How To Focus Through The Chaos
When you hear the word ‘focus’, what comes to mind? Perhaps laser vision, lots of coffee, and maybe some deep breathing exercises.
The word ‘focus’ is defined as directed attention or a point of concentration. Focus these days -- even if you’re in a quiet environment -- can sometimes feel impossible. We are constantly inundated with notifications from our devices. It’s damn near impossible to focus on anything when constant disruptions happen. Our brains are not made to multitask, or split attention, as much as we may LOVE to wear this ‘badge of honor.’
Intention Is The Magic Sauce!
The intention you set for yourself will dictate the outcome you seek. Planning your days, setting a positive mindset, and minimizing distractions are some strategies that will help you become productive AF!
We have all experienced those lagging days where you feel depleted of energy and flat-out EXHAUSTED! Do you remember being overly productive on those days? Probably not. Nevertheless, your exhaustion was not because you aren’t amazingly capable -- but instead, It’s because you didn’t prepare properly.
It’s okay, it happens to the best of us! The next time you are planning for focus time, ask yourself the following reset questions.
Four ‘Focus Time’ Reset Questions:
Is my mindset right? If not, what do I need to do to fix it?
Have I reduced my distractions so I can focus on my priorities for the day?
Have I planned my day so I know exactly what I need to focus on?
What else would help me to focus better? (Some classical music, a candle, a nice hot cup of coffee (or iced), etc.)
When we set big and dreamy goals for ourselves, it is important to pay attention to all of the ways our focus can get off track.
Other Ways Our Focus Can Get Derailed Item one
Clutter is a BIG one, and I’m not just talking about hoarder-type clutter; mental clutter can be just as obnoxious. And guess what? You can be a neat freak and still have mental clutter no matter how many times you use bleach, tidy up your desk, or wipe down the counters.
Focus Statements to Live By
GIVE EVERYTHING A HOME! This includes household items, toys, office stuff, and mail. If I don’t have space for it, I either need to create a home for the items or I purge it. You probably are like me and need less than what we’re holding onto -- am I right? I have recently been moving closer to the minimalist side of life and I refuse to look back. Why? It’s so much easier to organize with less crap everywhere! Rule of thumb: organize and create space in your physical world and this will transcend your mental world. #clarity
TOUCH IT ONCE! When you're going through emails, don’t move them into a file to deal with them later. Go through emails when you have the time to actually deal with them so you aren’t moving things twice. You’ll save yourself so much precious time and energy.
STOP PROCRASTINATING! Write down what it is that you've been procrastinating on daily or weekly. Pick a day and decide that you will work on those tasks first thing in the morning (set an alarm to help!). You’ll feel great that you got it done, and this simple task will snowball into a super productive day! As the saying goes, eat the frog first thing in the morning so you aren’t thinking about it all day!
FIND A SYSTEM! I’m a huge systems kinda gal! If you do something multiple times and the same way every time, it certainly needs a system! Ideally, the system is documented, so in essence, you can delegate it to someone else. Systemizing can free your mind from having to deal with the minutiae of details, create better consistency and put less on your plate. That’s a win-win!
WORK LOCATION MATTERS! I don’t know about you, but I’m not the type of gal who can write a blog post with 4 kids fighting in the background. But, I CAN answer emails and do small tasks in between the sibling squabbles-- haha! I’ve come to find that there are fantastic ways to optimize my schedule: Write when it’s quiet; listen to podcasts while driving; plan my week on the weekends (when hubby is around to confirm schedules). Just being aware of how I work best is super helpful as it allows me to set realistic expectations on myself and my week, so I can get my work done in the locations that work best.
Let’s Get Focused!
It’s TIME to get organized and strategize your day for maximum efficiency + productivity, so YOU accomplish YOUR BEST goals. Are you ready?! Click below to get started towards a more focused life!
