Achieve Inner Peace and Focus with These 6 Strategies

It’s difficult to stay productive when your brain is buzzing. You have so many ideas and thoughts in your head that it’s tough to focus on your to do list. But you don’t have to let the mental noise ruin your productivity. You can quiet your brain by doing a few simple things then you’ll be able to return to work with focus and clarity.
Start a journal
When your mind is buzzing, try writing down your thoughts in a journal. This exercise will help you empty your mind so that your brain is free to focus again. Once you’ve finished with your thoughts, write about the benefits that finishing your tasks for the day will bring you. By writing about your tasks, you’ll be able to sort through and pick which ones are the most important to you.

Try coloring

Coloring for half an hour is a great way to let go of mental clutter. Allow your thoughts to come as you focus on the design of your coloring sheet. Besides helping calm your brain, coloring also allows you to get into a creative mindset. That makes it a great activity if you’re trying to come up with a solution to a problem or seeking inspiration for a project you’re working on. If you dislike coloring, you might try doodling instead. You’ll still get the same benefits as coloring.

If you haven't colored in a while, you might need a new coloring book. Check out these by my friend Pop Art Diva!


Practice yoga

Yoga is another great way to calm your mind. It’s effective because it allows you to get fully in tune with your body. If other thoughts try to interrupt you, push them away and focus on your current pose. You don’t have to buy an expensive DVD to practice yoga. There are many yoga videos available for free on YouTube.

Take a walk

Taking a walk, even a short one, is helpful when your brain is buzzing. Not only does walking get you away from your desk, it’s also a great way to relieve stress. You can powerwalk or jog if you prefer that to a leisurely pace. But be choosy with your location. Busy streets can make it hard for you to focus and relax. Instead, opt for quiet streets or walk at local park that you enjoy visiting.

Meditate

Meditation is a quick way to calm your mind and body. Get into a comfortable position and focus on your breathing. Take slow breaths and feel your body move as you inhale and exhale. Release any conscious thoughts as they come to you. If you’re new to meditation, it can be helpful to choose an object or word to focus on during your session.

Take a hot bath

A hot bath is the perfect way to calm an overactive brain. Besides helping you relax, a warm bath can also improve circulation and ease tense muscles. After you’re finished soaking, try to take a quick shower with lukewarm or cold water. This wakes your body up and energizes you so that you’re ready to tackle the rest of your to do list.

When your brain is buzzing, don’t try to work despite it. Instead, acknowledge how you feel right now and try one of the exercises listed above. Then you’ll be able to return to work with a focused mindset.

Focus Is The Name Of The Game

I've been thinking a lot lately about focus.  For example, focusing on my target market, the boomerpreneur.  I've gotten sidetracked a bit lately.  And focusing on larger projects to get them completed, such as my book.  It took forever to get it finished - until I put everything else aside and focused on just getting it written. 

I've discovered during conversations with other business women that I am not the only one that struggles with this.  In fact, one of the major problems many of them have is the inability to focus.

What exactly is "focus?"  Focus is paying close attention to something.  It can be a particular market niche or group such as baby boomers.  It can be on a particular project such as writing a book.  But whatever it is, you are paying CLOSE attention to it.  That means you are not allowing yourself to be distracted or preoccupied with other matters.

I was so grateful for our recent vacation.  I was exhausted and stressed.  There never seemed to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that I wanted to accomplish.  I was irritable and short-tempered.  Then my husband asked me why I was working so many hours every day.  What was so important that it was taking all of my time?  After all, wasn't being in charge of my schedule one of the benefits of being self-employed?  That's when I realized that my problem was simple - I had stopped focusing on what was important and key to my business and allowed myself to be distracted by several "bright, shiny objects."

Without learning to focus on what is urgent and important, your can easily get distracted by the latest trend or the newest system or great new market.  Before you know it, your business has you running in 20 different directions at once.  And when that happens you burn out - fast!  And when you burn out, it's only a matter of time before your business does too.

If this sounds like you, take some advice from me.  Sit down and reevaluate your business.  What is your target market?  What is your core product or service?  What are your goals?  Where is your business headed?  Then make a list of the steps you need to take to get back on track.  Write down what is truly important and urgent to your core business.  Then make a vow that you will work on these steps ONLY.  Now I know that some of your current activities won't make your new list.  Some things will not get done.  But that's okay.  If they aren't on the list it's because they are not important to your business.  Which means you shouldn't be doing them.  It's that simple.

And I know there are some of you, who, like me, will be reluctant to give up a bright new shiny project.  Why it could be the next big thing!  But that's one of the reasons your business isn't growing.  Your too scattered and worrying too much about unimportant stuff and not focusing on what is important to your core business.

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing more about FOCUS.  Because when it comes to building your business, focus is the name of the game.