When you are busy working toward a long term goal do you find it difficult to maintain your focus? Does it seem like your life requires you to play so many different roles that it is almost impossible to stay focused on any one project for very long?

When our attention gets spread too thin it can be challenging to stay motivated over the long run. Projects that we are passionate about keep getting shoved into the background and end up taking much, much longer that we thought they would.

How can we maintain our enthusiasm and keep our focus with so many distractions? What steps can we take to regain some control of our schedule? How can we bring a greater sense of joy into our daily routine?

11 tips for getting more enjoyment out of every day

1. Value simplicity. The simpler things are the less distracted we will be. This means we need to de-clutter our environment and our minds.  For some reason we seem to accumulate physical, mental, and emotional clutter. So we end up rushing from one demanding situation to another with no real feeling of accomplishment. To quiet our minds and restore a sense of order to our lives we need to value simplicity.

2. Experience your activities. How often are you doing one thing and thinking about another? How can we find enjoyment in anything if our focus is somewhere else? If we never take the time to actually be in the moment then can we say that we are really living our life? Even the most mundane activities can be enjoyable if we stay centered on the actual experience. In this over stimulated, out of balance and hectic world, simple activities fully experienced can be enjoyable if we let them.

3. Savor the little things. The next time you eat a piece of fruit or enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, simply enjoy it. Wrap your senses around it and savor the experience. When we gulp down our food and rush off to whatever comes next, we are actually robbing ourselves of pleasure. Our senses of smell and taste are connected to our brains pleasure center. When you savor what goes into your body you tend to eat less and enjoy it more.

4. Add variety to your routine. Don’t be afraid to try something new. It could be something as simple as taking a different route to get to work or as complex as learning to play a musical instrument. Instead of turning on the television  after dinner, try going for a walk in the evening air. Right now is an excellent time to do something you’ve always wanted to do, but have never gotten around to because someday may never come.

5. Make time for what you love. If all we ever did was work on and attend to our obligations it could become difficult to keep finding joy in our day-to-day experience. It’s important to take care of our responsibilities, but we should also try to balance the “need to do” activities with a few things we really want to do. If we never make the time to do things we are excited about, we could easily start resenting our lives. That’s why it is important to make time every day for the things we really enjoy.

6. Drop unnecessary commitments. Just as we need to make time for doing things we love, we also need to work toward minimizing the things that just consume time and energy with no real payoff. Granted, some things simply aren’t negotiable, but other so-called obligations aren’t really necessary. For each commitment ask yourself if this is something that’s really adding to your life. Is it enhancing your life, or is it just adding more stress? If it doesn’t add any positive benefit, drop it.

7. Focus on what matters. There is productivity and there is busy work. Sometimes it can be difficult to recognize the difference because it varies for each of us. Here’s an example: For someone whose livelihood comes from social media marketing, spending time on sites like Twitter and Facebook might represent productivity. For others however, anything more than 5-10 minutes on those sites might just be a distraction from what really matters. It’s up to each of us to analyze our own situation and apportion our time accordingly.

8. Learn to just let go. When it comes to relaxation the body follows the mind. If your mind is busy obsessing over all the things that didn’t get done today, then you are not relaxed. Your body can only experience relaxation if your mind has let go of anything and everything that causes stress, worry, or anxiety. You will enjoy your life a lot more if you take some time every day to practice letting go.

9. Embrace generosity. There are almost endless opportunities to contribute to the lives of others. Any act of kindness is an act of generosity. Smile at strangers, hold the door open for the person behind you, listen while someone else is talking, and be respectful. These simple acts of kindness don’t cost you anything, but they add enjoyment to your life and the lives of those around you.

10. Do a daily gratitude review. Focusing on gratitude will change your life on every level. It is so easy to get caught up in selfish pursuits and forget how much there is to be grateful for. Gratitude is the antidote for selfishness. If you take a minute every morning and every evening to review your blessings, you will start to notice more and more things to be grateful for. Of all the ways to get more enjoyment out of every day, this is the simplest and the most powerful. If you only put one thing from this list into action in your life, this should be it.

11. Examine your priorities. Life is an ever changing experience and that means that we need to reevaluate our priorities on a regular basis. Make sure you know what is truly important to you, and why. Give your top priorities first place in your life or they will get swallowed up by everything else. Everyone you know probably has an opinion about what should be important to you. Keep in mind that this is your life and you need to set your own priorities. Choose wisely and you too will find enjoyment in your every day life.

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What challenges are you currently stressing over? Is it financial problems, weight issues, depression, or a lack of energy? Could it be self-esteem or relationship problems?

Those are truly legitimate concerns, but did you ever consider that many of those issues may actually be symptoms of a less obvious problem?

What could this hidden problem be?

Underlying and contributing to these other problems, an epidemic of chronic boredom is draining the joy out of the lives of millions of people these days.

It’s affecting them emotionally, physically and financially. It’s robbing them of their happiness, and taking a big toll on the quality if their lives and relationships.

