In the previous lesson, you learned how the quality of your relationships has a big impact on the results you produce. In this lesson, we look at another important success principle that will affect how much you can accomplish as you move forward in creating your best year.
Building laser focus, so you can increase productivity.
You see, building laser focus can be challenging for some people. Getting distracted is something that will happen, especially if you don't have enough clarity about your purpose, vision, and goals.
When you have goals, you know what you're working towards, and there are some things you can do to help you become more focused on achieving the task at hand that's going to lead you closer to those goals and creating your best year ever.
There's a saying that goes, "If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one."
Being focused on your milestones, one at a time is important if you want to be productive. But one of the challenges today is that we have involved so much technology in our lives, and our attention span has decreased so much, that there are thousands of distractions sitting right around us all the time.
So, I'm going to share with you 5 ways in which you can build laser focus in a way that it helps you be more productive once you begin to implement your 90-day inspired action plan, which we cover in a later lesson.
Develop a Productive Environment
Build an environment that has only the most important things for you to accomplish whatever it is you're working on.
For most people, you really don't need a television, music system and other distractions whenever you are going to get work done. It may sound self-explanatory, but some people just set themselves up for failure by having things in their working environment that will absolutely take their focus away from the task at hand.
A clean, distraction-free environment leads to more productivity and more focus, and more of getting things done. So, if you want to build a laser focus, take a look at your environment.
Are distractions something that keep holding you back from having a productive day? And if so, start there, start eliminating those distractions, so that your mind has more of a singular focus without having to worry about things coming up or in the background.
Focus on the Bigger Goals
This goes back to having a well-defined purpose and a vision, which we learned about in the first two lessons.
Don't waste a lot of time on mundane tasks. Things that are ordinary and keep you going in circles.
When you know and understand your purpose, vision and goals, – only then can you refocus and get in alignment with that big picture.
A lot of times, small things that have nothing to do with the big picture can take away our focus.
So, you have to have that commitment and that discipline, and one of the ways to do that is by having a reminder, whether it's on a board, on your desk, on your phone… have a reminder of what it is that you're ultimately working towards. That will help you stay laser focused.
Avoid "Multitasking"
You can only get the maximum performance out of yourself by concentrating single-mindedly on ONE thing. THE most important thing. And then, doing that thing, until it is 100% complete.
So focus on one task at a time, rather than trying to attempt multi-tasking. You may feel that multi-tasking gets more work done in less time, but that is not always the case.
In fact, for the most part, we take longer to complete our tasks when multitasking. So, focus on one task at a time instead, so you can build laser focus.
Prioritize
When you prioritize, you get more focus out of yourself by working on the things that matter most to you first. Make a list of the items you need to work on and assign timelines as well as a level of importance and urgency to those items.
When you do that, you're not working on one thing while worrying about another, which means more laser focus on the task at hand, and the top priorities.
Practice Mindfulness
Meaning, become more aware of where you are and what you're doing, without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around you.
Be present with what you're working on by using a time-block for that specific task… For example, do 30 minutes or an hour, or whatever time you can dedicate to that task, and then be fully present, laser focused (in your thoughts, in your emotions, in your senses) in doing that task before moving on to anything else.
All of these simple strategies will help you become more laser focused and increase your productivity as you work to create your best year ever.
Develop a productive environment, keep in mind the bigger picture, avoid multitasking, prioritize your actions and practice mindfulness. In the next lesson, we will cover another success habit critical to your success over the next 12 months.
