My main focus this year was to build up my own self-discipline. Yesterday, the stars didn't align for me. Three days into the new year and I was already losing my grip on doing what I needed to do. I overslept, got distracted by Twitter and Tabatha's Salon Takeover, and before you know it it was 4 p.m. and I had lost most of my time to be productive. But in every failure there's definitely a lesson. Here are some lessons I learned that will help me to stay focused throughout the year:
Anticipate your 'down days:' When observing yourself, note the days where your productivity lags. Is it when you wake up late? Is it on Tuesdays and Thursdays when there's less on your schedule? Is it on Monday when you're overwhelmed? If you can anticipate the days when you'll be struggling to accomplish what you need to, then you can better equip yourself to meet them head-on.
For me, I always start strong on Sunday and Monday, when my motivation and inspiration is at its highest. By Tuesday, I've slowed down. By Wednesday, I'm lagging and have lost most of my steam. By Thursday, I'm honestly pretty useless. If I know that about myself, I can better equip myself to deal with and overcome it.
Set a time limit. Sometimes we need a little bit of distraction to get focused. Give yourself a few minutes or hours of what you want with a clear plan to get back on track afterward. If what you need to do is time sensitive, promise yourself that you'll come back to it as soon as you finish. Sometimes a small dose of a television show or computer game is exactly what the doctor ordered to get your mind back on track.
Don't beat yourself up. Everybody deals with focus issues every now and then. Just because you're unfocused doesn't mean that you've failed at achieving the goals you've set out to accomplish. Accept the fact that you're a little off today, embrace it, pray about it, then let it go. We're not superhuman.
After a few hours of Tabatha yesterday, I was able to turn the television off, relocate and do what I needed to do before I went to sleep. Hopefully these takeaways will help you the next time you find yourself to be lacking in focus or motivation.
What are ways that you access focus when focus isn't in your favor?
Set a time limit. Sometimes we need a little bit of distraction to get focused. Give yourself a few minutes or hours of what you want with a clear plan to get back on track afterward. If what you need to do is time sensitive, promise yourself that you'll come back to it as soon as you finish. Sometimes a small dose of a television show or computer game is exactly what the doctor ordered to get your mind back on track.
Don't beat yourself up. Everybody deals with focus issues every now and then. Just because you're unfocused doesn't mean that you've failed at achieving the goals you've set out to accomplish. Accept the fact that you're a little off today, embrace it, pray about it, then let it go. We're not superhuman.
After a few hours of Tabatha yesterday, I was able to turn the television off, relocate and do what I needed to do before I went to sleep. Hopefully these takeaways will help you the next time you find yourself to be lacking in focus or motivation.
What are ways that you access focus when focus isn't in your favor?
Jess I loved this!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Hope it helped :)
ReplyDelete