Focus Journey – Finding My Way Back
One focused idea helps me get things done.
I figured it out. My great “White Board of World Domination” offered so many ideas that I get caught up in them all. Getting caught up in the ideas simply means I invest my energy in tire spinning as opposed to actual movement.
I figured it out because my husband caught me walking through the kitchen for the third time muttering to myself. “What was I doing?” I knew I had been in there for something important but I just was unable to catch the idea.
He never looked up at me, just shook his head from his own spot. “You are trying to do too many things at one time.”
[tweetthis]Doing too many things at one time can keep me from doing anything at its best. #Focus on one[/tweetthis]
I was annoyed – partly because he had commentary on my muttering and partly because he was right (NEVER tell him I said that). I had been caught up in my “much doing” and therefore I was getting nothing done.
The good news for me was that I had recently had a chat with Katharine Grubb from the 10 Minute Novelists about her brilliant plan to break her projects into eight columns and devote a portion of time to each column. I had already made plans to take her idea and work into my own plan.
Despite my intentions, I found myself in the uncomfortable spot of my husband being right. I had not focused and in my lack of focus I had lost my way.
A Moment of HOPE – words of hope and encouragement for your day in one minute
Getting Back My Focus
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– I set my timer. One of the things that I loved about Chris Brogan’s “The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth” was the simplicity of using timers. I have a 15 minute timer that I set so that I could focus on one of the items on my list. After that one item was checked off for the day I moved on. The timer helped me get back some of my focus.
– I checked my categories. I appreciated Katharine’s idea of her eight columns and I broke down my main items on my “White Board of World Domination” into six columns. I have seven hours a day blocked off for work and writing. I made Katharine’s idea my own by blocking off 15 minutes of time in each of those hours to tackle one of the six main items. I used the columns to hone my focus.
– I stopped worrying about what I had not done. I began to focus on what I was doing in the moment. Each time I just work on what I am doing, it becomes a little more difficult for my mind to wander off into what I did not do or have not done. And checking off something from my lists because of my concentration on doing what I am doing definitely helps me focus on the next step.
It may not seem like much, but each check brings me closer to my desired goals. I am investing 15 minutes, six times a day, to build my foundation of success.
Be blessed,
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