How To Create More Focus In Your Business

Do you have focus in your business?  

Or….more of a scattergun approach of doing all the things all the time with all the tabs open and feeling like you’re not getting ANYTHING done?

You’re not alone!

Creating or having focus is something I think we MASSIVELY over complicate and is often a symptom of overwhelm.

Let’s be honest here, you KNOW the tasks that you REALLY should be focusing on…you’re just choosing to do the other ones.  

The ones I call the ‘busy being busy’ tasks.

Now, there are a LOT of reasons we might be doing this.  

Overwhelm, procrastination, fear of success, fear of failure, shiny object syndrome, fear of what actually getting what you want may bring into your life or take away from it and feeling like you have to be in all the places…the list goes on and on.

SO, we’re going to reign it in right now and KISS it goodbye.  

Huh? ‘What the fudge are you talking about Fran?!’  

 

KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid.

 

This is something I say a LOT.  In the Proactive Pants Mastermind, to clients, to friends and to myself.

I always ask myself, ‘What if it were simple?’

As a previous serial over complicator I’m o/n a mission to simplify things so that’s what we’re going to do.

First we have to break down all the things you’re currently doing and what you do actually NEED on that list and what can go straight away.

What are you trying to achieve with each task?  

How does it fit into the big picture?

Next, based on Pareto’s 80:20 principle where 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions, highlight the activities that directly move the needle in your business.  

What tasks could actually create revenue for you?  

What tasks could create audience growth for you?  

Essentially, that’s where your focus should be!  Makes sense right?!

 

Do the things that will make the difference.

 

Every week work out, based on your answers to those questions, what your tasks are going to be for THAT week (with the bigger picture in mind but not dominating or distracting)

Every day pick 3 things that will move you closer to your end goal for that week.

If you have time for more, awesome, if not…you’ve done at least 15 things that will be moving you closer to your goal.

 

Schedule, schedule, schedule.  

 

If you’ve been following me for a while you know how much I love a schedule.  

If it ain’t in the diary, it ain’t happening! Make it easy on yourself.  

Break your day down into chunks so you’re not constantly distracted.  

A time for email, a time for content creation, a time for life admin, a time to mindlessly scroll your newsfeed.  

Yep…even that!  

When you know you have time in for it you’re much less likely to do it when you want to concentrate on something else….you may even find you don’t even WANT to do it and just get back to being the awesome productive person that you are ;-).

Be so freaking intentional with and protective of your time.  (Here’s 13 ways to find more time in your day)

 

Don’t sweat the small stuff and let it shift your focus.  

 

Where focus goes energy flows so when you’re focusing on things that aren’t going so well you’re losing sight of the things that are.  Half the time those things, upon closer inspection, really don’t matter all that much anyway!

When you find yourself going down that road use your awareness to get yourself out of it and remind yourself of all the things that ARE going well and get excited about all the good things that are still to come.

 

Watch out for the forks in the road

 

Work out what might get in the way of you achieving your goals and find a work around BEFORE it ever becomes an issue.

Don’t confuse this with thinking the worst or being negative, it’s knowing you can always find a solution and a way forward.

It’s resilience and behavioural flexibility.  BOTH of which are a winning combination in business.

Set your goal and brainstorm what might get in your way and try and think of 3 potential ways past any obstacles that might come up for you.

Then you hopefully won’t have any nasty surprises, you’ll feel totally prepared and you’ll KNOW it all leads to a good outcome. Whoop!  

 

Keep that vision in mind.  

 

Always, always, always know what you’re working towards and why.  

Remind yourself what having it could bring into your life and why you want it.

Make sure you have a clearly mapped out plan with your goals laid out so it’s super clear how you’re going to get where you’re going.  

Fail to plan, plan to fail.  

If you’re not clear and focused in your vision, how to you expect to stay clear and focused when you’re working towards it?

Set it out, but then let go of the attachment to it.

Your plan is in place, you don’t need to worry about it.  The harder you push the harder it gets, just follow the plan.

 

Oh so shiny

 

Use your awareness to be super sensitive to the thoughts that can veer you off track and send you down the road of shiny object syndrome thinking you have to master everything all at once.

If you feel yourself going down that road ask yourself if you’ve given yourself/a strategy enough time to work before you move onto another one. Be HONEST with yourself.  Check in with your original plan.

 

Turn around once in a while

 

Regularly check back on how far you’ve come.  

No matter how much you feel in the moment like you’re not getting anywhere you will have made a TONNE of progress that you’ve just not acknowledged.

Take the time to celebrate.

Check in with what you’ve done that previously you didn’t think you could, what have you learned, what have you created.  

Be proud of yourself for what you’re doing and remind yourself why the focus is important.

 

Have someone to be accountable to.  

 

Make it easy on yourself.  When you have someone else keeping you on track and someone you’re answering to guess what…you’re more focused!

 

Fx

Fran Excell, Subconscious Success Mentor – Helping Business Owners Overcome Self Sabotage & Get More Done In Less Time at www.franexcell.com

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