Losing focus? 3 Quick Tips To Get It Back
A cornerstone of the 4Cs of mental toughness is Commitment and this “C” embraces your reliability and focus on achieving your goals without being distracted.
However being intensely focused for a long period of time, whether it’s homework, reading an office report or just working through your emails is difficult and it is easy to lose focus just when you don’t want to.
1. Reset and refocus
We’re focused and on task and then our mind just starts to wander (and wonder!) away from the task in hand. You need to jolt yourself back to reality and then reset and refocus to get back on track. The lack of focus was your mind’s mini break but the reset button gets you refocused and reset.
2. Take a break and ideally a walk
If the rest and refocus isn’t enough then try a longer break. Research suggests that after 53 minutes of focus we need 17 minutes break to be able to fully recharge. This may be too much in the middle of a concentrated session but even 5 minutes or ten minutes works wonders. Going for a walk and stretching your muscles is the best way to be able to refocus.
3. Make your project easier or harder
If you can’t refocus after a break then it may be that you need to recalibrate your focus by adjusting the task to become mentally re-engaged. Generally you can do this by making your project easier, by setting yourself a time limit, or harder by dissecting larger projects into digestible chunks. You want to ensure the project isn’t too easy nor too hard.
The cornerstones of the MTQ48 measure are the 4 C’s of Control, Commitment, Challenge and Confidence. Each of these scales reflects a component of the Mental Toughness personality trait and any given score will suggest the likely behaviours of the individual.
To learn more about the 4Cs of mental toughness contact us.