When you’re running your own business, staying on top of your mission and plan are vital to your success, which demands a lot of focus. This isn’t always easy when daily distractions are engulfing, your to-do list is getting longer, and meetings are always being requested. Research by Basex found that time spent per day being interrupted by distractions and trying to refocus is 2.1 hours. How is it possible to stay super focused on your business, all week long? Try some of these strategies and watch your attention soar.
Always Rehearse
When you have a lot on your plate, sometimes big tasks and decisions that need to be made can lead to your focus being lost as you deliberate over outcomes and strategies. Instead of overthinking things and only ruminating towards the end result, it pays to always rehearse what you’re supposed to be doing. Look at the entire process from start to finish in your head, and think about doing it smoothly and achieving your goals. This allows you to focus on the key task in hand, as well as forecasting any obstacles that you might need to overcome.
Say No & Delegate More
It goes without saying that your presence is always going to be in demand as a business owner, whether via two dozen emails an hour or meeting request after meeting request. If you said yes to everything, you’d never get anything done and your focus would be shelved. By having a clear focus on what you want to achieve, you can have an unobstructed path of what is required each day and what you really need to do to get ahead. This might mean saying no more than you’re used to; this happens in business, but needed if something isn’t of benefit or is a time drain. In doing so you can spend more time and focus on things that really matter. Too much work to have time to focus on what’s ahead? Delegate more to staff members or a Virtual Assistant, ridding yourself of projects that don’t lie within your key strengths and allowing you concentration elsewhere. Do the same for your to-do list. Assess what is necessary and really chop and trim the rest. Your attention will definitely switch back to the core of what is important.
Look After Your Energy
To stay focused, you need your energy levels to be up. This means taking regular breaks, eating healthy food, exercising and getting fresh air. All of these things are very easy to put off when the day takes hold and you find yourself with little time to spare, but you need to make time. When you don’t look after yourself, you’ll find your energy dwindling and therefore your focus. Go to bed at a regular time, look after your health and remember that energy contributes towards your concentration; it isn’t worth neglecting.
Always Review
Not everything works the way you want it to; that would be a perfect world. Therefore it is important to regularly and consistently review what has worked and what hasn’t worked. By checking in on strategies and plans regularly, you’re aware of what is happening in every aspect of your business and whether it is worth continuing certain projects or tasks. If something isn’t profitable or isn’t bringing the benefits you were hoping for, review all aspects of it and let it go. In doing so, you’re staying focused on even the smallest of tasks that contribute towards the bigger picture. Reviewing your own work practices is also worthy of your time; what did you do today that was worth it, but what was a time drainer and a distraction? You can decide from here whether your focus is worthy of somewhere else or if you need to improve certain aspects of your day.
Add Structure
Going in to a work day without a structure and overall plan, will inevitably lead to chaos. Yes you might have tasks in mind and a few meetings, but without a solid plan, focus will get lost, your day will become unproductive and you’ll lose motivation. It doesn’t need to be a very fixed plan, but a sensible one. Have a set time to check emails. Block your calendar and shut your door at a particular time. Aim to use your lunch hour wisely. Having a structure means discovering what works for your own daily scheduling, but at the same time it challenges you to improve your focus.
