Focus on Your Goals
Focus on Your Goals
Want to accomplish a challenging goal? Better focusing will help. Easier said than done, Right?
Being able to focus on the task at hand will be the key to conquering a challenging goal.
Not rewards, sheer willpower, self-discipline, or motivation will work. (We’ve all tried those!) Maintaining focus is the only way you will reach a challenging goal. What do you think?
Want to accomplish a challenging goal? Better focusing will help. Easier said than done, Right? Click To TweetHere are a couple of suggestions on ways to make focusing on the important easier for you so that you can achieve that one big goal.
Know your best time of day.
When are you most productive? Early morning or late at night? It doesn’t matter. What matters is you use that time to work on moving forward on a project that will get you to a goal. When you work during your most productive time it is easier to focus or get in your zone. Time will fly, but so will the amount that you move forward to meeting your goals.
Create a deadline for yourself.
Remember being in school, where deadlines reign? You knew exactly when that term paper needed to be turned in and you knew the consequences if you didn’t complete it on time. In your work or personal life, there aren’t always deadlines. So how do you use a deadline to create focus? Why you can make one up! It can be short-term – I need to finish this before I stop for lunch or I’m going to deliver this report before the end of the week. All of a sudden you’ll be more able to focus on the task at hand.
Prep before you start.
I’m a big fan of prepping for tomorrow. Just spending a little time clearing things up at the end of the day and planning for tomorrow can help you jump into work the next day. Always looking forward will help you get a jump-start in the morning so you don’t waste any precious time when you sit down at your desk.
Focus on your goals today!
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
I’ve always considered myself someone who doesn’t need artificial deadlines to get things done, but when I tell my accountability partner what I’m working on next, I feel compelled to do at least one thing on that project before our next weekly meeting. Because it’s a short deadline, it’s easier to be realistic about what I can accomplish.
It’s good to be mentally prepared without feeling overwhelmed.
I do mindfully set up spaces that I will be jumping to first thing in the morning. I even do this during the day for those spaces I need to be productive in at the end of the day. I think of sort of like a gift I am wrapping for myself to open in a few hours. Having a space that is ready to go does make it easier to get started on a task. Otherwise, its easy to just procrastinate starting the hard task by “cleaning up” first.
Great point Seana and way to compare to a gift wrapping, I like that.
I agree with all your tips, Janet. I almost always plan for the next day in the evening. I know what I didn’t finish, I take into account my appointments (with others and myself), and then decide what I will do to move major projects forward.
Sometimes we forget if we have a full schedule. It’s good to look at the calendar and set aside things we need to have for our appointments, look up again the drive we will be taking and which route so we’re not rushing out the door.
I’ve had a lot to juggle recently- new projects, family events, client work, etc. Focus IS the key to being effective and enjoying all of these things. But when you have a lot going on, sometimes it’s more challenging to focus.
I love ALL of your suggestions for how to do this. Time of day is a key one. My brain is the sharpest and most creative in the morning. I schedule my deep work for that time of day. However, it’s only sometimes possible. So, I give myself some grace when I work outside my ideal time. It might take me longer because I’m not working at my optimal time.
Deadlines are another excellent strategy. While I tend not to like having deadlines, I absolutely agree with their power. I always meet my deadlines, so having one makes me more effective at organizing and managing my time.
That’s amazing Linda. Giving yourself some grace is really important for your peace of mind, there is so much a person can do, and at the end of the end, it looks like you got it all.
Great advice! I couldn’t stay focused when I started my business years ago with two kids under two. There was just too much to do. Helping me determine the best time to work on things that needed my full attention was vital to getting things done quickly and simply. Having a plan for the next time I could work was also key – jotting down notes on the next steps before ending the day worked wonderfully. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Janet; reminding people they can take control of their day is important.
Running a business while taking care of little ones is really hard, and I think you found a plan that worked for you and you’re doing great Sabrina.
Excellent points. Nothing gets done unless you a) put your tush in the (sometimes metaphorical) chair and b) focus on the task at hand. I agree that you must know yourself and your energy levels; I’m a powerhouse between 10p and 4a, but am fairly useless between 8a and Noon. The later in the day, the better able I am to focus, so I aim for mindless administrative tasks in the morning and early afternoon, and do client work and writing in the afternoons, with more writing at night. It makes all the difference. And prepping before I start (preferably many hours before) is akin to “preparing the surgical field” for a surgeon. There is nothing left to do but focus and jump in.
Deadlines are an interesting thing. I’m good at setting intermittent deadlines, but deep down I know they aren’t real. However, when I add accountability to the mix, like a body doubling session where my colleagues and I are simultaneously writing, I’m much more likely to apply that focus to the work at hand, stick with it, and hit those internal deadlines.
Small, semi-forced focus works best for me, and I’m a huge believer in the power of the Pomodoro Technique. It’s hard to comprehend focusing for hours, but we can all envision ourselves focusing on a task for 25 minutes!
Great reminders.
I’m so impressed by your schedule Julie, you need to do what works for you and it’s amazing. What might work for someone might not work for someone else. I can’t see myself up past 10 pm to finish work, unless I have a deadline. then it’s s different story.
Thanks for sharing some of your work habits.
All of these points are valid. I know that when I plan my day, I need to do all creative work in the morning or early afternoon. Late afternoon and evening are the times I schedule tasks that are routine.
My creative tasks have deadlines. Bigger tasks are broken down and each section has its deadline. I try to leave enough wiggle room to allow for life events that we all know happen.
And planning for the next day is very important for me. At the end of each day, I evaluate what got done and what did not get done. The tasks that were not completed are rescheduled. I often leave out on my desk the task I am beginning the next day.
During my day I set multiple alarms for tasks that must be done at a certain time.
This is great Jonda, I think we can all learn from each other’s experiences and I love your prep and readiness. Thanks for sharing.