All Things Inspired

When we focus, we are better able to see the things we desire more clearly!

When we begin to focus, we are better able to see the things we desire more clearly. Focusing is not a flip of the switch, constant function of our existence, however. You must be cognizant of the fact that staying focused will require effort and attention.

There has never been a more distracting era than the present time. We exist in an environment of noise. While advances in technology have been fascinating and beneficial, they have also created distractions. Referred to as a digital distraction, our growing dependency on technology can have an adverse effect on our ability to focus when we use it to perform multiple tasks at once, leading to an information overload. When this occurs, the constant distractions can cause us to see a decrease in our ability to focus.

Likewise, while technology allows us to connect with others more easily, it also creates isolation for many. Technology coupled with the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, we saw a significant increase in technology to replace face-to-face interactions. When this happens, we find that loneliness, disconnection, and isolation increases.

Staying focused in your daily activities is important in building habits. Habits that ultimately lead to success. Staying focused also improves your confidence, especially in the pursuit of your goals. Here are some tips to help you stay focused:

The obvious one; eliminating distractions - you must limit the interruptions to your day. Some are difficult to avoid, while others you can control. Awareness of the potential distractions is the key point of this tip. Know what could possibly create a distraction and avoid it!
Manage your calendar - it is vitally important to plan your week the previous Friday. No calendar should ever be rigid though, so adjusting as needed throughout the week will also help you manage your schedule. In being flexible in altering your schedule, you should then plan each day the night before, so you hit that day running. Otherwise you will start the day by wasting productive use of your time.
Review your goals - when we covered the topic of goal setting, we talked about starting with the end in mind and working backward to break your goals down to weekly and daily goals. When you are planning your week and/or days of the week, it's important to review what your goals were so your prioritized activities are inline with your goals.
Prioritize your activities - the important things first. What absolutely must be done? Do those things first, if possible. Next, do the difficult things. Difficult things don't always have to be done at that time or during a particular day, but if you attack the difficult things and complete them early in your day while you're at your highest energy point, it will help you avoid procrastination.
Set a positive and inspiring work environment - sometimes the distractions we encounter are created by the environment we are functioning in. If you find this to be challenging, find a location that is more conducive to accomplishing your daily goals.

Once you master the ability to stay focused in your activities, consider exploring ways to improve your focus. We can often fool ourselves into thinking that we are focused on our goals and what it takes to achieve them. However, everyone is guilty of having comfort zones and remember this, great things never come from comfort zones. As you are taking this journey of personal growth, ask yourself these two questions. Am I being the best version of myself that I can be? Is there room for me to improve in what I am doing? If you answer no and yes respectively to those questions, perhaps you can take the leap from staying focused to improving your focus.

We know now that focus is vital for you to be successful. Being focused is the result of developing personally. It is not something that you will master overnight. It must be developed over time and through much practice. Consider these four strategies for improving your focus:

Gain dominance over your distractors - earlier in the keys to staying focused we mentioned eliminating distractions. Meaning that you will be faced with many distractions in your journey, and you must choose at the time to either submit to the distraction or find a way to eliminate it. Where you begin to gain dominance is when you have confidence and fortitude in your approach to distractions. This can be difficult as before you were faced with a decision; do I let the distraction affect my plan or do I shut it out? In gaining dominance, you have predetermined that distraction doesn't exist. For example, a potential distraction surfaces and might actually gain your interest. It could be something that sounds fun or relaxing. Even though you know you have set deadlines for achieving your daily goals, you could succumb to distraction because you can't say no. Gaining dominance is learning how to say NO. Remind yourself that you have set goals for today and time does not allow for a spontaneous distraction.
Paralysis by analysis - don't overthink your plan. Yes, have a plan. Know what you're doing next week this week. Know what you're doing tomorrow today. You'll have to be flexible and not overthink the potential disruptions to your plan. Be flexible. Make decisions that are in the best interest of your time and goals.
Don't be a perfectionist - a killer of focus. If you wait until everything is perfectly aligned to act or execute your plan, you might never experience success. Being a perfectionist is a terrible idea. While everyone has experienced a degree of this, it's just not practical for being focused on your goals. There is a lot to be said about making progress toward accomplishing goals. You should always consider adjustments to your plan as you gain knowledge and experience. This will greatly improve your focus.
Enjoy your journey - having enlightenment of the process of being focused will in fact improve your focus. Simply put, if you don't enjoy the process of focusing on your goal, you might not have set the right goal to begin with. Engaging your creativity will help improve the process and make it more interesting for you. While we said begin with the end in mind, don't focus too much on the actual end result. In the process of focusing, you are trying to hone in on the daily or weekly goal. If you shift your focus to the end result you might actually lose your focus altogether.

In closing the topic on focus, just remember that improving focus and concentration is a process that takes time. You must first understand how focus, or lack thereof, can affect your life, your goals. Recognition of this is the first step to strengthening your focus. If you find that you are distracted continually by unimportant things, or not executing your plan as desired, you might need to find additional resources to help you better focus. Focus is essential in your journey of personal growth. Review the characteristics of being mentally strong. Understand what you should focus on and review the tips on how to stay focused. Once you've accomplished this, study the strategies for improving your focus and you will see the possibilities for success rather than the potential for failure. You might also...

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