We all have our bad days. Days when we can’t seem to get anything done, days when we can’t think clearly, days when we just can’t focus our thoughts. The cause could be anything – from strains in relationships to worries about the economy to frustrations about the workplace, but the consequence is almost always the same – significant loss of productivity, be it in personal life or professional. I’ve had my fair share of such days. However, I’ve learnt that the issues of the mind can usually be solved by procedures of the mind. I’ve learnt that there are simple approaches that can help us focus even in the midst of everyday madness. Please see the list below for my observations, and feel free to add your own in the comments section.

Focus on the distraction
When you lose focus your thoughts seem to wander, drift all by themselves. Often times this is not an aimless, direction-less drift. It is a drift in a particular direction that you did not consciously wish to take, probably since you had wanted to focus your thoughts on something else. However, since your subconscious mind seems so distracted and does not let you focus on the task at hand, perhaps you should consider focusing on the distraction instead. Every task requires a particular mindset. Every mindset is best suited to a particular task. Perhaps your present mindset is not best suited to the task you are trying to focus on, perhaps it would be best suited to the distraction that keeps cropping up involuntarily. Focusing on the distraction allows you to perform productively at something you were going to have to do anyway, and re-energizes your mind to focus on the primary task later. Indeed, you might even realize that the distraction was actually linked to the primary task, even if only in a peripheral manner.

Approach from the periphery
Charging into battle straight at the formation of enemy tanks is a valiant thing to do, but not always the intelligent thing to do. Sometimes you require tact and subtlety. Sometimes it is prudent to approach the enemy from his periphery. When I find myself unable to focus on a particular task, I try to focus instead on something indirectly related to it. If I am stuck in the programming of a mathematical formulation, I switch to writing out its fundamental theoretical derivations. When I’m done with the derivations, not only have I regained the zest to program the formulation into code, but I have also learnt something valuable regarding the mathematics lying behind it. Focusing your thoughts on a peripheral task gives your mind the freedom to drift and thus re-energize, and yet keeps it in the space where it can be productive to the primary task itself.

Isolate your focus
When you find yourself unable to focus on one particular thought, it is probably because there are too many thoughts running around in your head. This multiplicity of thoughts dissipates mental energy and thus dissipates your focus. The obvious remedy here is to pick one particular thought – depending on your priorities – and follow it exclusively, in a step by step fashion. Picking one particular topic allows your mind to develop and follow a train of thought dedicated to it in an organized manner. Think of your mind as a bowl of noodle soup, each noodle representing one particular thought. Looking at this bowl, it is difficult to identify one particular strand of noodle and follow it through its length. You need to separate that strand from the rest of the soup, and hold it in isolation to identify it properly. Before I sat down to write this piece, there were competing thoughts in my head regarding arguments on this topic and arguments on a different topic. My mind was constantly switching from this-article-mode to that-article-mode, which was not helping my productivity. Separating these thoughts helped me follow one to conclusion (this article) while storing the other away for later use.

Shuffle things up
The human mind dislikes routine. Routine prevents the mind from acquiring new experiences and limits its exposure, thereby dumbing down its creativity and causing it to lose sharpness. Thought by definition is an energy that originates in your mind at one particular instant of time, something that is original and instantaneous. Routine does not require thought simply because it does not require originality. In fact routine is antithetic to originality and thus to thought itself. For these reasons, losing focus when working on routine tasks is not surprising. Given that routine tasks still need to get done, the easiest workaround is to shuffle your task-list. Simply re-prioritize and re-allocate time slots for each task. This achieves two objectives: it presents your mind something different to work on thus triggering its focus, and it also keeps you fresh and interested by killing boredom.

Focus on your inner voice
Is there a voice at the back of your mind that keeps bothering you every time you try to focus? A voice that you try to suppress but manages to resurface nevertheless? In that case, perhaps you should listen to what it is saying. Perhaps there is something you are missing in your current thought process. Perhaps there is a better way to accomplish the task at hand. While writing this article I was repeatedly bothered by something at the back of my head, something I couldn’t exactly place because I was trying to focus on writing this. And yet that voice in my head kept distracting me every now and then. And then I realized what it was – I had left some eggs to boil on the stove and completely forgot! After attending to that concern, I was back at the computer and typing away happily – no more distractions to bother.

Relax, defocus
The simple complications of everyday life can build a lot of stress on your body as well as your mind. When the mind is under stress, it loses its ability to think clearly due to competing and conflicting thoughts. Chaos and confusion cause your mind to lose focus by dissipating its energy. Your mind can best focus on something when it is relaxed. A relaxed mind is a clear mind, and a clear mind is a mind that can focus thoughts with laser-like intensity. Relaxing also makes your mind refreshed and re-energized, thus increasing creativity and productivity. Defocusing, i.e. thinking of “nothing” is a particularly powerful way to clear the mind. See here for a few simple tips to relax your mind.

We all know it’s a rat-race out there. Meetings, presentations, deadlines – it all gets so overwhelming. Add to this the constant one-upmanship, the condescension of “management” and an unsympathetic (at best) boss, and the office suddenly doesn’t look so picture-perfect. There’s only so much one can take. After all, we’re all getting old, aren’t we? I know I am. Because that’s the way I feel at work – like pulling out my hair one by one. But I’m not particularly interested in going bald, so I do something else. I try to calm myself, relax myself in the midst of the madness. Having been at it for a while now I’ve learnt a few tricks that work, so I thought I’d share them with you.

