.
For example, if you want to improve your money management, then monitor it, track it, and record every penny you spend somewhere, and later on, you will automatically try to make it better.
The 5-minute rule
This rule suggests that if it is too big and it will take you too long to complete it. The best solution to keep you focused on work is to take 5 minutes before starting the task and write two things on a plain page: first, “Why do I want to do this?” and second, “What to do in order to complete that task?”
This rule does two things. The second thing is that dividing the task into small pieces and completing them one by one, while cutting them on physical paper will give you a small sense of accomplishment, which will give you a small dopamine boost, encouraging you to be more focused and dedicated.
Dopamine is not only a happy hormone; it is essential for focus. If the task you are doing releases a constant amount of dopamine, then you will be able to stay focused on that task, and finally finishing a task and cutting it from your To-Do list gives you a dopamine hit, and using this method we are trying to replicate it.
The two-list strategy
This is a strategy used and promoted by Warren Buffett. First, you have to start from a page where you have to list all the goals you want to achieve in your life, whatever you like, whatever you can imagine, and dream as big as possible. Then you must choose only five goals for this year, write them on a separate page, and simply imagine, think about, and work toward those goals. You can forget about the rest of the goals.
I personally use this process every year while writing my goals in my journal, and I save the first list in a place I can’t reach immediately, and then later, when I want to update my goals or write new goals in my new journal, I can bring that list back.
This strategy will help you be more focused on present goals than on future or past goals. This strategy is very famous, and you may have heard it somewhere else also. There are many different versions of it, but this is the most accurate version of it I have found for the focus.
Have fun with the process.
If you ask me what the worst mistake I have made for so long is, I would have to say I don’t enjoy the process. I was working for the results, and I hated the process. I hated the work I was doing. And believe me, it’s not that simple. You just have to say you are enjoying the process, and you will start to enjoy your work. According to my opinion, we never like our work. If you think that you will enjoy your work if it is your passion, believe me, when you do it for the money, you will not like it.
As an example, I enjoy learning and documenting new things. One day, while scrolling through YouTube, I watched a video saying that writing an article can earn you 50,000 rupees every month, and from there I got the idea to share my learning on the web through blogs. But deep inside, I was attracted to money. When I uploaded my first blog using blogger.com last year, I was disappointed because there was not a single view on my blog for 2 weeks, so I deleted my account. But later I found I loved to write, so I made an account on Medium.com and started to write. Now it does not matter how many views I get, because now I don’t care about my views I just want my journey and lessons to stay with me forever.
So the basic crux of the story is that if you want to really enjoy your process, then just focus on making your artwork better and better. Set a benchmark for the type of work you do — whether it’s articles, paintings, or even non-artistic work like accounts — and just start the journey of getting there, getting better each day.
Exercise (Bonus Tip)
An old saying is perfectly applicable in modern times too, and it is a fact that “a healthy body has a healthy mind.” If you want, you can experiment with your body. You can eat healthy home-cooked food one day and any fast food the next, and you can easily see a significant drop in productivity.
Exercise and sports also teach you many things, such as discipline, leadership, and one of the most important factors in life: strength and health.
Exercising will improve blood circulation in your body and distribute nutrition to all of your body’s minor and major parts, which will aid in mastering your focus.
