General
Creative Solutions Using “What If?”
For the most creative solutions you need to get your mind looking in new directions. One of the most systematic ways to do this, is with a list of words, primarily adjectives, to create “what if?” scenarios. The process starts with the question, “what if it was…” and then you insert a word from the list. “It” in the question is the problem you’re working on, or the current solution or situation.
Let’s explain the process with an example or two.
Example one: You have is an unpleasant co-worker. You aren’t sure how to deal with him, so you ask about the problem, “What if it was…” and insert from the list “smaller.” How could you make the problem smaller? Spend less time with that person? Get reassigned?
“What if it was… fun?” makes you wonder if being annoying yourself might keep the other person away from you. “Closer” makes you wonder if this person might be nicer to you if they knew you better. You continue down the list and work with each word a bit to get new ideas, which you will look at more analytically later.
Example two: Your house is too crowded because you’re running your business from it. You ask, “What if it was…” and insert from the word list, “smaller.” Your house is already too small, but could the business be smaller? The word “divided” might give you the idea to keep the business in just one part of the house.
Since most words on the list won’t help, you can go through the irrelevant ones quickly. But don’t automatically dismiss them without a few seconds consideration. “What if it was hopeless?” may seem like a useless question, or it may make you realize that you just can’t keep the business in the house any longer. Moving into a rented office might be the most profitable of your creative solutions.
The Creative Solutions Word List
Feel free to create your own list of words. You’ll want to use adjectives, descriptive phrases, and any words that can change your perspective. Here is a short list to get you started:
What if it was… larger, smaller, farther away, closer, sooner, later, easier, more difficult, higher, fat, rich, short, black, certain, hopeless, newer, boring, casual, subtracted from, cheaper, common, divided, more interesting, extravagant, subtle, or fun?
Just as with most problem solving techniques, it’s important to allow the ideas to flow without judging them initially. You don’t want to stifle the creative process. Take notes, then evaluate your ideas later, when you have a page full of creative solutions.
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4 Things You Should be Focusing on Every Day
Every day our attention is pulled in a million directions. To-do lists, both personal and work, family, friends, and even random errands, take up valuable brain real estate. It can be challenging to cut through the excess and give your attention to what really matters. Keep reading for the four things that you should be giving some attention to every day.
1. On a Goal
You most likely have at least one goal that you are currently working on. Choose one goal to focus on every day. Focusing on a specific goal every day will allow it to stay in the forefront of your mind and ensure that you spend time working on it. Remember that breaking up big goals into smaller steps will allow you to spread the work over time.
2. On the Now
Allowing your mind to dwell on the past is of little use to your current situation. The past is over, and you can’t change it. Focus on what is happening right now in your life, what you need to accomplish, and on the good things you have to reflect on. Keeping your mind present is a better use of your time. If you look in the rear view mirror of your life, you go nowhere. You can’t move ahead looking backward.
3. On the Task at Hand
This is important for all tasks that you must complete, but it can be difficult. Losing yourself to a task is something that typically only happens when you really enjoy what you’re working on. However, with practice, you can learn to tune out distractions and find your flow. If something is really bothering you and stopping you from focusing, find out what it is and deal with it. Unresolved issues take lots of energy away from focus.
4. On the Positive
Don’t let your mind fall down the tunnel of negativity and what-if thoughts. It’s literally a dead-end road that will take you nowhere. Focusing on the positives of a situation and in general, will do two things. First, it will keep your spirits up when times are tough, and you feel like giving up. Second, positive thoughts manifest more positive thoughts, which in and of itself is motivating.
Honing your thoughts in on specific tasks, aspects of life, and what you want out of your future is a process that takes time to work on. Your mind, like any muscle, works best when you train it regularly. Focusing on the items listed above daily will help train your brain to go to those items on its own, eventually turning you into a lean, mean, focusing machine.
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4 Things You Should be Focusing on Every Day as You Homeschool
Every day our attention is pulled in a million directions. Particularly when you are home schooling, you are thinking about things that need to be accomplished during school, as well as regular household activities such as doing the laundry, and paying bills. To-do lists, both personal and home-school related, family, friends, and even random errands, take up valuable brain real estate. And of course, there is the ever present temptation for social media chatter. It can be challenging to cut through the excess and give your attention to what really matters. Keep reading for the four things that you should be giving some attention to every day.
1. On a Goal
You most likely have at least one goal that you are currently working on. Choose one goal to focus on every day. Focusing on a specific goal every day will allow it to stay in the forefront of your mind and ensure that you spend time working on it. Remember that breaking up big goals into smaller steps will allow you to spread the work over time.
For example, if your goal is to choose a curriculum, break it down into smaller goals. Find the top five you have heard about, thought might work, or which have caught your attention for one reason or another. Then dive into reviews or talking with other home-school moms who have used them. You will either decide one of the five is right for you, or you might start the process again. As mentioned in other posts on this blog, getting to be a part of a local homeschooling association can help speed up the decision process. Moms who are already in the trenches can help you navigate through the process.
2. On the Now
Allowing your mind to dwell on the past is of little use to your current situation. The past is over, and you can’t change it. Focus on what is happening right now in your life, what you need to accomplish, and on the good things you have to reflect on. Keeping your mind present is a better use of your time. Stay focused on what you need to deal with now, today. You really can’t afford to sacrifice and ounce of your time to thinking about the past. Getting through the day, making sure the children stay on track, and also keeping up with the household will take your time, focus, and energy.