Drink water
Yes, it’s that simple. Drink a glass of water – preferably lightly chilled. When you are under tension, the pressuring thoughts in your head stress your muscles and generate body heat – often resulting in a headache. Water, I haver learnt, is one the quickest and easiest ways to address headaches. Water cools down your body and relaxes the muscles. Drinking water also has a positive sensory effect by sending a soothing sensation down your throat. Further, keeping yourself hydrated helps restore the pH balance in your body, greatly benefiting your general health. However, be mindful that carbonated drinks (like coke/pepsi) do not usually do the trick. I always have a bottle of water on my desk – it constantly reminds me to take a sip every now and then.

Speed meditate
The mind usually feels under stress when it is made to concentrate on one particular thought or task. Meditation helps us relax by dissipating, diffusing our thoughts in multiple directions. But I’m not asking you to roll out your yoga mat in the middle of the office. There is, I have observed, a simpler way to achieve some (but not all) of the benefits of meditation without having to allocate as much time. Try this: at your desk, simply close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on nothing. If it is difficult to focus on “nothing” with all the commotion around you, try to focus on something distant and soothing – like the sound of the ocean or the emptiness of deep space. Even a few seconds of doing this can have a significant effect on calming down your mind.

Talk to a colleague
When you feel stressed out, reach out to colleagues you get along with and strike up a friendly conversation. Talk about something, anything. Anything that gets your mind off work. Talking removes some of the weight of your thoughts from within you, and distributes it among the people you are talking to. It makes you feel unburdened and relieved. Not only will the distraction help you de-stress, but it will also help you build stronger bonds of camaraderie and help refocus on work later. Further, since your colleagues work under the same conditions as you, they are likely to have felt the same emotions at some point in time. Talking with them could help you understand how they coped with their stress so you could try the same yourself.

Talk to a friend or family
Pick up your phone and make that call. Call that friend you’ve been meaning to connect with forever, call your spouse to check up on how (s)he’s doing, or simply call your mom who is always waiting to hear from you. Connecting with friends and family takes your mind off your professional life,  makes you feel part of the larger society, and shows you that there are people who care about you. Most importantly, talking with friends and family helps you remember exactly why and for whom you are at work in the first place. It gives you a sense of purpose and a renewed vigour to approach your work.

Share a joke
Laughter is the best medicine. The health benefits of laughing are too many to list here. It’s a tried, tested and trusted approach to relaxation. Enjoy a joke – in person, on the phone, or over email. Or simply go online and read up something that you find funny. Of course you don’t need to throw up your hands and roll around in the office, but even something that makes you smile a little is good enough. And if you find something really funny, be sure to share it with others – it might help them de-stress as well.

Shuffle your tasks
When I get frustrated working on a particular issue, when I reach the point where I feel nothing I do is working, I stop working. I then pick something completely unrelated and put my mind to that, and very often things click immediately. Different tasks require different skills, different levels of effort, and different mindsets. Perhaps the mindset you are in presently is not best suited to the task you are performing, perhaps it would be best suited to some other task. Furthermore, doing the same thing over and over can get tedious and monotonous and can kill creativity. Not to worry, you’ll always get your productivity back so you can refocus on the issue that has most frustrated you. So shuffle up your task-list and pick something you haven’t worked on for a while.

Avoid staring at the computer
Have you ever noticed how your eyes narrow and your forehead wrinkles when you look at the computer monitor? That’s the stress your muscles are under. Now imagine doing that for hours together, day after day! This stress happens because you are concentrating your energies on a small spot of the screen at any given time. Think of it this way: when you place a piece of paper under the Sun, it stays stable. However, when you introduce a magnifying glass, the paper will eventually begin to burn. The reason is that the magnifying glass concentrates the Sun’s rays into a single spot, causing an excessive accumulation of energy. Taking away the magnifying glass lets the energy dissipate. Applying this rule here, try dissipating your focus throughout the screen – basically look at the screen but do not concentrate on any one spot in particular. You’ll notice your forehead and eyes relax automatically. You can’t keep doing this all through your work day, but there can’t be any harm in trying it for a few seconds every now and then.

Wash your face
The feel of water on your skin makes the muscles under it relax. This is why you feel so relaxed after a shower or a bath. You can’t take a shower while at work, but you certainly can wash your face. Washing your face also removes the oiliness and accumulated dirt from your skin, making you feel fresh and rejuvenated. You don’t even need to wash with soap: a plain cold-water wash can do wonders. So try it, and you’ll feel the difference.

Go out for lunch
Lunch is a great time to break from the humdrum of work and once again connect with life. Having lunch at your desk or with the same people in the office can get monotonous after a while. Instead, go out and get something to eat. It’ll take your mind off work by making you do something other than your office task (like drive), making you greet someone you don’t know, and in general will make you feel part of society. If you don’t have the time to sit down and eat, a quick take-out will serve the purpose.

Get some fresh air
The recycled, artificially conditioned air inside the office can get stuffy – not in the conventional sense, but in the psychological sense. It can clog up your mind and choke your ability to think clearly. Fresh air, much like water, is a natural relaxant. It clears up your mind, makes you feel fresh and helps you refocus on your task when you get back. Further, the sunshine is good for your skin and helps your eye muscles relax as well. So roll up the curtains and open up the windows. Or better yet, step outside the air-conditioned environs of your office and see for yourself. Remember, humans are after all creatures of nature – we work best when in the midst of it.