3 Steps To Getting Focused

In the past week, I completed a large project with a local primary school - to train their P5s for the upcoming Science Olympiad. It took 4 days of 4 hours each and I felt it  to be a little too intense for them. I realised that many of the participants didn't have enough prior knowledge to complete a large percentage of the test questions so I had to bring them up to speed in as little time as possible. 4 years' worth of Science education in 4 days of 4 hours? Well, we tried.

A glaring oversight was that the Primary students of today are getting less and less able to remain attentive for long periods of time. It was immensely difficult for them to sit still for the time of each session, let alone focus long enough to absorb the information.

Gratifyingly, though, I noticed that there were a few who could.

Perhaps all is not yet lost to touchscreens and other devices for instant gratification, including those incredibly annoying 'fidget spinners'.

If you're thinking of getting one such 'spinner' for your child or someone else's child, please don't. They really don't need another distraction. Instead, they need to learn to focus on their tasks at hand.

Focusing is difficult even for adults, what with the myriad distractions around us. As such, I've found it very useful to do a few things to help me focus:

1) Have a dedicated work space and work routine

This means setting a specific part of your desk to do work at. Use that space for nothing else but work. When you want to take a break, move out of that space so you don't end up mixing its use. It sounds like a lot of bother but, being creatures of habit, it will really help once you get this going.

If you're the nomadic type, like me, then you need to set up a strong work routine, since your work space will keep changing. Still, try to keep one such space at home, if possible.

For your routine, once you fire up the laptop, you immediately open a document file (or PowerPoint or Excel file, whatever you're working on) before you start trying to connect to the Wi-Fi, which will likely lead you to waste time doing endless searches on Google or some other site. 

If you prefer to write, start writing the date once you crack open your notebook / organiser.

2) Record EVERYTHING down

I create a 7 Day Plan for myself, in Excel format, in which I have the things I need to do each day already typed out. It doubles as my secondary calendar of events, because I can occasionally lose track of things.

I also keep a notepad-type app on the home screen of my mobile phone. On it, there is a To-do List that I check at certain intervals every day. Any time I think of something that needs doing, in it goes. Every time something gets done, it gets ticked off (and removed).

By having all these things down and ready for the days ahead, I don't have to waste space in my mind on remembering where I need to be tomorrow or what I need to get done later.

3) Announce your focused time slots

Let people around you know not to bother you at specified time slots. These will be the periods during which you do what you have to do.

This may be difficult in an office environment or if you work from home but try anyway. Once others know you have a routine set up, they will learn to respect your time and you will find fewer distractions.

You may even find your co-workers or family reminding you that you need to get work done when your time slot nears.

Last Night, I Learned How To Create Videos for Udemy and How To Write More Effectively

After 2 months of absenteeism, I finally managed to attend another APTS Meeting last night.

The speakers were Andy Ng, who spoke on producing Udemy videos for (nearly) free, and Walter Lim, who spoke on writing to get leads.

Andy showed us that, with the right equipment and know-how, it wasn't that difficult to produce an online course that could meet Udemy's standards. All we needed was a camera (on a mobile device), a camera stand (with an appropriate head), a video-editing app like VideoShow, PowerPoint installed on the same mobile device, a bluetooth headpiece with a mic, and content that we wanted to turn into a course. Easy peasy!

Of course, it wouldn't be too difficult to get better equipment if we are so inclined but Andy was insistent that there was no need. The most expensive bit of equipment was the bluetooth headpiece, which should be tested for high sound quality before buying.

Andy showed us how the apps he used worked and he showed us some of his finished videos, encouraging us to do the same. Of course, they aren't as polished-looking as 'professional' videos, but they certainly cost a lot less and still get the job done.

One thing that bothered me was Andy's speaking style, which was a little too opinionated for me and he had a tendency to go off-tangent. Also, there were a few times when he spoke rather condescendingly about other trainers who charged fees for helping others to put up Udemy videos. Perhaps he was trying to insert some humour into his presentation. However, I feel that he missed the mark and has, regrettably, adversely affected my impression of him.

Nevertheless, I won't associate a person's manner with the knowledge he has. If the information is useful, it should still be accepted and acted upon as it is.

Our second speaker was Walter Lim.

He told us that he wrote for a living and had been doing so for a very long time. His company name is Cooler Insights and they work with their clients to produce social media content and to direct traffic to their sites.

Being quite an writing expert, he emphasised the importance of an eye-catching visual, a powerful headline and a strong lead-in for any writing that we do. This is especially important for long articles and blog posts.

He also showed us the importance of incorporating appeals to Search and Social functions when we write and he also gave us links to useful tools and resources online such as Google Trends, SEMrush, Buzzsumo to look up trends and Freepik, Pixabay and Unsplash for visuals.

It's a lot to take in all at once but I'll certainly be putting Walter's advice to write regularly and consciously to practice.

Thanks, Walter.

Guess Who's Back!

Many apologies for the long absence. Major events have been occurring and I just got back from Taiwan after my honeymoon.

Yes, in the month or so since my last post, I'm blissfully married, had a number of photoshoots and been to Taiwan - Taipei and Hualien - on honeymoon.

So many thoughts to organise, so many things to express. It'll likely take a few posts but I'm confident that I'll be able to put it all together.

In the meantime, I hope you and yours are well. 

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days ahead!

Yes, that's a motorcycle coming towards me!

Flu Season

Been down with a pretty bad bout of flu the past couple of weeks and it got pretty bad around the time I had a back-to-back sessions in schools. 

It gets really difficult to teach when you're coughing constantly and are in real danger of losing your voice.

In a few cases, I had to cut down on explanations because there was simply no way of getting more than a few sentences out before the coughing began.

Now that I'm better, I'm going to be even more mindful than ever about taking care of my health and my vocals. Since I am dependent on speaking to earn an income, it is imperative that I be able to speak.

So, in the coming months, more rest, more water, less unhealthy food.

Need to be back in top form!