There are many distractions in life. Sometimes we simply feel overwhelmed with a million and one things to do and we have a hard time just focusing on the one thing that actually needs to get done. Perhaps your job, school work, or any project you may be working on will usually need your undivided attention to really just get it done.

Over the course of my career I have discovered a few helpful tips on how to really be able to focus on any task at hand. This may or may not apply to every single type of task out there but I find that in general my ideas can help most situations. So read on to check out how to stay focused on every day tasks.

Write it down

And I mean actually write it down. On paper. Yes, paper. Not on your phone app, laptop, or tablet. But, actually physically write it down with a pen and paper. Preferably in a notebook. Why do I say this? For one, writing down your task will actually give you something concrete that you can see and feel. It’s on paper. It is written! And therefore you have to do something about it.

You have to complete that task, and when you’re finished you give it a good solid checkmark right next to it, or even more satisfying — you cross it out! Having a task written down has a feeling of weight to it. It’s much more than just opening another app on your phone. You instead have a dedicated notebook where you write down everything (and I mean literally anything and everything) you need to do.

You don’t have to put any dates or organize your list in an special way. Simply just write it down. Go down your list and if something is less important than something else, simply skip it. You don’t need to complicate yourself with a fancy to do list full of categories, due dates, color schemes, and priority ranks. Just make a list. Anything you’ve left uncrossed or unchecked, you will be easily able to see it and come back to it when you’ve completed the more important tasks. It’s really that simple.

Also when you think of something new that needs to be done, try to write it down as soon as possible. Trust me you will enjoy this. It won’t feel like a just another task per say. Think of it more like a mission. Doing this repeatedly will help you stay focused on every single task you need to finish.

Keep the tasks small and specific

So when you write down your task, don’t be afraid to break up the task into smaller tasks. Don’t worry about creating “sub-tasks” or anything of that sort. Again, don’t complicate the list. Just write down the task no matter how small it may be. It may sound silly but this will help you actually start on the really big tasks.

For example, one task I had in my head was to work on SEO for my web design business website. Well “work on SEO” is simply too general and big for me to even think about where to start. So instead I wrote various smaller tasks that are all related to working on SEO, such as researching keywords, implement key phrases for specific pages, etc. Working on smaller related tasks helps you to stay focused on the larger big picture task.

Turn off distractions

Can you believe that the average U.S. adult will spend about 44 years of their life staring at screens? You know where I’m going with this so it should be no surprise. How dare I say it, but it must be said. If you really want to know how to stay focused, then turn off your phone! Yes, either silence and lay it face down, or simply just turn off the damn thing.

If you need to notify someone important that you’ll be “offline” for the next few hours, then do so, and then disconnect. Trust me, your brain will reward you. Your brain will not be constantly distracted by notifications, blinking lights, beeps, dings, and rings, etc. Just give your mind and phone a rest. You can turn it off. Trust me, it won’t be the end of the world.

Now if you need a break from your task, then feel free to check your phone. Check your notifications, missed calls, texts whatever. But don’t get sucked in. Check, respond, and then turn off. Give yourself 10–15 minutes if you need to. But don’t turn it into a giant distraction.

Listen to music

This will help you get into a flow. If you’ve never tried meditational music I suggest you definitely give it a try. Go on YouTube and search for things like “focus music for work”, or “focus music for studying”, and you will find many videos that offer some very good ambient background music for your brain to stay focused.

Some of them you may not like, in fact some of them I find kind of annoying to listen to which affects my focus. Just remember the music should feel like it’s just there. It should not be something you are focusing on. It should just reside in the back of your brain while you are actually focusing on your task with the rest of your brain.

Even if I’m sitting at home alone with no one to distract me, sometimes I will still put on some focus music. If I’m in a coffee shop, where things tend to be more noisy, then some music will definitely help you.

Note: For more resources on digital marketing, business strategies, and tech tips please visit The Flyer where we post new articles and guides at least once a week.

