Maintaining Focus
In my opinion, perhaps it comes from personal experience, maintaining focus is the single most difficult task in creating an outcome I desire. If you did your homework and made a list of distractions, get them out now. Managing distractions comes down to prioritizing your life. Take a look at the distractions you have come up with and organize them in to the following categories.
- Things that cannot be ignored and must be done immediately by me
- Things that can wait and be placed on a priority list
- Things that can be delegated to someone else
- Guilty pleasure
- Dream killers that must be ignored
Here is a definition of each category:
Things that cannot be ignored and must be done immediately:
Things that fall under this category are things you must do yourself and you must do it now. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS! It is best if you are able to make this list your shortest list. Remember you are prioritizing! If you are a working mom and you have “do the grocery shopping” on the list, try working on some alternatives. Perhaps your husband or a teenage child (if you have one) can do it, or you could try one of the new services that many grocery stores now offer. My point is, if you put something on this list, make certain that there is no possible way someone else can help you with it. The answers to this category will be the biggest inhibitor of realizing your dream.
Things that can wait and be placed on a priority list:
Things on this list should be given a date that you will want them to be completed by and should include names of the people capable of helping you if needed.
Things that can be delegated to someone else:
Things on this list should be handed off and forgotten about. Trust that the person you are entrusting to the task will complete it. Keep your expectations reasonable so that you will not be disappointed. Remember to offer gratitude to the person helping you. This will make them feel appreciated and therefore more likely to be a trustworthy source of assistance in the future
Guilty Pleasures.
These are important and it is not necessary to do without, however weigh them against your desires and note weather they are slowing you down. See if you can incorporate them into motivating you to maintain your focus. For instance, if you are trying to loose weight and you also like to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, set a goal for yourself. Don’t allow yourself a glass of wine unless you have completed your work out for the day. You could take it a step further and raise your accountability level. Mentioning your self imposed to another member of your family or a friend. This way, they may check on you and encourage you to stay true to your goal.
Dream killers that must be ignored.
This is anything and anyone that tears you away from your dream and working towards it. I hope that this is a short list. If its possible, cut out anything on this list that you can. If you can’t eliminate it completely, work on ways to minimize it or bend it to accommodate you, not the other way around.
Knowing what your distractions are and having a plan to manage them will greatly improve your ability to focus on your dream!
No comments:
Post a Comment