Take the Productivity Quiz now!
Ever feel like your day disappears in a blur of distractions? You sit down to work, but within minutes, you’re checking your phone, switching between tabs, or getting pulled into yet another email. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone!
In this episode of Productivity with Zest, I’m diving into what I believe is my biggest productivity superpower: FOCUS. And the best part? It’s not something you’re born with, it’s a skill you can train.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why focus is more important than time management
✅ The surprising science behind attention residue and why multitasking actually makes you LESS productive
✅ The biggest focus-killers (notifications, task-switching, mental overload, and unclear priorities)
✅ My top strategies for building laser-sharp focus
✅ How to recover quickly when you lose focus (because let’s be real, we all do!).
Resources & Links Mentioned:
📥 Free Guide: How to Create a Productive Environment – Download it Here
🧠 Take the Productivity Superpower Quiz! Find out your strongest productivity strength (and what might be holding you back). Take the quiz now and take targeted action
📩 Email Me! Once you take the quiz, let me know your results at [email protected] I’d love to hear what resonates with you!
Listener Challenge!
This week, I challenge you to:
1️⃣ Identify your biggest focus-killer. Is it notifications, unclear priorities, task-switching, or mental overwhelm?
2️⃣ Try ONE focus-boosting strategy today. Whether it’s eating the frog, turning off notifications, or setting up a focus-friendly workspace—commit to making a small change!
3️⃣ Take the Productivity Quiz and send me your results! Can you guess what my weakest area is? (Hint: It’s one of these—procrastination, motivation, weekly planning, long-term planning & goals, focus, balance, prioritisation, or habits!)
Hey, let’s talk about FOCUS. You know, that magical state where you sit down to work, get completely in the zone, and actually finish things instead of jumping between emails, social media, and whatever random thought pops into your head.
Focus is not about working harder—it’s about working smarter. And the good news? It’s a skill you can train. Even if you feel like a goldfish when it comes to concentration, I promise, you can build laser-sharp focus.
So, put your phone on airplane mode, and have a read!
Picture this: You have a whole day ahead of you. Plenty of time to get things done. But instead of knocking out that important project, you find yourself:
✔️ Answering a “quick” email (which turns into 10)
✔️ Checking your phone notifications (because, why not?)
✔️ Googling something random (which somehow leads to an online shopping spree)
✔️ Realising it’s 3 PM and you haven’t done the ONE thing you needed to do today 😅
Sound familiar? The problem isn’t time—it’s focus.
A study from the University of California found that every time you get distracted, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully refocus. So if you’re constantly bouncing between tasks, no wonder your to-do list feels never-ending!
And I hate to break it to you, but multitasking? It’s a lie. Your brain is actually just switching tasks really fast, and every switch costs you valuable brainpower.
So, if you’re feeling busy but not productive, the culprit might not be your workload—it might be your lack of focus. But don’t worry, I’ve got you.
Let’s be real. If we want to focus better, we need to first understand what’s breaking our focus in the first place. Here are the biggest offenders:
Your phone, emails, Slack messages, and Instagram alerts? They are stealing your attention—one tiny ping at a time. If your phone lights up, even if you don’t check it, part of your brain is already gone thinking about what that message might be.
👉 Fix it: Turn off notifications. Seriously. Try “Do Not Disturb” mode for deep work, and watch your focus skyrocket.
Ever start writing an email, then remember a task, then check your calendar, then answer a text, and suddenly you’ve done everything except the actual thing you sat down to do? Yeah, me too.
👉 Fix it: Time-block your day. Give each task its own time slot instead of jumping between five things at once.
If your brain feels like 127 browser tabs are open at the same time, focusing is HARD. You’re trying to remember work tasks, life admin, what’s for dinner, and whether you actually sent that birthday card… it’s too much!
👉 Fix it: Get it out of your head. Keep a “brain dump” list where you jot things down instead of trying to remember everything.
Okay, we’ve tackled the focus-killers. Now, let’s build up that focus muscle! These are my go-to strategies:
This is all about doing your most important (or hardest) task first—before distractions creep in. When you start the day by getting that big thing done, everything else feels easier.
Ever tried working in 25-minute sprints with 5-minute breaks? It tricks your brain into staying engaged because you know a break is coming. It’s also great if your brain wants to wander—just remind yourself you only have to focus for 25 minutes.
This one is life-changing. Instead of reacting to your inbox all day, schedule your deep work sessions like actual meetings. Block out time for focus work, and guard it like your life depends on it.
Listen, I know it’s hard to put your phone on silent, but trust me—your focus will thank you. Be intentional about when and how you check messages. Your future self will love you for it.
Your environment matters! Clear the clutter, use noise-canceling headphones, or even light a candle to signal to your brain: It’s time to focus. I personally love playing lo-fi beats or classical music when I really need to concentrate.
Okay, so focus might be mine, but what’s yours? Maybe you’re great at prioritisation, breaking down big goals, or keeping a work-life balance.
If you’re not sure, I’ve got something fun for you! Take my Productivity Superpower Quiz to find out what you’re naturally best at (plus, get tips to level up your weaknesses!).
