Being focused on what you’re doing helps you do good work. And it’s fun to sink deep into a project.

If you’re feeling a little scattered, here are 5 Buddhist tips for meditation that also help with concentration.

Pay attention to where you’re working
If you’re trying to do serious work in a noisy, active place – good luck! When you need to focus, give yourself the best shot possible by finding or creating a calm, quiet place with few distractions. You may think you can concentrate amidst chaos, but give quiet a chance and see how much it improves both the amount and quality of your output.

Be satisfied with what you have
If you feel like you’re in a constant race to do more, make more, and be more, it may be time to take a breath and assess what you already have. Is it enough? Do you have to get the 1000th project done? Can something come off your list to make your life a little simpler?

Refrain from activities that waste your time
If you did a time audit to track how you spend your time over the course of a week, how much fluff would you find? Are you spending time on things you like to do that bring you joy? Everything we do isn’t joyous, but where you have choices, are you doing work or play things that add to your energy?

Practice pure ethics
When we do stuff we don’t feel great about, it eats at us and is a big energy drain. Where you have a choice, go high. Do the right thing. Be kind. Don’t gossip. You know. The good habits 🙂

Practice
If you’ve felt scattered for a while, don’t be discouraged if you try to be more focused and can’t do it. Habits take time. And skills take time! Be kind to yourself. Always. No exceptions.

A cool way to practice keeping your focus is to meditate. When you learn to sit calmly with a still mind, you can apply that feeling anytime, anywhere. Even 5 minutes a day of quiet time can help you focus on what matters most to you, to take a breath, and do your best work.

Sending you seeds of peace from the rocky coast of Maine. Our photo delight today comes from good friend Tracy Carroll. This is sunset at a little cove down the street from us. Oh, my!

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I welcome your thoughts and suggestions for future posts!