I’ve had a bit of a divided mind lately. In between this and that, long hours and multiple projects, until I suddenly had a rather blatant reminder to focus on one thing at a time. To be more intentional and purposeful, and less haphazard.
I rather think of it as multitasking and I can fall into this trap easily, especially when I’m working with others. As I’m working along, doing my thing, and then someone wants to interject with their question or idea. I often half-pause to listen, comment, and get right back to what I’m doing. If we are done, things work pretty well, but when the conversation is ongoing my mind is divided. I’m half-listening and also half-ignoring. And in case you miss the obvious, this doesn’t work well for anything!
Try as I might to learn life lessons and move on, applying them as I go, I have a real life talent for learning and needing to re-learn. But honestly, this helps keep me humble, so I really shouldn’t complain. Awareness of our struggles is definitely a good step towards overcoming them!
May I have your attention?
It seems like everything all day is vying for our attention – and a hundred times so if you are a mother to young children! How on earth can we focus on one thing at a time without a ridiculous number of distractions?
While these are both good questions, things are rarely as difficult as we make them. The secret just might be in learning what we should first be focusing on before we battle the how.
What is First?
This could range from a hundred different things depending on who you are and what you do. Perhaps you have multiple projects that need to be first. Pick one and start somewhere. Don’t lose time stressing or over analyzing which might be the most important. Start somewhere.
Interestingly, I’ve read two different thoughts that could be applied here:
- Action is better than inaction. Obviously, this assumes that this is just a simple decision of menial tasks or duties. We’re not talking enormous, life shattering decisions. When it comes down to the nitty gritty of work, just take action.
- Make a decision and then make it right. I don’t know about you, but I can get ridiculously hung up on the details and what ifs. And after a half hour of pondering and delays, I realize I can just decide something and then change it later on if I really need to.
These simple reminders really help me make progress when I remember to implement them. And the exciting thing is, no matter how large your list of things to do might be, a strong start really helps that list feel far more manageable then before you started! So don’t get overwhelmed by the list size or details. Just get started!
Moving right along
Once you’ve started, things often move right along! The stronger the start, the better they will move along! And then later, should everything get derailed due to this or that, all is not lost because you have some good progress behind you!
I really don’t think that the mystery lies in discovering how to focus on what you need to do, but rather deciding what to focus on.
Perhaps you run a business and on top of normal duties you have emails to send and product to prepare for the customer. Everything needs to be done next and you are only one person. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, simply decide what to focus on and then do just that: focus. Not to the exclusion of helping customers or doing your duties, but focus on it as you can. The better you allow and help yourself to focus, the faster you will finish and be able to take on the next task!
This can apply at home also, to a certain degree. When working with small children – or even interacting with multiple people – distractions are at an all time high. But that doesn’t mean that progress cannot be claimed. In some instances you might have to direct little ones to a specific direction (play outside or go play trains for thirty minutes – you get the idea). Ideally, you want to set yourself up for success here. Anticipate potential distractions and then address them before they come up!
The most important thing you can do is …
Practice a bit of self-discipline. Once you have done your best to pave the way for success, hold your feet to the fire. All the preparation in the world is meaningless without the proper followup. And I’m especially preaching to myself here, so just know that this is an area I struggle with too.
Don’t wait until things are urgent to take action. Take action and make progress before things get desperate.
And as always, remember to practice grace. Have it towards those who might unknowingly interrupt your work and towards yourself when things just aren’t coming together. Do your best and the rest will follow!
I hope this has encouraged and inspired you! What are some tricks you use when re-focusing on what you have to do? I’d love it if you’d share them below!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Need just a bit more encouragement? Keep reading: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2016/09/13/just-one-more-thing/