Most of us begin each day with a long list of tasks on our “to do” list, all of them calling our name. And, most likely the list is in both our personal and our professional life. It is a common request among coaching clients to ask for support in how to get re-focused and create boundaries and get more done in their day. With so many demands, one can easily feel overwhelmed and lost focus on the big picture.
How many times have you looked back at the end of the day, wondering what was accomplished?
Let’s look at a few ways to get re-focused, and back on track today. And, do it again tomorrow until new habits are formed.
Tips to refocus and re- energize to feel accomplished at the end of today:
1. Eliminate the distractions. Get rid of the barriers that are causing you to avoid getting things done – it’s that simple! Forget about checking email every five minutes; those emails will still be there when you complete your task. Make a list of the distractions, and eliminate them. Here are a few most of us can relate to:
- Set all phones, (yes that includes your smart phone) on silent for a while and give yourself permission to let voice mail take over
- Close the blinds in your office if you find the outdoors distracting you
- Turn off the radio, stock market reports, tv
- If you are not on the computer, turn off all the bells and whistles and turfn away from the monitor and try to avoid looking at the screen until the task at hand is completed
- Temporarily close the door to your office to allow for privacy and reduce the number of “drop ins”. Sometimes, you may also want to hang a friendly note on the door asking not to be disturbed and post the time you will be available.
- Do It, Delegate It, or Defer It! You have only these 3 options when going thru your paperwork and emails.. Do it if it takes less than 2 miutes. Delegate it – if the action will take longer than 2 minutes ask yourself “am I the right person to do this? If the answer is no, delegate it to the appropriate person. Defer it if the action will take longer than 2 minutes, and you are the right person to do it. Schedule the time on your calendar as needed.
2. Prioritize your work or it will prioritize for you! Rather than working on projects simultaneously, take one thing at a time, focus on it, and worry about all the other projects later. Ultimately, you’ll get a lot more done and you’ll finish it more quickly. You’ll also be recognized by the high quality that you deliver when you’re free from distractions. Find a way to prioritize what works best for you. Choose either the project that has the earliest deadline or the one with the least components so you can finish it quickly and get it out of the way. There are pros and cons to both systems so tackle it whichever way works for you.
3. Ask others to respect your time. There are many nice and respectful ways to tell people to back off. If you’re finding yourself in a time crunch and can’t seem to get away from others, consider letting them know that you need time to finish some important tasks. There are a lot of different ways to do it – just make sure you do!
- Set times that you’ll accept phone calls and even visitors. Tell them to contact you by email and then set a regular time to check your email.
- Set business hours during which people can expect you to return their calls or emails.
4. Set some limitations with your internet access. The internet is wonderful but it can be a huge time waster, especially if you work at a computer all day long. Regain your focus with some self-imposed rules.
- Close all those windows you’re not using.
- Limit your time on Social Mediaor FaceBook
- Establish certain times each day to use these fun things and just focus on what you have to do. You’ll quickly accomplish more!
5. Be confident in your abilities. This may seem like a really small thing when it comes to focusing and getting back on task, but believing that you can get everything done that you set out to do puts you in a positive frame of mind and you’ll be less distracted with stress and worry. Have confidence that you can complete each task with ease and believe in your ability to deliver. If you’ll have the confidence, you’re sure to have the focus!
Hang in there. Don’t beat yourself up if you try and find that you fall back into the old habits… dust yourself off and start again. It’s all about changing old habits and it takes a while.
I would love to hear from some of you who have similar experiences or additional quick tips to add to these .
