We live in a world that’s like a pressure cooker that’s filled with commitments, deadlines, heavy work loads and a myriad of other distractions clamoring for our constant attention. This never-ending assault on our senses has made stress the 21st century’s silent killer.

More diseases, suicides, mental health problems and anxiety issues have been attributed to stress than any other cause. With the advent of technology and the pervasive intrusion of social media notifications, this problem has been exacerbated and millions of people are depressed, unhappy or on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

One of the best habits you can adopt is the habit of focus. But where do you start?

• Eliminate the unnecessary

What you do not do is just as important as what you do. For example, if watching the news or scrolling on social media stresses you out, it’s best to eliminate these activities from your life.

The more distractions you eliminate from your life, the more focus and mental energy you will have. Every morning when you wake up, you have a finite amount of energy. The only way to lead a productive and rewarding life will be to expend your precious energy on matters that will improve your life. Everything else is just noise.

• Avoid multitasking

Some people believe that multitasking is a skill. Nothing could be further from the truth. Multitasking robs you of the ability to focus on any task for a prolonged period of time. Instead, it makes you feel busy while you’re frantically juggling several different tasks that are in most cases pointless to begin with.

Focus on the work that moves the needle first. Everything else can come later or be delegated. Do what matters when it matters and you’ll not have to deal with the mental burden of knowing that there’s important work to complete but you’ve not gotten to it yet.

• Mental health benefits

For starters, being focused helps you to be more productive. You’ll be less likely to procrastinate and start panicking when you’ve a ton of work to do to meet the deadline.

Ideally, when you’re focused on your work, it’s best to do so in a quiet place. Some people may benefit by placing their phone in another room or locking it in a drawer just so they’re not tempted to check their notifications.

When you practice focus in this manner, your work quality improves by leaps and bounds. You’ll be training your mind to focus on one task to completion. This will translate to less stress and better output.

Over time, your ability to focus will become a habit and you’ll gain momentum. No longer will you be behind the 8 ball always struggling to catch up with your work and other life commitments.

There are many books on productivity, time management and kaizen. Do pick up a few of these and apply the principles they teach you. Application is crucial to turning focus into a habit.

With time, you’ll feel motivated to start your day and you’ll not be a bundle of stress in human form. You’ll have peace of mind and feel better.