5 Mantras to Help You Find Your Focus

As the holiday season gears up, our focus gets divided among many things: Finishing up everything you need to do before the new year, holiday shopping, goal setting, etc.

It's easy to feel frazzled this time of year, and you're definitely not alone if your focus is on the fritz.

One of the tried-and-true ways to resurrect that feeling of control and mindfulness: harnessing the power of a mantra.

One of the tried-and-true ways to resurrect that feeling of control and mindfulness: harnessing the power of a mantra.

These mantras below were inspired by Nir Eyal, author of the book Indistractible: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life and an expert on habit-forming technology.

His wisdom in his 2018 Habit Summit talk has helped us harness our focus before, so we remixed it into mantras to help you continue to find your focus—especially during busy periods of your life.

Below are five mantras that can help you get centered whatever season you may be in.

Repeat them as many times as you want, write them down, whisper them to yourself, or use them as reflection points.

1. I have the power to focus.

“Psychologists tell us that the number one determinant of whether someone changes their behavior is their belief in their own power to do so,” Eyal says in his talk. “We all have the power to manage distraction, and we can all become indistractable.”

Yup, that means you. Harness that power by reminding yourself of it whenever times feel tough.

2. I decide if a distraction serves me or not.

Eyal says if an external trigger (like a noise or a new text message—something outside of yourself that gets you distracted) leads you astray, it's time to question it.

Next time you get distracted by an external trigger, ask yourself: Is this distraction serving me, or am I serving it?

3. My boundaries can help me focus.

Eyal talks about a simple tool that helps him stave off distraction: managing his environment.

Think: How can you adjust the boundaries you set in your life to help you stay focused? Maybe it's letting co-workers know that when your headphones are on, that means it's probably not a good time to interrupt you. Or: Heading to a separate space if your family is getting too loud in the main room of the house.

4. I can be kind to myself when I lose focus.

If you treat yourself with compassion instead of shame, there's nothing you can't do. “Studies have shown us that people who are more self-compassionate are more likely to reach their long-term goals,” Eyal says.

Repeat this mantra the next time you get mad at yourself for losing focus. We all lose our focus, and what matters most is how you kindly steer yourself back.

5. My focus is a muscle, and I can strengthen it with time and practice.

Developing your focus takes time, but you can practice it every day, even with the smallest steps.

By being mindful of what gets you in the zone and identifying what you need to prioritize, you're well on your way to ritualizing a focus routine. Just take things one stp at a time while you build up your focus muscle.