Once you take it, email me at [email protected] and tell me your results—I love hearing what resonates with you!
Alright, time for action! Here’s your challenge:
1️⃣ Identify your biggest focus-killer – Is it notifications, task-switching, or mental overload?
2️⃣ Pick ONE focus-boosting strategy – Try “eating the frog,” time-blocking, or a Pomodoro sprint today.
3️⃣ Take the Productivity Quiz – Discover your superpower and let me know what it is!
You in? Drop me a message and tell me which strategy you’re trying first! And if this blog helped you, send it to a friend who needs a little focus boost.
Happy focusing! You’ve got this.
Speaker 1:
Hey everyone, welcome back to Productivity with Zest. I am so glad you’re here. Today. We’re talking about something that has completely transformed my productivity, and that is focus. I truly believe that focus is my superpower. It’s not that I do more than everyone else, it’s that when I work, I’m fully in it. Well of the time anyway, I’m not half-hearted, I’m not half-distracted, and let me tell you, it makes all the difference.
Speaker 1:
But I wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I would sit down to work and within minutes, I’d check my phone or I’d start one task, then suddenly remember an email I needed to reply to, or find myself going down a rabbit hole of research maybe just procrastination in disguise. Any of that sound familiar? So here’s my question for you how often do you sit down to work only to find yourself distracted within minutes? How much of your day is actually deep, focused work versus just being busy? If your answer is not as much as I’d like, then you’re not alone, and here’s the good news. Focus is not something you either have or don’t have. It is a trainable skill, and today I’m going to show you exactly how to start building it. So grab your cup of tea, put your phone on aeroplane mode and let’s focus on this. What if I told you that focus is more important than time management? Think about it you could have eight hours in your working day, but if you’re only giving half of your attention to each task, how much are you actually accomplishing? On the flip side, someone with just three hours of deep, uninterrupted work can achieve far more than someone who’s multitasking for 10. And trust me, I know what happens when you try to do too many big things at once.
Speaker 1:
When I launched this podcast last year, I decided and brilliantly, I might add to also start a drastic new food plan at the same time, and let’s just say it did not go well. I remember sitting there staring at my notes for the first episode, trying to craft that perfect introduction, whilst also eating a raw brussels sprout salad. I’m going to repeat that a raw brussels sprout salad. My teeth feel sore just thinking about chewing those raw brussel sprouts again. And in that moment I had this wave of realisation what am I doing? I had no energy, no creative spark and, honestly, no will to continue eating that ridiculous salad. Because here’s the thing you cannot successfully focus on two big things at once. Something always suffers. Thankfully, you can see which of the big things I decided to focus on in the end.
Speaker 1:
And the science backs this up. Here’s why Because every time you switch tasks, your brain experiences something called attention residue. This means that part of your brain is still thinking about the last thing you were doing. Residue this means that part of your brain is still thinking about the last thing you were doing, making it harder to focus fully on the next task. A study from the University of California found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully regain focus after being interrupted. That means that every time you check your phone, glance at an email or switch between tasks, you’re losing almost half an hour of productivity. And I’m going to say something that may. Time you check your phone, glance at an email or switch between tasks, you’re losing almost half an hour of productivity. And I’m going to say something that may shock you Multitasking doesn’t actually exist.
Speaker 1:
Your brain isn’t multitasking, it’s task switching. It’s making you less efficient. So if you often feel busy but not productive, it might be not about time. It might be about focus. If focus is so powerful, why do we struggle with it so much? Here are some of the biggest focus killers.
Speaker 1:
Number one notifications and distractions. Your phone, email, slack, social media they’re all designed to steal your attention and they do it all so well. Every time you hear that ping or feel that notification, your attention is pulled away. And it’s even worse if they’re coming through to your watch. Even if you try to stay focused on the meeting you’re in, the project you’re doing, some of your brain will have moved away and it will take you time to pull back. Another killer is having a lack of clear priorities. If you don’t know what’s most important, your brain will jump to the easiest task. Using our brain takes lots of energy and it will naturally go to what is easiest and takes the least amount of energy.
Speaker 1:
Number three is task switching overload. Every time you jump from one thing to another, you’re losing efficiency. Every time you jump from one thing to another, you’re losing efficiency. Do you find that you jump around different tasks? One minute finishing an email, then doing a few minutes on a proposal, then quickly making a call, then writing down an idea. All that switching is such a killer for focus and it’s like swimming through treacle for your brain. It is slow going.
Speaker 1:
And the last one here is mental overwhelm. When your brain is juggling too many open loops, it’s hard to focus on just one. You’re holding that information in your head that you need for a meeting this afternoon and the to-do list for what needs sorting for the kids school and what is for dinner, and you know you need to talk to that colleague about that thing and you just need to send that email. That’s half done. It’s exhausting to hear and even more exhausting to live. So which one of those feels most true for you right now? Is it your notifications and distractions, not knowing your priorities, task switching, trying to multitask, or that pure mental overwhelm? So to make focus your superpower, we need to talk solutions. How do you actually build that focus? I really believe that you can grow this superpower and train your brain, no matter how unfocused you feel right now. If you do this work and create this habit of focus, you will feel so much more in control and so much more productive. You will feel calmer and totally on it.