3. On the Task at Hand
If there are things that are distracting you from keeping focused on home school related tasks, write down the problems. Look at ways to resolve them. Study solutions on your off hours from school, maybe while the children are in bed. Send them to bed early or let them have a quiet time so you can have a little free time to work through things that might distract you. That way, you can stay focused during school time. Unresolved issues take lots of energy away from focus.
4. On the Positive
Don’t let your mind fall down the tunnel of negativity and what-if thoughts. It’s literally a dead-end road that will take you nowhere. Focusing on the positives of a situation and in general, will do two things. First, it will keep your spirits up when times are tough, and you feel like giving up. Second, positive thoughts manifest more positive thoughts, which in and of itself is motivating.
Honing your thoughts in on specific tasks, aspects of home schooling, and what you want out of it for you and your children is a process that takes time to work on. Your mind, like any muscle, works best when you train it regularly. Focusing on the items listed above daily will help train your brain to go to those items on its own, eventually turning you into a lean, mean, focusing machine.
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9 Things You Should Be Eating For Better Focus
Food and the nutrients they provide are the building blocks of our bodies and minds. Properly fueling your body is the perfect way to make sure your mind is ready to take on the day.
- Blueberries
Eating these tasty berries will not turn you into Violet Beauregarde, thankfully. But studies have shown that blueberries do contain antioxidants that can boost memory and improve focus for hours after eating them.
- Green Tea
Sipping this delicious beverage will give you a boost of caffeine and L-Theanine. When caffeine and L-Theanine are combined, they work together to improve alertness and focus without the dreaded crash that typically comes a few hours later.
- Avocados
It’s no wonder social media influencers are preaching the benefits of avocados. Filled with good fats and fiber, they enhance blood flow. Better blood flow means a healthier and happier brain.
- Leafy Green Vegetables
Antioxidants, carotenoids, and B-vitamins. All of these individually and combined help with memory and focus, as well as protecting your brain and giving it the nutrients it needs to replenish after a long day of work.
- Fatty Fish
Consuming a serving of fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, or sardines, has been shown to increase memory, mental performance, and lessen issues such as mood swings and fatigue. This is all thanks to omega-3 fatty acids, something that is abundant in several types of fish.
- Water
Your entire body is made up of water, and it is no surprise that it depends on it. Drinking enough water daily can aid in memory, focus, and creativity. Be sure to find your happy range of daily water intake.
- Dark Chocolate
Before you get carried away, it only takes a small serving of dark chocolate daily to reap the benefits. Caffeine and magnesium combine in this decadent treat to stimulate your brain and release the feel-good hormones, endorphins and serotonin. Both give you energy, focus, and a positive mood.
- Flax Seed
These tiny seeds are filled with goodness such as magnesium, B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and even fiber. Grinding the seeds gives your body the ability to digest them fully and to benefit from the mental clarity and focus that comes from them.
- Nuts
Nuts also contain a number of health benefits. Protein, vitamin E, and amino acids are packed into a one-ounce serving, giving you less cognitive decline and better focus throughout your day. Choose raw nuts over fried and salted. Raw nuts are better for you.
Filling your diet with benefit-packing foods can sometimes seem complicated, with the newest superfood changing daily. However, small additions of these 9 foods can allow you to reap the benefits of small changes.
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5 Tricks to Regain Lost Focus
It happens to everyone at some point. You’re moving along, zipping through your to-dos at work or at home, and then BOOM. Something happens around you, and your focus and productivity train is derailed. It can be tricky to find your footing and get back into your groove. However, six tricks can minimize the chance of derailment and help you to get back on track after losing focus.
1. Silence Your Phone (and computer)
We are all guilty of it. Every time your phone rings, vibrates, or lights up, you automatically look away from your task to glance at your phone. Stop those notifications, silence your phone, or put it out of your line of vision (in a desk drawer or up on a shelf).
2. Close Your Door
If your office is in a high traffic area, consider closing your door for a few hours a day so you can work through your more complicated tasks. This will eliminate the distractions of people walking by, sticking their heads in, and may make others think twice before knocking. This will give you more uninterrupted time to work.
3. Take Breaks
Taking breaks probably seems counterintuitive. However, taking breaks from work can give your mind a rest too. Also, if you know you have a ten-minute break coming up, it will provide you with an incentive to push through a laborious task.
4. STOP Multitasking
There is no way around this, but multitasking is killing your productivity and your focus. Multitasking means you are splitting your attention between multiple items, which means you are not giving anything your full attention. Stop it. Focus on one task at a time. The exception is a task that you can do when you are waiting for something to come back online. For example, if you are waiting on hold on a phone, you might be tidying up the kitchen. In general, multi-tasking is not a good ideas, but there may be a few times you can use it judiciously to your advantage.
5. Remove Internal Distractions
Internal distractions are the little ideas, to-dos, and random thoughts that pop into your head while working on a different task. When this happens, take a moment to write down that thought/to-do, and then get back to work. Writing it down will allow your brain to let go of it while you get back to work, and you can revisit it later. Later on as you review the list you may find that some of the things you thought were urgent aren’t that important any more.
Regaining lost focus doesn’t have to be a carnival trick. With practice and the correct tools in place, you can restore your focus quickly and with little downtime.
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