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11 ways of staying focused
Each of us have our busy lives and in this world of constant distractions, how can we stay focused on our goals? This article discusses several techniques I have found to work.
For me, there are always several things constantly competing for my time - articles to write, business opportunities to explore, links to follow up, my daily work, personal commitments etc. In my experience whenever I try to work on many things at the same time, none of them actually gets done.
In response, I’ve incorporated the following techniques for staying focused into my work patterns:
1.
Having well defined goals. I can’t stress the importance of this too much. Having goals which are well defined along good guidelines is key. I’ve found writing my goals down really helps. Whenever I get distracted, I read my goals and I’m reminded of what I am trying to do and why.
Having well defined goals. I can’t stress the importance of this too much. Having goals which are well defined along good guidelines is key. I’ve found writing my goals down really helps. Whenever I get distracted, I read my goals and I’m reminded of what I am trying to do and why.2.Breaking things into bite sized chunks. Having broad high level goals are good but having an actionable plan is essential. A plan can identify how you can get from where you are to where you want go. Breaking goals into smaller actionable chunks (tasks) is great - it gives me motivation to start and allows me to get things done in one sitting.
Breaking things into bite sized chunks. Having broad high level goals are good but having an actionable plan is essential. A plan can identify how you can get from where you are to where you want go. Breaking goals into smaller actionable chunks (tasks) is great - it gives me motivation to start and allows me to get things done in one sitting.3.Prioritising constantly. To figure out which task I should be working on, I prioritise constantly. Some tasks are more important than others. Some tasks are more urgent than others. I’ve found that working on urgent tasks followed by tasks which have the greatest impact to work well for me - urgent tasks allow me to get things done on time and important tasks allow me to maximise the benefits I receive.
Prioritising constantly. To figure out which task I should be working on, I prioritise constantly. Some tasks are more important than others. Some tasks are more urgent than others. I’ve found that working on urgent tasks followed by tasks which have the greatest impact to work well for me - urgent tasks allow me to get things done on time and important tasks allow me to maximise the benefits I receive.4.Tracking progress vigorously. Each of us wants to improve our lives. However, it is easy to start with good intentions but more difficult to sustain commitment. I’ve found that by tracking my progress, I have more visibility on what I’ve done and can better gauge how much effort is left.
Tracking progress vigorously. Each of us wants to improve our lives. However, it is easy to start with good intentions but more difficult to sustain commitment. I’ve found that by tracking my progress, I have more visibility on what I’ve done and can better gauge how much effort is left.5.Planning ahead without fail. Concentrating on the remaining effort can help reinforce commitment. Some might think they’ll get discouraged, however I haven’t found this to be the case because my tasks are bite sized and easy to finish. I’ve found it really helps to look at my goals and task lists periodically, so I can assess how much time it’ll take to do something and determine the best time to sit down and work on it.
Planning ahead without fail. Concentrating on the remaining effort can help reinforce commitment. Some might think they’ll get discouraged, however I haven’t found this to be the case because my tasks are bite sized and easy to finish. I’ve found it really helps to look at my goals and task lists periodically, so I can assess how much time it’ll take to do something and determine the best time to sit down and work on it.6.Rewarding myself when warranted. By all means focus on what’s outstanding, but also take stock of what’s done. I always reflect on what I’ve done, whether it is reading a post I did awhile ago or looking at the ticks I’ve made alongside my task lists. Whenever I accomplish a logical piece of work, I always reward myself. It really does help with maintaining motivation.
Rewarding myself when warranted. By all means focus on what’s outstanding, but also take stock of what’s done. I always reflect on what I’ve done, whether it is reading a post I did awhile ago or looking at the ticks I’ve made alongside my task lists. Whenever I accomplish a logical piece of work, I always reward myself. It really does help with maintaining motivation.7.Having positive patterns in my routine. I’ve found having good habits and positive patterns to be instrumental. At the moment, I can consistently get more done. As these patterns continue to establish into a routine, I’m finding that I can better judge the periods of the day in which I really need to focus and work.
Having positive patterns in my routine. I’ve found having good habits and positive patterns to be instrumental. At the moment, I can consistently get more done. As these patterns continue to establish into a routine, I’m finding that I can better judge the periods of the day in which I really need to focus and work.8.Removing distractions as best I can. The best way not to give in to temptation is not to have the option to. What seems to work for me is making the distractions difficult or inconvenient to access. Because it takes too much effort to indulge in the distraction, I find it is less likely for me to give in.
Removing distractions as best I can. The best way not to give in to temptation is not to have the option to. What seems to work for me is making the distractions difficult or inconvenient to access. Because it takes too much effort to indulge in the distraction, I find it is less likely for me to give in.9.Blocking out some time. In a previous post I wrote about waking up early and consistently. You don’t necessarily have to do this but I’ve found that having quiet time, set aside specifically for accomplishing a given task, to be very productive. I also tend to be more focused in the morning after a restful night.
Blocking out some time. In a previous post I wrote about waking up early and consistently. You don’t necessarily have to do this but I’ve found that having quiet time, set aside specifically for accomplishing a given task, to be very productive. I also tend to be more focused in the morning after a restful night.10.Keeping the results clear in mind. Instead of concentrating too much on the task at hand, sometimes I put some attention on the feelings I ultimately wish to experience. By focusing on the results, it is easier for me to maintain my motivation especially when working on things that I am not by nature motivated by.
