My opening comment is to reassure you and encourage you to read on. What ever you feel or believe right now – you can develop the Power of Focus if you really want. So read on…..
Focus is a word that we hear thrown about a lot. Some people have the good fortune to be able to focus without difficulty. While feel frustrated by their inability to focus on anything.
I think I should start with defining what FOCUS means. And that in itself may help you get some focus into your life.
This is the definition that I compiled after reading various different definitions – and there are lots of them – and I use and keep these words in my mind on a daily basis….
Focus is the ability to hold your attention and concentrate your thoughts on a single activity at any one time without allowing yourself to be distracted from the completion of that activity.
The ability to focus is probably the greatest strength that you can develop.
I have heard said that probably only 5% of the population have the ability to focus intuitively. That is to say that it is totally natural process for them, to keep their mind on one subject until it is completed. Pushing away and distraction that may come into their environment.
The unfortunate situation for the remaining 95% is that focus has become a major challenge and the lack of focus is possibly something that is holding them back in life.
But if you feel or know that you are struggling with focus then you can take heart because the fact is that focus is a skill.
And if it is a skill then it can be taught and can be learned. That is if you want to learn it….
It doesn’t matter whether you are running a major corporation, a one man or one woman business, full-time or part-time, a work at home Mom or a Homemaker, the ability to focus will ensure that you get more done each day.
And perhaps most important you will get to the end of each day with a felling of satisfaction in your day’s achievements rather than the situation that at the moment you may reach the days end frustrated and perhaps carry on working into the late evening just because you don’t feel you got enough done during the previous part of the day.
One of the biggest challenges to focus is starting the day with a big list of things to do.
Having no particular order that you intend to do them in.
Then trying to do a little bit of each one during the day with the result that nothing gets fully completed and what is left just moves forward to the to-do-list for the next day – when a little bit more gets done – but probably not completed again. And so the week moves on and the frustration builds.
But help is at hand…..
A method that I have found to be very successful for me and the people I have shared this with is to break the day up into time periods. They could be 15 minute, 30 minute or one hour sessions.
Ultimately I would like to think that you aim for a one hour sessions – what I call The Sixty Minute Focus.
Then take the task that you want to focus your attention on and break it up into small chunks or segments that will fit into your time slots.
Another little tip….
It is helpful if you can work on a system of planning tomorrow today. This has a number of bonuses.
Once you have tomorrow’s plan complete then when you go to sleep your sub-conscious mind will be working on the segments you have planned while you sleep.
Don’t worry it won’t keep you awake. In fact quite the opposite, the satisfaction of having taken the time to set out a clear plan for the next day will allow you to lay your head peacefully on the pillow and enjoy a good nights sleep.
Next morning when you wake up you already know the plan for the day and the segments that you will be working and the amount of time you will be focusing so all you have to do is go to it.
Don’t let anything or anyone distract you during your focus period. Anything that arises during your focus period, note it down to be dealt with at the end of the session and get back to focusing.
At the end of each session, take a short break – as a reward – not too long mind you – and then back to the next focus segment and so on through the day and until everything that was planned is completed.
Don’t worry about the things that weren’t planned for today. They can wait until another day.
Hang on to this fact – it is better for your peace of mind and your ability to move forward in life that you get a small number of things done well rather than a large number of things half done – or even worse a quarter or eighth done.
You’ve had a good day. Now plan tomorrow today. Then relax and enjoy your free time. You will have earned it.