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Strategies to Foster Focus & Connection
We are all experiencing the angst and frustration around being disconnected and continued levels of sheltering in place. It can feel so difficult to get out of bed…..so how do we stay focused?
Here’s what helps me…. Remembering my goals. Thinking about my clients. Knowing the value and gifts I have to share. Reflecting back on successes and my clients successes.
This fuels me. Excites me. And keeps me going….keeps me focused. On track. And most importantly, connected.
This month I will be sharing all my tips on how to stay focused and connected during difficult times.
8 Focus Strategies:
- One Thing: I recently interviewed someone on the podcast who shared a quote that “clarity is the antidote to anxiety”. If you want to bust through your overwhelm and anxiety, start by getting clear on what action you need to take today.
It is as simple as one action at a time. One step, one class, one skill at a time.
Imagine if you took that one step each day. You would grow 1% closer to your long term goal. Over the course of a year that’s 365% growth!
The more we focus, the more space we give ourselves to connect. To have an impact. Focus today to provide yourself with that freedom tomorrow. - Plan Ahead: When we fail to plan out our day the night before, we are allowing life, obstacles and every day adulting drive the car.
I used to live this way. I didn’t get nearly as much done. I felt stressed and anxious all the time. I was less productive. And it burnt me out.
Then I discovered a better way. Planning ahead.
Now every evening, I plan out my next day. I even schedule self-care, breaks and time for connection with loved ones.
This way I can go to sleep with a clear conscience since I already wrote down my plan for tomorrow and put on post-its my longer term “to do’s” that I can’t tackle the next day.
I wake up excited to tackle the day with clear intention. I have a clear plan so I can focus and execute AND connect.
- Define Success for You: Success used to mean climbing the corporate ladder. It used to mean my salary was growing with more zeros.
Today success is helping others build their dream life and business. It’s mentoring, sharing and giving back to my community. It’s spending time with loved ones so they know they are a priority.
If you want to really focus and gain absolute clarity for your life, you must start by defining success on your own terms. - Build a Distraction Free Zone: Have discipline. Identify your biggest distractions and then remove them while you work.
Go off-line, turn off alerts, turn off the phone, put a sign on the office door...do whatever it takes to focus on the task in front of you.
I promise you will get it done faster and feel better. - Put a Timer on Time Suckers: It’s important to be aware of your time suckers. Identify the ones you can fix through automation. Be aware of the ones that you enjoy.
For the time suckers that you enjoy, put a timer on it. This way you don’t get lost for too much time.
If you love YouTube, cool. Set a timer and spend 20 minutes a day surfing YouTube. You can still enjoy it but also not waste precious time. - Set & Track Your Goals: I used to set resolutions each year. But I found these to be less than effective.
Now, I set goals for the year. But then I take it a step further. I break these goals into monthly and weekly goals.
And then I take it even further. I track my progress against my goals. I check in weekly to see my progress. And to see when I’m off track.
You’ll never really know how you are performing if you don’t set intentional goals and then track against them.
To truly focus, set your goals. Get specific. Track them weekly.
Most importantly, celebrate progress. And ask for help from a coach or mentor when you fall off track. That simply means it’s time to pivot.
- Schedule Strategy Time: Strategy allows you to work on your business, not in your business. It allows you to think big and continue to grow.
Without strategy and without working on your business, you have a job. It’s critical to intentionally schedule time for strategy.
I challenge you to begin by scheduling 1 hour of strategy time each month. Unplug, remove all distractions and write out all your big ideas for your business. Strategize. - Set Success Goals: Step one is to make a list of all the things that get in the way of your success on a regular daily or weekly basis.
Then set rules to mitigate those habits that get in the way.
For example, I used to watch online shows too much. Over time, I set rules to allow me to reduce my time so that I had more time to hit my important goals.
Here are some of my success rules: I limit my alcohol intake during the week. I avoid traveling for work when possible. I only work 45-50 hours a week. I schedule recovery time before and after travel. 2 Sundays a month I schedule NOTHING so I can recover and flow. I avoid phone and email distractions while working. I exercise 4-5 times a week.
3 Connection Strategies:
- Set Connection & Self-Care Goals: I used to measure success against financial or career goals. I would set and track these goals.
Then, I had some major life transitions and I realized that success is about so much more.
Success is about your relationship to yourself and others. Your health matters most.
Now I set goals for excellent self care which includes exercise, healthy eating, time for cooking and time for doing things I love.
I also set goals for connection. Connection to my family, friends and community.
Track your connection and self-care goals. They are the foundation to a happy and healthy life. - Set Communication Goals: I didn’t always have such a supportive and vibrant community of friends. That took time to build.
Building an amazing community and tribe takes commitment. This means setting communication goals and staying in touch with those you care about.
I like to keep in touch with my family throughout the week even though we are far apart. I keep in touch with my business community bi-weekly. My existing clients weekly. My close friends bi-weekly.
Set communication goals for your various circles of connections and then stick to them.
Listen to your intuition for when you should reach out to people. I can’t tell you how many times I have an idea to connect with someone and when I do they are thinking about me too. Pretty cool, right?
Today connection is more important than ever. - Set a Daily Intention: Do you ever wake up and feel like the day has already gotten away from you?
This is why it’s important to start your morning with an intention.
That intention could be healing if you aren’t feeling well. It could be connection if you have a lot of meetings that day or just crave connection. It could be compassion.
Whatever that intention is, set it, visualize it and then remind yourself throughout the day of what it was. Maybe write it down on a post-it and take that with you as a reminder.
It makes a HUGE difference. It gives you a compass for the day. It helps you define your day and show up with intention in the way you want to show up.
Share
This month has been all about focus and connection. I hope these tips, tricks, stories and ideas have inspired you.
What is one action you are committed to taking today?
Without action, nothing changes. You deserve the life and dreams you seek. What’s stopping you?
Need Support?
Are you struggling with these steps?
I’m here to help. Schedule a coaching call so we can get you unstuck and build out a plan to help you move forward.
