9 Simple Things to Stay Engaged and Productive Throughout the Day

When you look back on your day today, would you say you were completely engaged in everything you did?  Would you say that you were so engrossed in what you were doing and you devoted all of your attention to everything you came into contact with? Were you 100% focused 100% of the time?

Now, we all know that ideally the answer would be yes.  We would be completely engaged all of the time and totally focused whenever we did anything…from those times when we were completing big projects to those times when we were simply just interacting with the people around us.  We would totally be focused on what we were doing and know that when we devoted our complete attention to something or to someone, we were truly at our best.

So, why don’t we maintain our focus 100% of the time?

There are many reasons…sometimes we may end up just going through the motions. Or, sometimes we have classified what we are doing as boring and not stimulating enough to trigger the need of our complete attention and engagement.

Whatever the case may be, it is easy to fall into the trap of accepting our lack of complete engagement from time to time and look at it as a sliding scale…sometimes it is necessary for us to be 100% engaged, and other times 70% will suffice. We may have even convinced ourselves that no one can really maintain such a high level of focus throughout an entire day and it is to be expected that sometimes we will just go through the motions.

But…that simply is not the case.   And, there is another way we need to look at this…an alternaview we should take notice of.

Increasing Productivity: The alternaview

The alternaview is that we should never become complacent and accept our lack of engagement and focus as something that is naturally just going to happen. Yes, there is a sliding scale when it comes to our focus and attention, but we are in complete control and can determine where we are registering on it.

Our ability to consistently be engaged and devote 100% of our attention is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.  Not only does it allow us to perform at our highest level, but it also provides us with a great experience that reenergizes us and sets us up for continual progress.

The reality is when we are really engaged in what we are doing, we just feel better about ourselves and whatever it is we are doing. Even if you have not really noticed before, when you are completely focused on something, you feel better about it, even if it is something you don’t enjoy doing. And, when you are completely engaged in something, you know you are doing it very well and that is rewarding and creates positive energy that impacts your overall thoughts and how you are feeling.

We all are interested in doing things well and being productive. That is just the way we were designed.  No one really wants to be a slacker or make mistakes…it is just not human nature for people to say to themselves, “how can I mess this up?”  “how can I do this as poorly as possible?” “how can I not devote 100% of my attention to this?”

The problem is we just may not have ever figured out an approach that will consistently guarantee we are able to keep our attention 100% focused on what we are doing all of the time. So, as with anything else, you have to decide that you are going to do whatever it takes to maintain a high level of engagement and then identify what things work best for you to integrate into your day.  These are some things I have seen work well:

How to use this alternaview:

1. Sell yourself on the benefit. There is always at the very least one good reason why you should do whatever task is in front of you or pay total attention to someone you are interacting with.  Search for that benefit and remind yourself of it.

2. Reenergize. When you are completely into what you are doing, you will receive positive feedback in the form of good energy and positive thoughts.  Use that energy and recycle it over and over again to stay engaged throughout the day.

3. Really, really try to be focused in the morning. There is nothing that can beat starting off the day right with a productive morning where you are actively engaged.  It gets everything going on the right track and sets you up for a day where things just continue to fall into place.

4. Listen & Pay Attention. When it comes to interacting with other people, make certain you are not tuning them out.  Really listen to the information they are telling you.  Pretend like you are going to have to repeat it back, process it in your mind, and focus on engaging in the conversation.

5. Remind yourself of how good you are doing. There is nothing more counterproductive than having negative thoughts about what you are doing. Instead, you should acknowledge and appreciate every minute that you are doing something well.  Take notice of your progress and dedication.

6. Turn on music. If you are a person that enjoys music and it lifts your mood, turn some on that can really get you going and serve as additional motivation to engage and focus.

7. Remind yourself of your goal. From time to time throughout the day, remind yourself that your goal is to be really engaged and maintain 100% of your focus on what you are doing.  When you keep this top of mind, it helps you notice and do things differently when your level of engagement or focus has faded a little.

8.  Put together an action list for the day. Cross off things as you successfully complete them.  Nothing feels better than visually seeing yourself making good progress and it will keep you more engaged.

9. Take breaks. Take a break from what you are doing and have some downtime.  Walk around and talk to people about interesting things, surf the internet, go to your favorite sites, go for a jog or do anything else that you enjoy for a period of time and then jump back into what you were doing fully rejuvenated.

You really can have an amazing day where you are totally engaged with everything you are doing and things are just flowing.  If you aren’t already 100% engaged 100% of the time, set it as your goal, figure out what works best for you, and then don’t settle for anything less…that is the alternaview.

Would you say that you are able to maintain 100% focus? Are you totally engaged throughout the day?  Do you agree with this alternaview?