Most people understand the importance of focus to get things done most effectively, but leaders are often pulled in so many directions that it’s quite the challenge to actually experience focus.
To be productive and not just busy, we must learn to focus consistently.
Here are 5 steps to improve your focus in your daily work:
1 – Clarify What Matters Most
Do you know what you truly need to accomplish to accomplish your dreams or goals?
Do you even have clear goals?
The first step is making sure you know what your “big rocks” are so you know what to focus on.
Next, you need to determine the order of importance of each “rock”. Write it down.
2 – Prioritize Key Activities to Achieve Success
After you have settled on your highest priority goal, it’s time to break it down into smaller action steps to accomplish it.
What specific steps must you take to achieve that goal? Begin with the end in mind.
Here’s a simple formula to assist your strategic planning process:
To accomplish X, I/we need to do Y.
Create an organized checklist of these activities.
3 – Utilize Your Calendar Strategically
Once you have your checklist, schedule each activity in specific time slots.
Keeping things on a “to-do” list is one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to productivity.
Success coach and author Darren Hardy taught a key lesson years ago that hit me hard when I heard it. He said, “If it’s important enough to be on your to-do list, it should be important enough to be on your calendar.”
This one statement changed how I operate. If I want to get things done, my tasks must be added to specific time slots on my calendar. When they are, I can accomplish so much more in a short amount of time.
4 – Review Your Results Consistently
It’s not enough to just act. Your actions must be evaluated to make sure they are moving you in the right direction.
It’s wise to evaluate at the end of each day, week, month, quarter, and year to evaluate what led to progress and what was simply busy work that needs to be eliminated.
5 – Invite Accountability
Once you’ve decided to implement the four actions above, ask at least one colleague, friend, mentor, or coach to help you stay the course. It’s one thing to get started. It’s quite another to keep moving forward consistently.
With the assistance of an accountability partner, you’ll be able to develop better habits that will lead to better results.
Focus is a superpower in today’s “attention economy.” The more focus you can maintain, the farther ahead you can go in faster timeframes. This is a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
If you need help navigating this process, contact me and I’ll be more than happy to serve as your strategic thinking partner and accountability coach.