Career Coaches Are Sharing Small, Easy Ways To Stay Focused Throughout The Workday Without Feeling Drained

Work smarter, not harder.

Recently I've become the sort of person who gets distracted pretty easily. One minute I'm doing one thing, and then it's as if I'm a puppy who just saw a squirrel run by — my attention will get diverted to something else. This gets really frustrating, especially when I have a long to-do list and I'm trying to get all my work done for the day.

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I consider myself a person with very good time management skills, but it's the little distractions that sometimes get to me, ya know?

Creating makeshift work areas at home, switching (or quitting) jobs, moving out of state — whatever your work situation was these past few years, something I think we can all agree on is how challenging it can sometimes be to give our best work, be productive, and stay focused on the task at hand throughout the workday every day.

And sometimes with so much emphasis on wanting to be productive and focused every day — you could end up feeling burnt out, overworked, and drained if you're not properly taking care of yourself, taking breaks, and setting work boundaries.

I decided to reach out to a few experts to ask for their advice on this topic.

They are:

• Kevin Kirkpatrick, CEO at We Work Remotely

• Ricklyn Woods, certified human resources professional and career advisor for the University of Phoenix

• Amina AlTai, holistic leader and mindset coach

• Jennifer Farris, Chief People Officer at Terminal

• Jennifer Perrow, business growth advisor and executive coach with Perrow Advisory Services

• Perry Valentine, small business owner and founder of AtPerry's

Keep reading for some expert-approved tips and tricks on how to stay focused and ultimately get shit done, whether you work in an office or from home:

1. Use digital tools to eliminate distractions.

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"I’m a big fan of using digital tools to enforce discipline and to help me stay focused on the task at hand," Kevin Kirkpatrick told BuzzFeed. "For example, if I need to focus on writing a document, I use a tool called Workspaces, which allows me to hit a command that closes all other documents, turns on focus music, and opens a new document for writing."

2. Listen to music while you work.

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While working remotely, Ricklyn Woods says she is strict about not turning on the TV while working, and she typically listens to music in between calls. "If you're working at home with other people, listening to music with noise-canceling headphones is helpful to tune out distractions."

Studies have found that listening to background music while working leads to better performance. Another study found that people spend more time on a task when listening to music without words compared to when working in silence. 

3. Figure out a workflow that works best for you.

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Workflow can mean what time of day you're most focused or a working space where you feel most productive. "What offices have led us to believe is that everyone can get their work done in the same environment and at the same time. That’s not true for everyone," Kevin explained.

"One of the reasons we’ve been advocating for remote work at my company even before the pandemic started is because it offers flexibility. This flexibility is not only about where you work from but how you work," he said. 

"Knowing what works for you is key to being more productive. If you're someone who finds it easier to concentrate early in the morning — work on the tasks that require more of your attention then," he said. If you feel like you lose concentration and energy in the middle of the day, try to have meetings at that time if that re-energizes you. The key here is to know yourself."

4. If you're in a managerial role, productivity feedback from your direct reports is crucial.

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"It’s important that managers solicit feedback from their reports and create flexible policies based on how employees actually want to work, not how they think they want to work," Jennifer Farris told BuzzFeed. 

"Employers should also ask when employees feel most productive — for example, is the employee a morning person, or do they do their best work in the evening? And the leader should ask how each person likes to receive feedback throughout the day or week," she explained. "Also knowing what times they need to be online to overlap with their team is key. It all comes back to co-defining 'how we work' as a team," she said.

5. To avoid brain fog or burnout, try the Pomodoro technique, which encourages you to work in 25-minute bursts.

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"When following the Pomodoro technique, I spend 25 minutes straight working on a task and then spend five minutes taking a short break. This cycle is repeated up to four times, and after that, I take a longer break, which lasts 15 minutes," Perry Valentine told BuzzFeed. 

"Doing this technique helps me to stay productive since it forces me to set aside time to really focus and not do anything unrelated to the task. Taking short breaks from time to time keeps me rested and helps prevent me from getting drained," he said. "Since I have a short attention span, these breaks help me keep my focus during the 25 minutes of undisturbed work, knowing that I get to take a break after."

6. Eliminate guesswork by taking a moment to plan out your day ahead.

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Kevin emphasized the importance of planning out your day to stay on track and take the guesswork out of trying to remember everything on your to-do list — which can ultimately lead to feeling overwhelmed and like you're scattered all over the place.

"I use a tool called Sunsama to actively and methodically plan my day. It helps me ensure I’m clear about what I’m working on, when it needs to happen, and how much I’m working," he said. 

7. Try using the Eisenhower Matrix if you're feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list.

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Jennifer Perrow recommends people who feel overwhelmed by their to-do lists to use the Eisenhower Matrix. This is "a task management tool that helps you organize and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance." 

"Do a brain dump of all of your tasks — either with pen and paper or electronically. From there, put each task in the appropriate square of the Eisenhower Matrix: Urgent/Important, Non-Urgent/Important, Urgent/Non-Important, Non-Urgent, Non-Important," Jennifer told BuzzFeed. 

"For your urgent/non-important tasks, delegate them to someone else if you can. Complete the urgent/important tasks, and lastly complete the non-urgent/ important tasks. This allows you to compartmentalize your to-do list, and you won't feel as overwhelmed as a result," she explained. 

8. Improve your time management skills with time blocking your day.

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"People will always ask for your time, and if you’re not careful, you’ll give it all away. I block time on my calendar for every aspect of my life, whether it's work activities or things like having dinner with my family, walking my dog, and exercising," Kevin told BuzzFeed.

Oftentimes people think that being productive is grinding all day. Jennifer Farris emphasized Kevin's point about time blocking by adding: "Calendar management is often overlooked as a strategy. Block times that are for heads-down work versus what is open for meetings to be scheduled," Harris told BuzzFeed. 

"To ensure you stay focused throughout the day, block your calendar for time to clear your head, have lunch, or take a walk. Breaks are just as important."

9. Figure out what your motivation is.

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"There are three types of motivation, and understanding yours can be a tool to spur you on when productivity is waning," Amina AlTai told BuzzFeed. "The three types of motivation are intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and family motivation."

"When intrinsically motivated, a person is motivated to perform at the best of their ability for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external products, pressures, or rewards," Amina explained. 

"An example of extrinsic motivation is getting to work on time to get an attendance award or volunteering for a project to get a bigger bonus. And lastly, family motivation can be both intrinsic and extrinsically motivating. For example, if it's a top value for you, your family may propel you to go the distance even when productivity feels most absent," she said. 

To figure out what your motivation is to keep you focused and productive while working, Amina suggested asking yourself three questions: 'Am I motivated by rewards outside of myself? Am I motivated by my internal desire? Am I motivated by my family?'

"Placing a picture of that form of motivation on your desk — or wherever you work — can be a visual reminder of why you're doing what you're doing and support you in going the extra mile," said Amina. 

10. Don't be afraid to simply go with the flow sometimes.

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"Sometimes, you’re just not feeling up to the task at hand. I find that pushing through it only sets me up for producing mediocre work. Instead of fighting it, I like to do the opposite — take a break and do something to take my mind off of it," Kevin advised. 

"Then when you're feeling refreshed, you can either go back to that specific task or save it for another day," he said. 

Do you have any productivity tips that work well for you? Tell me in the comments below!