Speaker 1:
Here are my favourite strategies and you will have heard these before. They’re not new, they’re not complicated, but doing them regularly builds this focus. Muscle Number one is eat the frog. Do the hardest or most important task first, before distractions creep in. This is especially good for you if you highlighted that not knowing your priorities is your focus killer. If you can outline your priority in advance, you are ready to focus and get it done. Number two is the Pomodoro technique. Work for 25 minutes, take a five minute break. It tricks your brain into staying engaged and this helps if you have that mental overwhelm, if you thought that that was your biggest productivity killer, your brain may want to think about other things. But keep practicing bringing it back to the task at hand and you will learn to get into that flow quickly. And when you’re in that flow, it is oh so sweet. Number three is time blocking. Schedule deep work sessions in your calendar just like you would a meeting. This really helps if your tendency is to task switch. It forces you to focus on one thing at once.
Speaker 1:
Number four turn off notifications. Your phone is designed to interrupt you. Put it on, do not disturb and take back that control. Be intentional about the notifications you allow through at all times. I only let text messages which is literally my husband and occasionally my dad and phone calls come through, and I often put my phone on. Do not disturb Things like WhatsApp or emails. I check when I want to and I don’t have notifications on my watch. I still find it really difficult when I’m in a conversation with someone or a meeting and they get that buzz on their wrist and look down I can see that they’re distracted. I don’t even have a smartwatch at the moment, but I do miss some of the stats. I know I am powerless to not be distracted if I get the notifications, so I protect myself and I just remove them altogether. If you think that notifications are your biggest focus killer, then this is a great thing to spend some time thinking about deciding what your own personal rules are for how and when you allow yourself to be interrupted.
Speaker 1:
And number five is a tip that we can all do. This is to create a focus-friendly environment. Reduce the clutter, use noise-cancelling headphones. Find a work spot that helps you to zone in. Personally, I find lighting a candle and playing music without lyrics, like something classical or some lo-fi beats, really help me when I want to tune in and focus. I have a free guide I have made about creating a productive work environment and if you head to zestproductivitycom forward slash episode 19, you’ll be able to download it.
Speaker 1:
So over to you. Which of these strategies will you try first? And notice. I said, will you try first, not which strategy do you want to try, which will you try and when will you try it? Commit to trying one today or tomorrow, if you can. So what about if you lose focus and want to get back on track? I’m not perfect and we know that that doesn’t exist, don’t we? After last week’s episode, I get distracted, we all get distracted. The key is knowing how to recover quickly. Here’s what to do when your focus slips, and the key is catching it as quickly as you can.
Speaker 1:
Two steps. Number one pause and reset. If you’ve spotted yourself spiralling into distractions, take that deep breath, shut your eyes and just ask yourself what was I doing and what’s the next small step I need to take? Put down the phone, put it at the other side of the room, if needs be. Pause, reset. Number two deploy the five minute rule. If the task that you’re doing feels overwhelming, commit to just doing it for five minutes. Most of the time, you’ll just keep going. So two steps. Number one most of the time you’ll just keep going. So two steps. Number one pause and reset. Number two deploy the five minute rule.
Speaker 1:
Focus might be my productivity superpower, but I wondered what your productivity superpower is, because we’ve all got unique strengths when it comes to getting things done, and I want you to think about this. What is your natural productivity strength? You could have nailed work-life balance or be so so, so good at prioritization. You could be amazing at breaking down and achieving your big goals or planning your week. If you’re not sure what your productivity superpower is, I’ve got something for you, which is my productivity quiz. This quiz will help you identify your strengths so you can work with your natural tendencies rather than against them. I wonder if focus is also your power. This quiz will also highlight any areas that could be holding you back, plus give you some action points to work on these areas. Head to zestproductivitycom, forward slash quiz and take the quiz. It only takes a couple of minutes to do online and I’ll guarantee you’ll have an aha moment. And once you know your superpower, email me, jasmine, at zestproductivitycom, and let me know what it is that’s, jasmine with an E. I love hearing what resonates with you.
Speaker 1:
So my challenge for you this week, guys, if you’re up for it, is number one identify your biggest focus. Killer Awareness is that first step? Is it notifications and distractions, not knowing your priorities, task switching and trying to multitask, or that pure mental overwhelm? Number two try at least one of the strategies we talked about today Eating the frog, the Pomodoro technique, time blocking or reviewing your notifications, or creating that focused environment to work. And number three take my productivity quiz at zestproductivitycom forward slash quiz and send me your results.
Speaker 1:
I really want to know what your productivity superpower is. You know mine. Can you guess what my weakest area is? The options are procrastination, motivation, weekly planning, long-term planning and goals, focus, balance, prioritization or habits. What do you think yours will be? If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with a friend who needs a little help with focus. And don’t forget to tune in. Next week I’m going to be showing you how to experiment with productivity strategies to find out what works for you. Until then, keep working on that habit of focus and I’ll see you next time.
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