A quick reminder to step out of your office and usual life! It’ll keep you more productive for those days and hours when you’re in the office.

The ability to multitask is a highly sought after skill in today’s society. Even those multitasking extraordinaires have an amazing ability to be in the present when micromanaging projects.

[What do I mean by being present? Fully concentrating on the task at hand.]

In order to be more productive, consider the following:

NOISE
For some people, background noise is helpful. For others, it impedes their ability to concentrate. Notice how noise affects you and take the appropriate steps to create the ideal work environment.

DISTRACTIONS
Notice all the small things that distract your concentration. Write the distractions down on a piece of paper and then figure what you can do to prevent these things from getting in your way.
Common distractions/solutions:
-Phone/Turn off ringer during certain hours
-Email/Create designated email moments throughout the day
-Twitter/Turn off TweetDeck and limit the time spent tweeting each day
-Web surfing/Spend a few designated minutes in the morning and afternoon

BRAIN ACTIVITY
You sit down to do something and your brain goes in a million and one “I still need to do this, this, and this” directions. This is one of the most common, yet least discussed, issues. We live in a world where we’re inundated with thousands (if not millions) of messages coming at us every single day. Turn on CNN and you’ll find 24 hours news anchors, stock reports, breaking news, and today’s headlines all streaming across the same small screen. No wonder our brains have issues being present!

One solution I have found to help me regulate my brain activity is mediation. Just ten minutes a day, at any time, helps me to realize how fast my mind moves and calm me down. Even if you start by meditating only a few times a week, you’ll see results.

(originally posted on Twolia)