Welcome To Focus

Between meditation, yoga, and practicing mindfulness, I like to think that I'm getting better at staying focused. I make an effort to notice everything I do and try to think about my actions before I make them. It doesn't always work, but I keep trying. After all practice makes prefect. So I better keep practicing right?

When I'm really focused on something I can block out everything. The whole world seems to melt away and it's just me and the task that I have set out to accomplish. More often than not, I have some epic music playing in the background that keeps me pumped (and make me feel more important than I actually am). I call it zoning (because I'm in the zone - yes it's a bad pun) and I get so focused on what I'm doing that other people have had to resort to some creative ways to get my attention. Loud noises are often involved.

I love it when I'm super focused. I don't notice time moving forward, I tend to be more relaxed, and I feel very productive.

Then there are the days that no matter what I do, I can't seem to focus on anything. It could be anything from something I love doing (like writing this blog) to something I find very boring (like reading an instruction manual). I know I need to focus on these tasks, but there's something far more interesting going on in my mind.

Those days are very frustrating. I honestly do want to get my task done. It's just that there's a whole world outside of that task that is begging me to explore it. Or maybe my mind is jumping from one thought to the next with no signs of slowing down. What do I do?

I should probably notice that I'm super distracted. This is a lot easier said than done. To work around this I try to plan out one or two major breaks where I can evaluate how I'm feeling physically and mentally. This is when I realize that I've been sitting too long and need to stretch my legs (and make a few notes about what movements to request at yoga this week).

Physical movement help a lot. When I'm thinking really hard about something I have a bad habit of pacing. As I get a lot of weird looks when I do this, I try not to pace at work. There aren't a lot of reasons for me to walk around while I'm at work (usually I'm getting up to get more coffee). I try to get some form of exercise at least three times a week. The exercise is helpful, but it isn't always enough.

My yoga teachers have been teaching us different breathing techniques. These are used to help us stay in our movements and not forget to breath when holding a position. These techniques are also really great ways to stay focused on my yoga practice.

If physical movement isn't enough to keep my mind on what I should be working, focusing on my breathing does. The breathing techniques I use are also how my yoga teachers start our classes. They are meant to be used to draw our awareness into ourselves and leave the outside world behind (which can be tough when people in the main gym drop heavy weights on the ground).

I love it when I can focus on what I am doing and accomplish it in the time frame I want to. Distractions are tiring and can really throw off the rest of my day. I need to accept the fact that when I'm distracted I can't force the issue. I need to take sometime to check in mentally and physically. Afterwards, I  can get back to work.

Now, I'm going to make some tea. I hope you guys had a great weekend and are ready to greet Monday morning. I know I'm not.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from me readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.