There are many distractions in life. Sometimes we simply feel overwhelmed with a million and one things to do and we have a hard time just focusing on the one thing that actually needs to get done. Perhaps your job, school work, or any project you may be working on will usually need your undivided attention to really just get it done.

Over the course of my career I have discovered a few helpful tips on how to really be able to focus on any task at hand. This may or may not apply to every single type of task out there but I find that in general my ideas can help most situations. So read on to check out how to stay focused on every day tasks.

Write it down

And I mean actually write it down. On paper. Yes, paper. Not on your phone app, laptop, or tablet. But, actually physically write it down with a pen and paper. Preferably in a notebook. Why do I say this? For one, writing down your task will actually give you something concrete that you can see and feel. It’s on paper. It is written! And therefore you have to do something about it.

You have to complete that task, and when you’re finished you give it a good solid checkmark right next to it, or even more satisfying — you cross it out! Having a task written down has a feeling of weight to it. It’s much more than just opening another app on your phone. You instead have a dedicated notebook where you write down everything (and I mean literally anything and everything) you need to do.

You don’t have to put any dates or organize your list in an special way. Simply just write it down. Go down your list and if something is less important than something else, simply skip it. You don’t need to complicate yourself with a fancy to do list full of categories, due dates, color schemes, and priority ranks. Just make a list. Anything you’ve left uncrossed or unchecked, you will be easily able to see it and come back to it when you’ve completed the more important tasks. It’s really that simple.

Also when you think of something new that needs to be done, try to write it down as soon as possible. Trust me you will enjoy this. It won’t feel like a just another task per say. Think of it more like a mission. Doing this repeatedly will help you stay focused on every single task you need to finish.

Keep the tasks small and specific

So when you write down your task, don’t be afraid to break up the task into smaller tasks. Don’t worry about creating “sub-tasks” or anything of that sort. Again, don’t complicate the list. Just write down the task no matter how small it may be. It may sound silly but this will help you actually start on the really big tasks.

For example, one task I had in my head was to work on SEO for my web design business website. Well “work on SEO” is simply too general and big for me to even think about where to start. So instead I wrote various smaller tasks that are all related to working on SEO, such as researching keywords, implement key phrases for specific pages, etc. Working on smaller related tasks helps you to stay focused on the larger big picture task.

Turn off distractions

Can you believe that the average U.S. adult will spend about 44 years of their life staring at screens? You know where I’m going with this so it should be no surprise. How dare I say it, but it must be said. If you really want to know how to stay focused, then turn off your phone! Yes, either silence and lay it face down, or simply just turn off the damn thing.

If you need to notify someone important that you’ll be “offline” for the next few hours, then do so, and then disconnect. Trust me, your brain will reward you. Your brain will not be constantly distracted by notifications, blinking lights, beeps, dings, and rings, etc. Just give your mind and phone a rest. You can turn it off. Trust me, it won’t be the end of the world.

Now if you need a break from your task, then feel free to check your phone. Check your notifications, missed calls, texts whatever. But don’t get sucked in. Check, respond, and then turn off. Give yourself 10–15 minutes if you need to. But don’t turn it into a giant distraction.

Listen to music

This will help you get into a flow. If you’ve never tried meditational music I suggest you definitely give it a try. Go on YouTube and search for things like “focus music for work”, or “focus music for studying”, and you will find many videos that offer some very good ambient background music for your brain to stay focused.

Some of them you may not like, in fact some of them I find kind of annoying to listen to which affects my focus. Just remember the music should feel like it’s just there. It should not be something you are focusing on. It should just reside in the back of your brain while you are actually focusing on your task with the rest of your brain.

Even if I’m sitting at home alone with no one to distract me, sometimes I will still put on some focus music. If I’m in a coffee shop, where things tend to be more noisy, then some music will definitely help you.

Note: For more resources on digital marketing, business strategies, and tech tips please visit The Flyer where we post new articles and guides at least once a week.