Keeping the results clear in mind. Instead of concentrating too much on the task at hand, sometimes I put some attention on the feelings I ultimately wish to experience. By focusing on the results, it is easier for me to maintain my motivation especially when working on things that I am not by nature motivated by.11.Enlisting my family and friends for help. I communicate with my family and friends about my goals all the time. Not only have they been helpful with gentle reminders whenever they see my behaviour is not consistent with my goals, but they also give me constant incentives to work at my goals and succeed.
Enlisting my family and friends for help. I communicate with my family and friends about my goals all the time. Not only have they been helpful with gentle reminders whenever they see my behaviour is not consistent with my goals, but they also give me constant incentives to work at my goals and succeed.Dave Cheong
Home Business Success Tip: Are You Majoring In Minor Things?
It takes 4 hours for you to write an article, 45 minutes constructing an email because it has to be "just right", and all day complaining that you have so much to do and there's not enough time in the day. You’re so busy that even your clock has a clock and it’s rushing.
Stop.
Breathe.
You're making things too difficult on yourself and because of that, you're wasting a lot of time on minor things. You're majoring in minor things.
A lot of it is your own mentality on dealing with issues such as negativity or stress, and some of it has to do with basic time management. You've just spent 2 hours on the phone with someone you really didn't want to talk to, so why did you do it? Too nice to hang up, huh? Now's the time to take action. Your business sits on hold while you're trying to be polite. Keep all phone calls to a certain limit. Your time and their time are both valuable, so cut to the chase and get down to business on the phone. They may respect you more for it because you don’t deal with “small talk” you get straight to the core of the phone call, and that’s why they wanted to talk to you anyways, right? You can talk about personal stuff when you’re not on business time.
Stress, negativity, and worry may haunt you all day, but you have to learn to pick your battles. Negative emails can be dealt with by the person directly or deleted. You don’t have to respond to everything, sometimes not saying anything is saying something. Learn some deep breathing techniques to learn how to deal with stress and focus on what you need to do. Also read up on some time management skills or look up some web applications that can help save your time. Online schedulers, to-do lists, and such can benefit the home business entrepreneur. If you do sign up to these types of online tasks, do yourself a favor and use them. They’re there to help your business and your time by getting you organized and focused.
You want to send an email to your mentor and ask a quick question. So it takes you 45 minutes constructing it, proofreading, spell checking twice (just to be sure). When your mentor receives that email and replies do you think he/she will take that long sending one back to you? Highly unlikely. Write it out as you’re thinking it, read it once, spell check it once, and then send it. Stop over thinking things because you’re only making them more complicated for yourself.
How to stop majoring in minor things:
- Trust yourself
- Start reading about time management such as Getting Things Done
- Invest in an egg timer and give yourself tasks on that timer
- If something negative crosses your path, deal with it and move on. Thinking on it makes it worse and raises your blood pressure.
- When working on your home business.. WORK ON YOUR HOME BUSINESS. Don't mix it up with personal stuff (like paying the bills). Watch Youtube on personal time. Not business time.
- Organize yourself at the beginning of the day. Set out your to-do list and actually follow it. Cross things off your list as you go along. If you didn’t get to everything, create a new list for the next day and add those to the top.
Your home business success relies off of your focus, your time, your actions, your effort. It can be challenging having a home based business, but if you can learn to delegate where you spend your time and effort at, you can achieve successful results.
Elevator Pitch & Majoring In The Minor Things
About the Author:
Devon Brown
Working At Home? Stay Motivated, Don't Give Up - Keep Going!
Staying motivated when you work at home alone in you home based business can be tough. Here are a few tips.
When you are employed by someone else you are usually given incentives to keep you working to the standard desired by your employers. However, being your own boss can have set backs where motivation is concerned. You have to find ways to motivate yourself and this is sometimes difficult. Working for yourself can give many more rewards than performing a job on an hourly rate but when times are hard there will be occasions when you may feel like giving up. Remember, you chose to be your own boss and are, therefore, the one responsible for your success. Here are some ways to make yourself feel motivated again.
1. Prepare a list of the reasons you decided to start up in business on your own. You had great motivation at the beginning just to do it so spending some time referring back to how you felt at that time can put you in a similar mind set. Keep your list safe for future reference.
2. Lay down some goals and make sure you are rewarded for achieving them. Goal setting will help you stay on track and the rewards will provide the extra incentive to strive for the next goal.
3. Maintain contact with other business owners. They can often inspire you if they have found themselves in the same situation in the past but managed to pick themselves up and got back on track. Networking provides helpful advice and problem sharing which can lighten your heavy load a little.
4. An investment in books, seminars or motivational videos and CD's should be considered. They are all good tools to help you get back on your feet. There are many of these on the market so if you are not sure which one to choose, ask your fellow business owners for their recommendations.
5. Take a break from it all. Sometimes if you have been working long hours on a constant basis you feel you are not reaping the rewards you deserve. Take a break for a long weekend, get someone else to take your calls and check your mail. After a well earned break you will come back with a much clearer head and ready to take on the world.
6. Take on hire help. There is sure to be an area of your work that you really do not like doing, so if you hire someone else to do this part of the job, you will then be able to dedicate more time to the aspects of the business which you enjoy.
Keeping motivated is vital to the success of your business. When motivation is lost, your work will suffer and set backs will occur. Spend a little time reminding yourself just what you set out to achieve, take the necessary steps to re-energize yourself and you will regain the enthusiasm you need to take you through the tough times and see the light at the end of the tunnel.
By Darren Yates
