Tax Q & A for Small Business Owners
- May 14
- 9min read
Our world is filled with distractions, noises, and disarray from when we wake up in the morning, at the office, while commuting, and until we retire for a good night’s sleep. We often see days when time slips away like quicksand, and we haven’t done fruitful work. Just the mundane checking of emails, making a few calls, and attending a few zoom meetings would have consumed all the time and brought us to the end of the day! And, of course, how can we not mention the dozens of distractions from the digital and social apps throughout the day. We are always wishing for more time to maximize our efficiency at work. Have you ever felt the need to trim away all the unnecessary interaction distractions, entirely focus on your excellent work, and have a thoroughgoing productive day? Well, so have most of us, and to address this frustration, we have a few smart tips to help you get on track and focus on deep work with minimal distractions resulting in highly successful work days.
Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, says most distractions are ‘controllable’ external stimuli that can be eliminated by grand gestures, such as checking into a hotel room to work or quitting social media. The popular productivity app Trello endorses finding a place without people in your peripheral vision and investing in noise-canceling headphones. Steven Kotler, executive director of the Research Collective, a research and training organization, recommends 90- to 120-minute chunks of uninterrupted focus to maximize flow. Below are some tried and tested methods to achieve deep work:
1. Reorganize your day
Though this may sound very elementary, following a disciplined morning routine is imperative. Make a habit of waking up early and getting some exercise. In her bestselling book What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, author Laura Vanderkam says that starting the day right will make a massive difference to our productivity and mental wellbeing. Ensure you eat a healthy breakfast and maybe even complete a few chores to give you a lead on time. This practice sets you up for an energetic and ambitious day.
2. Don’t always expect isolation
While there’s no match to working in a quiet, isolated space, it is seldom possible. As Cal Newport has rightly stated, the “monastic philosophy of deep work” is just one approach – you can also set aside clusters of days for deep work or even plan a few hours here and there when they appear. Learn to adapt and be more flexible; this will always help you find and manage time better.
3. Strategize and prioritize to improve your efficiency
Like in any meaningful task or business, it is critical that you first gather yourself and think about the work at hand and what actions are more desirable. Edit the unwanted to be able to contribute better to your goal. Lastly, work towards the flawless execution of your plan.
Effective prioritizing is another critical point for achieving productivity. As Greg McKeown states in his bestselling book Essentialism, the way of the Essentialist involves doing less but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution. He recommends a “systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not so that we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that matter.” Only by investing your time and energy in the things that matter will you achieve anything significant.
4. Stay result-oriented
Having a laser focus on key goals helps you stay on track and focus only on matters directly associated with the end goal. You must cultivate the discipline to focus on your top two or three tasks and evade all distractions on the way. Know when to say “no,” decline invitations and delete unwanted emails.
These deep focus work tips will help you work smarter vs. harder, prioritize critical tasks and track your progress towards your goals. These practices will enable you to get more done in less time.
