How I stay on track… Hmmm. Insert belly laugh here.
I haven’t done a very good job of staying on track this week. And today I figured out why. I have not been practicing the “Art of Refocus”.
It has been a week filled with distractions. Some pleasant and some… not so much. The problem, though, isn’t the distractions, it’s the fact that I let them lead me astray. I lose momentum then I lose motivation.
In the book “Your Brain at Work”, Dr. David Rock says it takes 25 minutes to recover from a distraction. When life only allows you to work in 15 minute or ½ hour chunks, a distraction can be the end of your day!
I can’t change all the things in my life but I can deal with distractions more effectively.
Enter The Art of Refocus
A while back, I received an email from Julie Stoian with the subject line “Why Focus Isn’t REALLY Your Problem“. In it she said, “Focus isn’t your issue. The movement of it… is.” and “If I were to boil down the NUMBER ONE thing that contributes to my productivity, it’s that I’ve exercised the muscle of REFOCUS.”.
I knew right then what my problem was this week. I had not been exercising my Refocus muscle. For a very long time.
I have been multi-tasking and that never works for me. My brain can either handle one thing well or multiple things poorly. I can’t even listen to a podcast while walking the dogs – I lose track of one or the other.
And all that multi-tasking has killed my focus and I need to get it back. I can’t control distractions but I can exercise my Refocus muscle and get better at working around them.
So, using Julie’s email and blog post as inspiration, I have devised a plan…
My Refocus Plan
Set my Intention
Whether it’s outline a blog post, draft an email, or create 3 Facebook posts, knowing what I need to get back to after a distraction is key.
The task has to focus on a concrete outcome and nothing else matters until this task is done. Except maybe the dog barfing on the carpet or blood from anywhere or anything. There are still some things that need to take precedence, right?
And it doesn’t matter if I pick the wrong thing. Making progress on the wrong thing is better than not doing anything at all.
Prepare
Get my pens, paper, research, whatever, all together so I can plant my bum in my chair and stay there until the task is done.
I’ll plan ahead what I’ll use as a marker to show me where I left off on a task so, if I do get distracted, I can find my way right back.
I will have a pen and paper handy to jot down those amazing ideas that pop up when I’m busy.
Minimize
I will close the office door, unplug the phone or turn off the ringer and close my email app to minimize distractions.
Set Boundaries
If someone else is around, I’ll let them know that I’m “off-limits” for the next ½ hour or however long I’ve chosen. Setting the boundary ahead of time might stop them coming in to ask where the peanut butter is…
Recognize my Limits
I know that, if I’m tired, there is no sense in trying to focus or refocus. I’m better off backing away and going for a walk or a nap.
Trying to refocus when I’m not at my best leads to frustration and then nothing gets done.
Commit
Refocusing is great but life happens. If something big comes up, there’s always tomorrow. There’s always tomorrow.
I need to keep reminding myself that Refocus takes practice. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. At least that’s the theory. I apparently have a lot of “exercising” to do!
One day I might master the art of refocus. Until then, though, I can enjoy the extra productivity when I do intentionally remember to refocus. And maybe next week, the reaction to “how I stay on track” will be positive instead of a belly laugh.
Give refocusing a try and let me know if it works for you!
