We’re rapidly approaching the end of the year and you’re all starting to realize you still have a great deal of work to be done! But, let me ask you: Does all of it have to be done?
You are right in the same place – again – that you promised yourself last year you would do everything to avoid.
Why are you here – again – because over the course of the year you lost your focus. Or, you never really had it. Consider these facts:
The biggest challenge we all have is that there’s never enough time in any given day to get everything done. Staying focused on your priorities is one of the toughest challenges we all have. Yet we make it harder by not understanding what a real priority is. Many of you think that making a list of “to do’s” (the longer the better) makes you effective planners. Again, another fallacy because you don’t question whether some of the things on your list should be there at all! Here 5 simple steps you can take – starting today – to gain and stay focused on getting the “right” things done:
Start each day with this question: What is the one thing that I must do today that will get me closer to my goal or desired result? Work on that thing during the day. Identify your high-value tasks. Work on these first, even if it’s only a part of the larger project. Take small 10-minute breaks during the day (maybe 2 or 3), using them to first change the scenery to clear your mind and to give yourself the opportunity to validate that you are working on the right things. Schedule a 1-hour appointment each week with “yourself”. Put it on your calendar. You need the time to re-group and re-focus on the right things. Learn to say “no” to those trivial things or people that drain you of time.
