Distraction is a challenge for many people with today’s fast paced life, pressures to multitask, and the abundance of information coming from so many sources. Computers, mobile devices, the internet and social media are useful tools, but also contribute to an increasingly higher level of distraction. The more distracted we are, the harder it is to focus and achieve goals.

In our last post we talked about using visualization to think about what your day will look like and imagine yourself going through the tasks you want to complete. Another simple visualization tool that blogger Frank South calls the “goal clamp” helps strengthen your self awareness and ability to be positive by using your imagination to stay focused on your goals.

The way it works is to imagine a clamp (like a glue clamp, or any kind that works for your imagination) in the front of your brain. Then take your task and tighten it in your clamp. You start working on the task, and distractions start coming at you. South suggests imagining the distractions as a pile of cell phones in the back of your head, with all of their different ring tones going off trying to stop you from your task. You could visualize any image that you find particularly distracting; I like the cell phone image since it also has the sounds associated with it. What to do next? Don’t answer those phones! Let them ring (they can leave a message or call back later); use your imagination to look at your task in its clamp and stay with it until it is completed. By staying at it and repeatedly trying again if you aren’t successful, your goal clamp will get stronger.

I recently started using this technique and have found that even after just a few times of visualizing my task in a clamp (mine looks like the clamps I put my skis in for waxing; since I love to ski, this gives me a positive pleasurable image to help keep me on task) the volume of the phones ringing has gone down. When something other than the task in my clamp comes up and pulls at my attention, I visualize my goal in my bright red clamp; thinking about how much I enjoy skiing reminds me of how good it feels to complete what I’ve set out to do and achieve my goals.

In our next post we will share another tip for increasing focus. Do you have a visualization technique that helps you focus on your goals? We’d love to hear about it.