My primary task in expanding my ability to focus is to eliminate distractions. This mostly affects interaction with my phone and social media. The first step would be to discern work hours from leisure hours which would be used to complete important tasks in an appropriate amount of time. Next, my devices, such as phones and tablets should have notifications disabled or changed into airplane mode over the period of time during which I will be completing assignments. This kind of system would tell me about the time I need to accomplish certain projects and activities, reduce guilt over procrastination by being able to relax after getting my work done, and it has been noted to improve the quality of sleep (Patel, 2016). When necessary, I would inform family members, peers, and coworkers of my work hours and when I am not available.
I think that goal setting is a good start to completing any project, especially one that can take a significant amount of time and effort. As such, a huge goal is hard to focus on and navigate. I would like to narrow down my large, ambitious goal into small chunks that should be completed over a certain course of time. Year-long assignments and projects can be broken into quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals respectively. The last step would be to set daily goals that follow the SMART technique. To improve my focus on the progression of an assignment, my goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. In this way, I will be able to complete small goals alongside growing, big objectives which will show noticeable development over time. This kind of system also triggers a reward mechanism in the brain, and with smaller goals, success is more likely than with a very vague, broad target.
I would like to expand my analytical skills through higher engagement with data and media presented to me in my daily life. In a firm, analytics specialists frequently implement their research skills by creating datasets and running them through data science concepts and formulas to view their gathered information (Cote, 2021). This often raises important questions and hypotheses about the nature of certain data or information. I would like to engage with a similar tactic when I interact with the news, books, conversations, and other exchanges in my daily life. This can mean that I may learn more about my educational, personal, and community environment and what kind of issues and changes it is facing. Then, I will be able to question the information I am given, see my role in the conversation, and the input I may provide.
While assessing the information I have, it is important to take into account the opposing or differing viewpoints within a topic. Acknowledging the various perspectives can allow me to expand my perception, deter bias, and express that I value the opinions of my peers and coworkers. Because I think that every problem has a myriad of solutions, I think that a topic may also have many approaches and opinions. When solving an issue or working on a project, it is vital to consider as many interpretations of the process or solution as possible for better chances of a positive outcome (Cote, 2021). When analyzing something, it is very dangerous and counterproductive to get stuck on one mode of thinking. As such, it is important for me to consider multiple opinions, solutions, and methods before starting a project or assignment, especially when working with peers.
References
Cote, C. (2021). 4 Ways to Improve your Analytical Skills. Harvard Business School Online. Web.
Patel, N. (2016). 7 Brain Hacks to Improve Your Focus at Work. Forbes. Web.