Taking steps to find your focus.

Finding your focus is not an easy task when there is a pile of files on your desk and a tangled, wired mess of thoughts in your head; but you have to start somewhere.

In my experience as a CEO of a busy Canadian Household, (my side job - you know the one we do after we come home from work); where several different agendas were coming together and there were always many things happening "right now" in different areas of town, where you suffer from CHAOS - (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) on most days; I found that in order to keep my sanity, I needed HELP!  

So my search began (online of course); the information that I found was quite overwhelming and difficult to weave through, so I picked and chose the bits and pieces that I felt comfortable with.  

First of all, I allowed myself to acknowledge the fact that "I can't do it ALL".  Period!  As soon as you are ok with that simple statement, the perspective changes and you feel... like you CAN! 

Amazing!  

Now for the tools I used to get a grip on my life that was going in all different directions and getting nowhere fast.  

I set RULES for myself and decided to follow a time schedule.  

I know it sounds bad, because it suggest constrains, especially for someone who IS their own boss.  But am I, really?  

I started treating my day exactly like I would if I was actually going out the door to get to work. Getting up at a decent hour (in my case it's 7 am) every day.

First thing on my agenda is THRIVE - simple 3 step nutritional program that provides all that my body needs. Then 20 minutes on an elliptical, quick shower and breakfast.  By 8 am, I'm all ready for the office - nope, I'm not in my pajamas anymore - in case you were wondering!

At the office I check my list of things I need to do that day.  The list is relatively short (not more than 5 major items - if you are just starting out, try committing to 3 items).

Each item on the list, should not take more than an hour.  I group the like items together and allocate a time slot to them.  I use a timer (could be just a kitchen time, or you can use your phone). Set the timer for 15 minutes and start my task.  If I finish the task within the first 15 minutes, than I move onto the next task and set the timer for next 15 minutes.

If my original task is not done, I concentrate on it for another 15 minutes, and if needed for another two sets of 15 minutes for a total of an hour.

The key here is to not work on one task for more than an hour.  After each task, I will take a mini break - grab a cup of tea, or a snack. 5 minutes or so.  Than I move onto another item on my list (with a timer).  

This approach, can work for anyone and can, of course be modified to suit your specific needs.

Come back soon for more tips on how to get your life back and organize your day in a productive way!  

Finding your Focus

I've been around long enough to know that all our efforts pay off, sooner or later.  It doesn't matter if we are talking about reviewing already retained info for an exam or practicing your cake decorating skills to create that special cake for your son’s birthday.

If we focus on the task at hand, our efforts will be fruitful much earlier than if we were trying to “do” few things all at once.

But how do we get that focus? How do we concentrate on one thing and allocate all our efforts to the task at hand and do not get distracted by that million other things sitting there on our to-do list?

It's all about being organized and disciplined. 

As many of the Success Gurus will tell you... you day can be and should be organized, so you CAN focus on the tasks on your list, get things done (preferably one-at-a-time) and in turn, feel accomplished.  

We all know how great it feels to be able to look at your to-do list and see all the check marks!  Oh... right... you don't have a to-do list!  

No worries! You are not the only one!  It took me months to focus enough to create one for every day. I used to think that writing stuff down was a waste of time.  I'm all about saving time you know.  Using your time wisely! 

So with this original method of mine I had all my daily tasks, schedules, obligations, chores and everything else I was supposed to accomplish on any given day... stored "loosely" in my head (and sometimes on several pieces of paper - for good measure).  

You know well, how that worked out for me most of the time.  

Stressed, disheveled and always "running late", frantically looking for excuses and hoping that no one will know that my days (often filled to the brim) were just a tangled mess!

Focusing back to the task at hand, at any given moment is an act of discipline and concentration.  It's almost a chore - if you please, and many of us think we are not capable of doing just that, especially if we work from home.   Read more here.