‘There are no quick fix methods or binding principles on how you work. You must know when to take a break from work or when to completely stop performing a given task in a day. You must know when to recharge and take in fresh air. You need to occasionally take in fresh air for your arteries to deliver oxygenated blood, glucose and other nutrients to your brain’
HAVE you ever wondered why you are unable to concentrate on performing a task for as long as you desire?
For those who believe in fetishism, it is easy to believe that some satanic spiritual forces are obstructing your performance. At times you are tempted to conclude that the task is “too difficult”.
As much as spiritual forces influence the performance of human beings, it is your responsibility to first eliminate the factors affecting your concentration that are within your control.
There are some factors, that are beyond your control, that are responsible for your inability to concentrate long enough to perform a task. The major factor hinges on your familiarity or otherwise with a task. When you are new at something your concentration and effectiveness cannot be more than an hour.
On the other hand, for those who are skillfull at performing a task, their concentration and effectiveness cannot exceed eight hours at a stretch.
The factors that are within your control are hinged on tiredness and distraction. When you are physically tired, your brain is naturally slow in processing the tasks you want it to perform. Being tired may be as a result of sleep deprivation. The solution to this is not drinking a cup of coffee or eating bitter kola. You need to take a cat nap in the short run and also determine to sleep for eight hours in the night to rejuvenate your brain and mind.
The other reason that impinges on your concentration at work are distractions. When your eyes rove endlessly your mind will wander ceaselessly. When you cannot control your eyes to focus on a task or thing, without suffering from the medical condition called nystagmus, (a condition where you can’t control your eyes) you may be a victim of distractions. To be sure there are many things including social media notifications that cause distractions today. You can quickly solve this challenge by blocking your time and blocking off all the things that cause distractions.
You may start by putting off your telephone or putting it on “Don’t Disturb” mode. You may also keep your telephone handset away from your work area.
The research by Florida State University of Deliberate Practice Theory also comes in handy to solve this problem of distractions.
Fundamentally, “the theory of deliberate practice posits that development of expertise requires incorporating a self-reflective feedback loop into the skill delivery or development (i.e., practice) process, rather than simply performing a task repetitively until mastered.”
To improve in the performance of task requires consistent practice, self assessment and ongoing feedback for self adjustment before engaging in the next task. A worker should not wait for quarterly or annual appraisal before embarking on self correction.︎Learn to review your performance every hour and every four hours.
︎Take a break from performing a task every hour or every two hours based on the promodoro method. I find that this works perfectly for me. You may also use the technique of 52 minutes of work followed by a 17-minute break.
︎Endeavour to get feedbacks on your performance every hour and twice within eight hours.
︎After eight hours of performing a task at a stretch learn to quit that task for the day or for another eight hours to revamp your creative ability. How long you work is not a determinant of your productivity.
It is your responsibility to find the best time your Productivity is highest in the day. Some people are morning workers while some are inclined to work at sun down. For higher productivity learn to put in more work at the right time suitable for your creativity.
There are no quick fix methods or binding principles on how you work. You must know when to take a break from work or when to completely stop performing a given task in a day. You must know when to recharge and take in fresh air. You need to occasionally take in fresh air for your arteries to deliver oxygenated blood, glucose and other nutrients to your brain.
This empowers your brain to think better and enhance your performance.
