3 Steps To Focus On What Matters Most

One key to being productive is your ability to focus on those things that matter most to you.

How hard is that for you?

We’ve all got to do lists and urgencies do come up (usually other peoples urgencies) but what about those things that really matter most. You know, the things you love to do, that you are awesome at, and make a world of difference when you dedicate enough time and focus to them.

These things are obviously important and usually are not very urgent. So they often either get bumped from your schedule or don’t even make it on.

Where Do You Need To Shift Attention?

• At work it might be tasks like meeting clients and relationship building if you’re in sales or hands on computer focus if you’re in IT and NOT things like paperwork or other tasks.
• If you own a business it might be to focus on the work your business does like working the tools for any tradesperson and NOT all the other aspects of business like sales, marketing, bookkeeping, etc.
• Then again, if you own a business it might be the opposite. You might be awesome at and want to dedicate your focus on growing your business and leading it and NOT working in it providing the services you do to your clients.
• At home and in your life overall this might be community or charity work that you really resonate with. It might be a passion like painting or reading or simply time for self care. The things you might prefer to let go might be a lengthy list. From those little home repairs to snow shovelling to commitments you say yes to more out of obligation that actual interest.

In all of these instances when you dedicate more and more time to the things you love, and are great at you will see your energy and your happiness rise and your productivity grow.

Now some of those things you do not want to focus on might still need to be taken care of while others might be a waste of time and can be effectively eliminated. 

The point of it all is that the more time you spend on things you dislike, even if you are adequately competent at them, the more it drags you down and de-energizes you. At the very least it slows your productivity and can have a filter down impact on others around you. At worst it becomes a growing weight on your shoulders leading to disillusion, unhappiness, and burnout.

So, what to do about it? Try this.

Find Focus In These 3 Simple Steps

STEP 1: Pause & Reflect. Once a week, pause a moment to remind yourself of what you love to do most, what you are a rock star at, and what makes the biggest difference to the success at home, in your life, at your job, or with your business.

STEP 2: Prioritize & Schedule. Prioritize the one or two things from step 1 that you will focus on in the week ahead and then schedule adequate time. It might be a specific appointment. It might be one or more blocks of time. You might completely address the thing or make specific measurable progress with it. You determine, based on other demands for the week, how much time you can allocate and how many of these priorities you can focus on.

STEP 3: Affirm & Do. When the time comes have an alarm if needed to remind you to turn your attention and focus to this important priority. As that alarm goes remind yourself WHY it is the priority that it is. Tell yourself what you will gain by dedicating your focus to that thing. This step is vital because there will ALWAYS be other urgencies and your inner voice will always try to talk you out of the important thing and back onto the urgency.

Stick to your guns and spend the time you committed. Be accountable. Only in extreme circumstances renegotiate with yourself to move that block of time. Don’t let that become a habit or the slide will start.

If this feels like too much then start small and take baby steps. Set yourself up for success. Do so and next week you can add more. Then you can begin to delegate or automate in an effective manner so that more and more of your time can be focused on what truly matters to you.

Just imagine how happy and productive you will be!

And if it’s hard see beyond the stress of your day to day overwhelm, let alone imagine a time when you can actually focus on the things that matter, then contact me. I can help.