
So if you read my last post, you know that we’re talking everything FOCUS today. It’s part 2 of 3 this week. As promised I am going to share with you how you can create focus for yourself.
Focus really does have the power to transform your results and experience. For the long list of benefits of focus, you can read the previous blog here.
So if you’ve ever struggled with focusing on a task, a project or just what your spouse is saying to you, you’re not alone! The reality is that most people struggle with this.
We all struggle because:
We live in such a connected world.
Many of us have been in the habit of doing a number of things at once for a very, very long time!
We have our phones on and attend to their every notification.
We get a bit ambitious and try to do everything at once.
Creating focus doesn’t have to be difficult but it will require you to establish some new habits around how you operate.
Here’s the deal: Habits take time to make and break. As much as we want to have an intention to change and then immediately be able to do a new task regularly and effortlessly… it just doesn’t work that way!
Don’t blame yourself though, it’s just the way that all of our human brains work. They resist change.
So, to embed a new habit we literally need to re-wire our brains.
Sounds tricky but it’s not really. You’ve actually done it thousands of times before.
You can rewire your brain simply by carrying out the new task that you want to be your new habit…and then doing it again, regularly.
It sounds like practicing because it is practicing. You start out a bit inconsistent and it takes a lot of effort, but if you repeat it often, it becomes easier.
So this is what we’re going to focus on (pun intended) over the next 2 weeks. Practising.
We’re going to focus on just 1 focus tip. Yes, just 1!
And we’re going to implement it.
Because I can tell you all the great tips on how to create focus, but what good is that if you don’t implement them? This is what I do with my clients all the time. We set up goals to implement habits and we track them.
I will give you a task to complete between now and the next post – a good 2 weeks away.
All you have to do is this one task. Then in two weeks from now we can review your progress and share further tips on how to focus.
The focus tip I have for you is around completing tasks. It will help you to increase your productivity and focus.
Your focus task for the next 2 weeks:
Set specific outcomes for every task and allocate a specific timeframe for them.
Let’s break this down…
For example- you are working on a marketing plan
The specific outcome: To complete the introduction and SWOT analysis
Specific timeframe: From 12pm-2pm on Tuesday 31st May 2022
You don’t want to allocate a few hours – or even a day – to “work on” your task or project. No, don’t do that.
Instead, do this:
- Create a specific outcome(a milestone in your project, the next step of a goal).
- Then assign in your calendar a specific day and time, blocking out the time you will take to complete the task outcome
A task will usually take as long as the time you allocate it. So estimate how long you think it will take and then get to it!