I am not talking about the kind of boredom that comes from not having anything to do. We all have plenty to do! In fact, having too much to do might be a contributor.

Can you be extremely busy and still be bored?

Yes, you certainly can, because boredom comes from not having anything to do that gets you truly excited and fills you with joyful anticipation. In other words, boredom happens when you are unable to do the things you really long to do! It is actually a byproduct of feeling discontent and unfulfilled.

How about you, are you bored, confused or dissatisfied with your life? The sad truth is, most people are bored out of their minds!

Why? Because, from the time they get out of bed in the morning, until the time they climb back into bed at night, nothing fun or exciting ever happens. There is nothing for them to look forward to. No reason to feel totally jazzed about their day. No sense of eager anticipation.

It’s the same old breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s the same boring shallow conversations about the weather or the news, with the same old boring people. Multiply this by 7 days a week, times 52 weeks a year, and what do you get? You get a bland, boring, lifeless, soul sucking existence!

7 ways to beat the boredom blues

1) How about a vacation? A really nice vacation can break the monotony, and get you feeling all fired up and excited. Vacations are a great idea, and I think it is extremely beneficial to take them regularly. But you can only take so many vacations, and their effect will only last so long. Then it’s back to the same old grind.

Still, they do help, so let’s categorize vacations a partial solution. What else can we do to breathe some pleasurable balance into our routine?

2) Complimentary activities. Here’s what I mean by that. If your work is mostly sedentary, then a you need to compliment it with some physical activities to balance things out. Take a walk during your lunch break. This will give you a change of scenery in addition to some increased circulation. Join a gym and stop there on your way to or from work for an hour or so. Go walking with your favorite person after work to unwind and communicate. It doesn’t really matter how you do it, just find a way to move your body.

What if your job is physically demanding? Then balance dictates some kind of restorative activity. This doesn’t mean you should exclude anything physical, but try to avoid activities that are too demanding. There are plenty of passive pass times that will leave you feeling refreshed.

3) Quiet reflection. Everyone, regardless of their lifestyle, should spend some amount of time each day in quiet reflection. I like the early mornings before things really get rolling. This is not a time for high powered thinking. It is a time for feeling peacefully aware. I purposely keep my mind quite and allow thoughts to drift in and out without getting overly engaged.

Learning to quiet our mind while still being alert is extremely restful. The mind will be running at full speed soon enough. I try for a state in which the mind and body are fully integrated and peacefully in sync. Making it a habit to do this for 10-15 minutes a day can have a profound effect on the way you perceive your life.

4) Get a hobby. Find something to do that has no connection with the rest of your life. Something you do for one reason only – enjoyment. You don’t need a practical reason for everything you do, practice doing something just because you enjoy it. Hobbies are like vacations from the structured part of your life, so don’t pollute them with ulterior motives. There purpose is enjoyment, pure and simple.

My hobby is Japanese Bonsai trees. The first time I was exposed to the art of Bonsai, I was instantly, and passionately hooked. I have enjoyed potting, pruning, shaping and caring for them ever since. Why? No logical reason, I don’t analyze it, I just enjoy it. Find something that works for you, and set aside some time to indulge yourself.

5) Day or weekend trips. Big ticket vacations are great, but so are little mini escapes. Even if you love your work, you still need to separate yourself from it on a regular basis. Do it for the people you love, even if don’t feel the need personally. I love what I do, but my wife likes to have me to herself from time to time. Don’t loose touch with ‘who you are’ away from what you do. A meaningful life is a balanced life. Design periodic ‘away days’ and you will accomplish more and keep everyone much happier in the process.

6) Explore new career options. If you don’t really like what you do, explore other options. Technology has opened many new windows of opportunity. You have options available that you are probably not even aware of. Do some research in a field that interests you, and don’t be afraid to explore new possibilities. There are people earning fantastic incomes, working from their home, with nothing more than a creative idea and a keyboard. You are only limited by your imagination.

If you discover something that gets you excited, ease into it a little at a time, to see if it’s a good fit. When you have a real grasp on what is required, create a plan that will help you make the transition in a realistic way. You are not stuck where you are, unless you want to be.

7) ***Learn to view your current activities in a positive way. This one is about attitude, and let’s face, life is about 90% attitude. If you are feeling bored or dissatisfied with any aspect of your current life, maybe it’s time to reevaluate. Let’s say that it is your job that you are unhappy with. I suggest that you make two lists.

One list will include all the things you don’t like about your job. How do you feel about the people, pay scale, responsibilities, hours, appreciation level, and anything else that comes to mind. If it bothers you, list it.

On the other list, write down everything you do like about your job. No matter how small or insignificant it might seem, if it is something positive, write it down. Now here’s the thing about this list, don’t stop until you find at least 30 things that you like about your job. That might sound impossible, but take your time and be creative. If you run out of things to list, take a break and then come back to it.

When you are done with the second list, go back to the first one, and ask yourself this question about every single negative thing you listed: “How have I contributed to this negative feeling?” If you are honest with yourself, your answers will probably surprise you. Remember, attitude is a huge part of perception.

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