If you’re increasingly finding it difficult to immerse yourself in uninterrupted work, you are not alone. As technology abounds, distractions at work, home and leisure lure us away 24/7 from intense and meaningful engagement.

But in a recent Fast Company article, Georgetown Professor Cal Newport explains why focusing on deep and demanding tasks is critical for producing value and building the skills that promote success.

Bouncing around from task to task actually deteriorates the muscle that allows us to focus, Newport says, and the more we multitask, the less comfortable we are with going deep for extended periods of time. In fact, multitasking is addictive as well as damaging, he writes in his new book, “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.”

“It’s deep tasks that produce the value and build the skills that get you promoted,” he says.

While multitasking was once thought to be the skill we needed to master to get ahead, thought leaders today laud the “attention economy,” in which the ability to maintain focus and concentration are as important to workplace wins as technical or management skills.

So what do successful business leaders do to be both focused and productive?

• Be Mindful
  Training our brains to focus better is called mindfulness, and by practicing it throughout the workday successful leaders achieve enhanced focus and awareness in both work and life. Mindfulness begins even before getting out of bed and continues throughout the day with focus on breathing and minimization of distractions.
  
  
• Focus on Long Term Goals
  Effective leaders have clear goals and a vision for the long-term achievements they desire. They focus on what matters and apply their efforts accordingly.
  
  
• Set Daily Goals
  Not only do high achievers plan their days by listing to-dos and appointments, they set goals for what they want to accomplish in each project and meeting.
  
  
• Face Undesirable Tasks
  “Eating a frog” means doing the one task first that is both urgent and undesirable. By eating a frog first thing in the morning, efficient leaders accomplish the most important task and move ahead forcefully into the rest of the day.
  
  
• Overcome Procrastination
  Overcoming procrastination, essential for high performance, ties in with eating the frog. When successful people face their most urgent tasks, they tackle them without hesitation and let go of the perfectionism that gets in the way of completing big projects.

Highly productive people internalize and act upon deep concentration in challenging tasks. They leave gaps in their schedules to ensure both ‘thinking time’ and productivity. Ultimately they know that whatever leftover time they might have will be used wisely.

Every one of us gets the same 24 hours each day, but some manage to pack in more productivity in one day than the rest of us. How do they do it?

Volumes have been written about productivity, which drives profit for businesses and contributes to self-worth for individuals. In a nutshell, it comes down to two things: organization and communication. Try these 10 tips to boost your output with little extra effort.

1. Minimizing complexity. Needlessly complex regulations, forms and bureaucracy contribute wasted time and energy – and frustrate the people you work with. Delegate less-important tasks, eliminate responsibilities that aren’t profitable, and focus on the work that generates results. Keep it simple.
2. Get it in writing. We know that keeping lists, organizing projects and breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps are all great ways to meet deadlines. Using an app or computer program that tracks our obligations ensures we keep on target. I like Basecamp for keeping up with clients, projects and deadlines.
3. Take a deep breath. Before you dive into your busy day, take a few moments to focus. Resist the urge to check your phone or your schedule and instead visualize what your successful day will involve. Set your own agenda, or you will become a slave to others’ priorities. Make a to-do list with your goals in mind and add to it or update it every morning.
4. Do it now. Get that annoying responsibility that you hate out of the way first thing in the morning.  After that, the day looks brighter.
5. One thing at a time. Studies show that multitasking can take away your focus, making tasks take twice as long and increasing the likelihood of errors by 50 percent. You can’t afford distractions. Let go of anything that ruins your concentration and focus.
6. Avoid the mess. Piles of paper remind you of unfinished business. Unpaid bills nudge you away from your immediate priority. A recent Harvard Business Review study showed that people with neat offices are more persistent and less frustrated.
7. Work less. It seems counterintuitive, but a Stanford University study determined that laborers who put in 70 hours had the same productivity as those who worked 56. Could it be that working smarter really works?
8. Turn it off.  A CareerBuilder survey showed that cell phones were the biggest workplace distraction. Ignoring your phone when it rings or buzzes will rob you of your focus – you’re still going to think about what you’re missing. Only when you turn off all the noise will you be able to concentrate on what’s in front of you.
9. Leave it for later. Let some things slide. Open your mail every third day. Leave unimportant email replies for that quiet time on Friday afternoon. Save voicemail messages for a designated reply time.
10. Get out. Sunlight boosts productivity. Workers who sit next to windows work faster and perform better, a California Energy Commission study said. Instead of hanging out at the water cooler, try taking a brisk walk outside.

There’s nothing better than leaving work at the end of the day knowing you were able to accomplish great things. Be in control of your daily agenda – do what you can to make the hours count.