Focus is the key ingredient to success in anything you do in life. Whether you’re trying to learn a skill, write a book or even build a business. If you can manage to keep your head down and focus for prolonged hours, everything is achievable. Just like everything else, building that focus is something which takes a lot of practice and patience. But once it’s developed the productivity level of your work significantly improves which eventually helps in achieving your goals faster.

To get the most out of your 24 hrs, here are three things which you can practice each day to strengthen your focus.

Understanding your work preference

Every one of us is wired differently. Some people are more focused in the morning while others are more energized at night time. Figuring out your personal work preference is the key to productivity. If you feel you are more productive and get more done in the morning, setup a morning routine. If you’re a night owl, allocate some time each day to work during the night. Studies have proved that artists who usually work at night tend to be creative in their art, as there is a sense of serenity and calm at night.

Staying in the present

Next is staying in the present moment. You all must have heard the phrase ‘Carpe diem’ which means to focus on the present moment and not worry about the future. The reason why most of us fail to retain focus on one task is because we’re always thinking ahead of time. This makes us overwhelmed with stuff making it hard to focus on the work at hand. Practice focusing on the task in front of you and pay no mind to the thing which hadn’t happen yet. You will be surprised to see how staying in the present moment helps develop a laser sharp focus.

Rewarding yourself for focus

The reason why most of us fail to retain focus for longer periods is because of the distractions and cravings to check social media, listening to the music, watching a YouTube video etc. So before you even begin to work, make a commitment to reward yourself after finishing the work. After a good 4, 5 hrs of focused work indulge yourself in the things you love. This technique will not only allow you to stay focused for longer periods, but it will also make you more creative. It’s better to indulge in some physical activity or anything which distracts you during work hours. You can also set limits for each task using a timesheet application to maintain your focus.