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Guard Your Focus by Kimberly McCloskey
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Guard Your Focus |
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Advice,Self Improvement,Motivation
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Do you ever find it difficult to begin a new project or to stick to it long enough to see it through to completion? I'm sure you have. I think everyone has faced this problem at some point - some of us more than others. Maybe we've even scheduled the time needed, but the creative juices simply aren't flowing or we're experiencing interruptions that are distracting to us. How can we take control of the situation and make ourselves focus on this one project, this one task? It really is easier than you think. Take these steps to guard your focus: - Eliminate Distractions: I've said it a million times and my research backs it up - you must limit interruptions in order to focus. There's no way around it. That means no new email popping up on your screen, no instant messaging, no TV or radio, and no phone (that's what voice mail is for!). If there are noises outside of your office and you are able to close your door - do it.
- Reduce Interruptions: If you have people who come into your office to chat or ask questions, you have to make an immediate decision of how important the interruption is. If it can be put off for an hour - politely do it. However, I believe a good way to completely avoid these types of interruptions is to close your door when you need to focus. Tell others of your strategy in advance and I'm sure they will be willing to comply.
- Don't Delay: Do the most important project or task early in your day, or dare I say, first. If you put it off you will inevitably get busy with other things and suddenly you'll realize the entire day has passed you by. Furthermore, procrastinating sometimes makes difficult tasks harder - maybe because the dread builds up inside of you or simply because you get tired or stressed.
- Make a Plan: Sometimes it can be helpful to take a few minutes to visualize what you need to accomplish with this project. Think about the steps you need to take and write them down to help keep you moving forward.
- Ask Questions: Believe it or not, asking yourself questions about the project will help you focus. Relevant questions help you think deeper and deeper about the topic. What is the purpose of this project? How do I want others to feel upon its completion? What message do I want to get across? Where did this idea originate?
- Time Marches On: It's a simple fact that time moves faster than you realize, so know up front that you may not complete your project in one sitting. If you go into your project knowing that it will take several hours to complete, schedule time blocks to work on it to give yourself a break in-between to refresh or handle other important tasks.
- Habitual Completions: Complete everything you start and make a habit of doing so. Otherwise, knowing you have incomplete projects will lower your self esteem, motivation and effectiveness and these will spill over into areas other than the projects left undone.
- Self Control: All of the above points are going to involve developing your will power to stick to these new routines. Habits are not formed overnight, so you must put forth the effort to ensure they work. Soon you will realize the benefits of knowing how to focus your attentions and be more productive.
When we focus our attention on one particular thing, we become hypersensitive to information around us, information that we otherwise might have missed. A nifty example is that I never noticed painted horses before I got my own, then suddenly I saw painted horses everywhere. I'm sure the same has happened with you when you bought a new car; you probably began seeing that same car every place you went. Right? Why not harness that natural power of our minds and use it when we need it? Learn to be conscious of how to focus your thoughts on demand. Through determination, discipline and patience you will surely reap the benefits of getting much more accomplished in a short amount of time. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE? You may as long as you let me know and include this blurb with it: (C) 1/26/2010 by Virtual Assistant Kimberly J. McCloskey who writes articles to help everyone improve their personal and professional efficiency. Request your subscription to her newsletter at kimberly.j.mccloskey @ gmail.com.
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focus, eliminate distractions, reduce interruptions, ask questions,
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