Focus Is The Key

 When there is much to be done, it can be tempting to try and work on it all at once.
Yet rarely is anything ever gained by taking that approach.  The most effective effort
is focused effort.  Do one thing and do it well, with total focus, until the job is done.  — Ralph Marston

Staying focused on one task and seeing it through may be challenging, but it is a very important tool to use.  The art of staying focused will allow you to finish projects quickly & more efficiently.  Yes, I admit that this takes planning, practice and at times being totally alone, which may require delegating tasks to others, but it is worth it and will pay off.

Many things can disrupt us as we are trying desperately to stay focused on a particular task.  There may be external factors such as interruptions from your family, boss, coworker, telephone, etc.  There may also be internal distractions in your own mind such as the voice that’s reminding you what else you need to do.

Being more focused takes many people outside of their comfort zone and in our mind we will create all sorts of things that will cause us to lose focus and ultimately sabotage our own success.  Being and staying focused takes practice.  What helps is to keep identifying what stops your focus and experiment with ways of overcoming those issues.

Many people today share a common thread – Taking on everything and trying to get it done by yesterday!  It seems as though success or failure is measured by our state of busyness. We know we can’t possibly do everything at once, so it is very important to focus on what matters at that particular moment.  Using a planner or calendar and dividing your day into what I call “Time Chunks” could help with staying focused.  Block off hours of your day to dedicate to specific tasks and just watch the progress that you make.

Too many times, we stare at our plate that is filled with tasks for both business and home and jump from task to task, tire ourselves out, and find many of our tasks undone.  Try to focus on one task at a time and see it through.

As you remain focused and get closer to your ultimate goals, be sure to celebrate your milestones.   Make you milestones known and be sure to share your successes with others.  As you achieve one goal (whether it is large or small), you can see better and believe more easily in the accomplishment of others goals to come.

Let us know how your focus is and over the next few weeks, I will be sharing tips on how to gain more focus and keep it.

Last 5 posts by Aurelia Williams

• A Few End of the Year Organizing Tips - December 6th, 2008
• Beware of Multi-Tasking - October 25th, 2008
• 3 Tips to help you commit to your goal - September 8th, 2008
• Be Sure To Ask For What You Want - August 7th, 2008
• Do You Know Who You Are? - June 18th, 2008