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Whether your training is one evening a week for six weeks or a five day total immersion course, how do you maintain your focus each day?

PA training may be engaging and exciting but it is easy to let your thoughts wander and lose that focus.  So what’s the best way to ensure you keep your mind sharp for the entire course?

The first and most important thing is to switch off your mobile and hide it out of sight.  Otherwise even just seeing it out of the corner of your eye will be a distraction and cause you to think “what’s happening in the office? Is everything all right? How are they getting on with …?”

Similarly, resist the temptation to ring the office at the every opportunity.  Training courses are excellent opportunities to talk to like-mind PAs and EAs.  Spend your coffee and lunch breaks talking to your fellow delegates and do some networking.

Focus, too, on the course material.  Most courses provide you with comprehensive handouts and you should take as much time as you need to read these and make your own notes.  However, don’t constantly look back to revise and ask yourself questions as the course progresses.

Your course leaders (all experienced trainers as well as former PAs) know that everyone learns at a different pace and can focus at different levels.  They will help you maintain your concentration and keep you motivated so you’ll head back to the office enthusiastic, excited and eager to put your ideas into practice.