When it is time for me to write this weekly blog, many times I struggle with Focus.
It is difficult to Focus when I have no idea what to write about. I believe this is true for all of us. It is impossible to focus on completing a task which is poorly defined or for which we have no idea of where to start.
I find deadlines help me Focus. When I can procrastinate a task because the deadline has not arrived it is much easier to Focus on items of more interest, with more clarity, or with a more urgent deadline.
Having an interest or passion for a task also improves my Focus. Many of my life decisions are connected to what I believe God wants me to do. I like to believe all of my life decisions involve a God connection, though I question if it is possible.
Thus, having clarity of a task you have a passion to complete, with clear deadlines, and knowing how to accomplish the task all contribute to your ability to Focus.
An example for me is in writing these weekly blogs. The task is clear. Pick a topic. Write 500 to 600 words on the topic. I know this takes two to three hours for me to complete this task.
To date, my most frequent struggle has been picking the topic. My deadline is a week in advance to the blog being posted. Since this is a self-imposed deadline and I only have myself to be accountable to, when I am struggling with what topic to write about, it is much easier to miss the deadline.
I keep wanting to work ahead. But there are so many other tasks on my to-do list, it is easy to be distracted and work on other tasks with more pending self-imposed deadlines.
Thus, accountability often helps us Focus. At least it does for me.
Having too many items on my to do list I have found to be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to Focus.
It is a blessing because of the urgency of the pending deadline assigned to each task. It is a curse due to the distraction of so many competing items I consider equally or more important to complete timely.
This leads to many tasks being completed with less excellence than I desire due to an immediate deadline (lack of time).
So, working alone most of the time, setting my own deadlines requires a greater degree of self-discipline.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a frequent topic these days. I increasingly wonder if using AI would help me accomplish more in less time, if using AI would help me to Focus. I know it has helped my son to Focus. This may be a future topic.
Someone I met with recently noted he believed the biggest obstacle he had to be successful in his new career was for him to stay Focused. His personality and life experiences had taught him so many things and developed so many interests, staying Focused on his new career was a real challenge for him.
Thus, he was establishing accountability in his life to help him stay on track.
Hopefully this blog helps you better understand the primary factors in what it takes to be Focused and will help you accomplish a lot more with a lot less stress.
Writing it has certainly helped me.
