I was sharing coffee and cake the other morning with a group of women in a delightful garden the other morning. A time well spent I think, but you might not.

Anyway we got onto the vexed subject of time and the lack of it. Despite some laughter about time management one could sense the high level of regret and disappointment that goals weren’t being achieved.

Then one of the women who had trained as a ballet dancer said that maintaining focus was the key. When she was training she explained, her tutors insisted on absolute attention to the dance. The skill remained with her and in her new craft-related career it serves her well.

Here’s the tip - if you can train yourself to focus on the task in hand you will find that less time is wasted. Your brain works far better with a single focus of attention. You will get more done in less time because you’re not causing your mind to pay attention elsewhere and then having to pick up where you left off.

You can do this by setting a mental intention of what you would like to happen, or what you expect as a result before you start something. If you just spent a few seconds or moments mentally setting this up before each job or task you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes.

Also using your breathing to slow yourself down and focus will help. So if you notice that your mind is racing or getting distracted stop and sigh. That is let out some air and then breath slowly. This will help anchor you and bring you back to here and now time.

We have so many demands on our attention nowadays it is little wonder that we feel fuzzy headed and swamped. Also that we have trouble sleeping. We just don’t know how to switch off from the constant checking on gizmos, screens and perceived demands on our time or attention.

Try this simple exercise for a while and please let me know how you get on.