9 simple tips to improve your focus and have a more productive workday

We live in a world full of distractions. How can we improve our focus and get more done during our day? Whether you have Adult ADHD or you find yourself constantly getting pulled away from your tasks, it’s important to lead your day with intention so you can work smarter, not harder.

Here are nine simple tips for you to level up your workday.

1. Eliminate distractions.

There will always be something that pulls us off task and distracts us, leading to a less productive workday. Technology is number one for most of us. With your smartphone sitting right next to you, it’s often easy to get distracted and fall down a rabbit hole of social media. When you turn around, 30 minutes is gone.

Set your environment up for efficiency. Turn off distractions while you’re working—that means your phone, TV, disruptive music, etc.

If you need to sit and get something done, put your phone on “do not disturb” except for your emergency contacts. You can also put it out of sight, so you’re not tempted to pick it up.

A fun test is to check and see how many pick-ups you have a day. You can find this in the settings tab on your smartphone. This is step one—just having the awareness that you are getting distracted. Also under the settings tab, you can check how much time you spend on each app. Did you accidentally spend two hours on Tik Tok?

If you can understand where the problem is and what’s causing you to get distracted, it makes it easier to fix.

2. Stop trying to multitask.

While it may sound like a good way to get more tasks done, studies have shown that multitasking is actually not effective. We think we can do multiple things at a time, and we certainly can. But not as well as we would have done it if we just focused on the one thing, finished it, then moved on to the next.

Schedule your time so that you can focus on one task at a time. You’ll probably find that you can accomplish more in a day.

3. Set boundaries.

It’s all too easy to be pulled away by distractions, from checking your email, to a coworker asking you a question, to your kids needing something or your phone ringing.

Some of these are necessary to deal with, but others can wait. It can help to set physical boundaries during times when you truly need to focus.

For example, if you’re working on an important project, put a sign up on your door or cubicle that says, “Do not disturb until 10 AM unless it is an emergency.” This will give your colleagues a time that they know they can come back and discuss what’s needed. It also gives you a focused chunk of uninterrupted time, so you can use your schedule wisely.

4. Know yourself and your limits.

Being productive and efficient also means knowing yourself and how you work best. Take a minute to reflect on when you are most productive versus when you tend to run a bit slower.

For example, I am most certainly a morning person, so I wake up early and stack as much as I can in the morning hours, saving only a few things for the afternoon (when I know my energy will fizzle out). When do you feel your best? How can you build your workday around that time?

Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, most of us do have a lull in the late morning before lunch and again in the mid-afternoon. Don’t do hard things at that time. Save easy, low-brain power tasks for this time—things that don’t require lots of focus and attention. For example, maybe this is when you make copies instead of writing new curriculum.

5. Start your day with intention.

Even if you’re not a morning person, it’s important to have a morning routine to set the tone for a productive day. We know routine is great for our kids, but it’s great for us too.

You sleep better when you have a routine where you go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. And when you sleep better, you focus better during the day. Your morning routine doesn’t have to be hard and fast, but having a general pattern of doing things reminds your body what to do and that work will come next.

I like to wake up and enjoy my coffee for 10 minutes before I start getting ready for the day. It helps to not fly out of bed and already be running late (which by the way, increases your cortisol stress hormone and sets a poor tone for the day).

6. Prioritize a good night’s sleep.

Good sleep is also really key for focus and productivity. We often think of sleep as a pleasure, but it is truly a necessity. Sleep deprivation is known to decrease your focus and productivity, not to mention make your blood pressure and weight climb higher.

Maintain a consistent bedtime. Your brain is so busy all day long, it needs time to be reminded that you can relax.

Be sure you turn off all your screens an hour before bedtime. Your brain needs the darkness and shut down time for your body to make melatonin. Instead, spend that hour before bed doing some gentle stretching, easy reading, meditation or a nice skincare routine (wash your face, moisturize your face, moisturize your hands and feet).

If you snore or have sleep apnea symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about a sleep study. Good sleep for 7-9 hours is essential for us to show up as our best selves the next day, so practice healthy sleep habits and get help if you’re having trouble sleeping.

7. Take short breaks.

Are you working for too long of a period at once? Most of us can only stay focused for 60-90 minutes before we need a break. It can be a quick 5-10-minute pause to simply give your brain a break. When you come back, you’ll be ready to start again.

Physical activity can be really helpful for improving focus and productivity. I like to do some gentle stretching, exercise or a meditation during these breaks. If your schedule allows, build small physical activity breaks in the middle of your day (a 5-minute break once every hour would be great).

• Go for a walk. At work, my partner and I like to do a short 10-minute walk during lunch. It gives us a reset before the afternoon starts.
• Do a few squats. Squats are my go-to. I like to practice deep breathing with it and imagine that every time I squat down, I am doing a little reset, wiping the slate clean.
• Use a standing desk. It helps to change position every now and then and stretch your body out instead of getting the normal tight-shoulder desk position.
• Do a few hamstring and glute exercises to move around a bit. Just stand up and keep your core tight to hold you firm and balanced. Bend the right knee to a 90-degree angle. Go back down. Repeat 15 reps. Now do this with the left knee. I like to alternate these with some easy calf raises. We don’t have to spend hours at the gym to activate these muscle groups. Five minutes here and there adds up like compound interest for our health!

8. Fuel your brain.

As with everything else health-related, our nutrition plays a role in maintaining focus. Have you noticed how tired you feel after a carb and fat-heavy meal? Or the sugar crash that happens after a couple donuts or a pastry or bowl of cereal? This is normal.

Our bodies do better when we give them less sugary and carb heavy meals, trading these for more fiber, healthy fats and protein. What does this look like? Here are a few tips:

• Healthy fats: Healthy fats are those omega-3 fatty acids that are known to boost brain health. You can find these in avocadoes, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, and nuts.
• Antioxidants: These are also helpful for brain function and can be found in berries like blueberries and strawberries, turmeric, broccoli and pumpkin seeds.
• Caffeine: Appropriate doses of caffeine can help, both from the stimulant aspect of caffeine, but also some options contain a bit of antioxidants too. But think one cup of black coffee or green tea, not a soda or energy drink.

9. Find stress management techniques that work for you.

We know that stress and our overall mental health also impact focus and productivity. When you’re stressed, your cortisol levels are high. Imagine your body being in a constant fight or flight state; you won’t be able to focus well on work because your body is just in survival mode at that point.

There are many techniques to help manage stress effectively during a busy workday. I love to start my day with exercise (there’s that morning routine again!). The boost of dopamine from quick physical activity will help you zone in for the day and wake up your body. Remember, the exercise can be anything! A 10-minute walk, jog or yoga session will go a long way. Try it out for four weeks and see what you think.

During the workday, I use meditation and grounding techniques to help me reset and refocus. You can find some easy 1-3 minute meditations on several smartphone apps or dive into this beginner’s guide to mindfulness. 

Grounding techniques can be as simple as a 1-minute box breathing exercise. Close your eyes and visualize a square. Start in the top left corner. Breathe in for 4 seconds and draw the top line. Now hold for 4 seconds and draw the line down to the bottom right corner. Now breathe out for 4 seconds and draw the bottom line over and across. Lastly, hold for 4 seconds and draw the line up to the original top corner again.

Remember that there will always be something that can pull us off task and distract us, leading to a less productive work day. Your goal is to be intentional. Anticipate and avoid distractions. Set yourself up for success. You can do it!

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