EP18: Find Focus Time for Success

DTD Episode 18 Show Notes

Find Focus Time for Success 

Click to download the show notes for the Defeat the Drama Podcast Episode 18

timethinkWhen I’m working towards a goal and it feels like I might not achieve it, or perhaps things aren’t going as quickly as I’d like, I tend to just get moving. There are a host of activities I can engage in to try to MAKE my goal happen.

I must admit, it’s happened from time to time during the launch of this podcast. It can be very nerve wracking putting yourself out to the scrutiny of the world. I’ve long had a desire to help more people remove the drama that steals focus in their businesses. I feel a push to get my information to as many leaders and entrepreneurs as possible. I can begin to feel anxious and then get caught up in looking at stats or comparing myself to others, none of which helps me meet my objective.

If only our success could be directly proportional to the velocity of our actions, or could somehow guarantee our achievements.

Busyness does not equal effective and activity isn’t an immediate path to success. If our full motivation is action we may lose much of our focus. Because, often in our race to get in action we forget to just be, consider and contemplate. We lose the opportunity to generate creative, focused action.

We live in a world of do, do, do so we sometimes get caught in the delusion that doing creates success.

In our businesses even the simplest challenges can seem daunting as we get caught on the hamster wheel of doing to get.

Our to do lists get out of control as we write, type and capture actions on paper, task lists and sticky notes.

We focus on getting things checked off over what’s the best use of time. We forget to prioritize and instead accomplish. What’s the easiest? What’s the quickest?

I’ve coached my clients through many situations where the real response was not to do but to stop!

As a leader you need time to sit, think and contemplate on what was, what’s next and which specific actions put you on the path to your destination.

I recommend taking time out at least once a week to think about your business; the work on your business not in it concept. Call it what you’d like, Starbucks time, contemplative minutes, me time, creativity hour.

Carve it out and hold it sacred. Find a way to communicate to your team that this is anti- interruption time. Put a sign on your door, mark it in a shared calendar, leave the premises if you can. And during that time brainstorm, think and be. Ponder, dream, brainstorm, vision, create, design targeted action.

Do anything but worry, stress, task, perseverate. Worry and fear steal focus and zap creative thought.

Using time this way is a great investment in your business. It will encourage you to slow down and really put thought into your next moves.

And, if you are in a time of transition, it’s even more important. I have coached so many of my clients through challenging times of significant change. Over and over I must remind them that this might not be a time for doing. Give yourself grace and some nice down time.

I’ve dubbed it the “Cocoon phase”. Think, contemplate, heal, generate, prepare. Often it takes a lot more thinking and being than doing.

Like a butterfly, you tuck in for a bit, undergo a metamorphosis and emerge all new on the other side.

So, my action step for you today is to determine when your downtime will be. Will you schedule it weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? Will it be one hour or four? During what time of day are you most creative? Where will you go? How will you communicate it to your team so that you can actually do it? Without a solid plan it probably won’t happen.

And then once you get there focus, create, be and enjoy!

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