In This Episode…
After realising I needed to get focused, and given my propensity for creating processes out of anything, I came up with a four step process for getting focused on a project.
It’s still a work in progress, and I’d be interested to know what you think.
Episode Show Notes…
Four Words For Focus
After mulling over my project choices last night I realised that I need to dive in deeper to each of the projects, but in turn.
Thinking I can progress each one simultaneously by nibbling away at each of them is not practical and certainly isn’t realistic. I’ve been fooling myself, not least because it’s not what I know to be good practice and certainly isn’t what I teach!
But knowing the theory and putting it into practice can sometimes be difficult (at least for me anyway).
So in the depth of another ponder, 4 words came to me.
- Commitment.
It’s vital that I commit to whatever project I decide is going to be my “Next Thing” as a stepping stone towards my Main Thing. Making that commitment will require courage. This is the courage to shut out all other possibilities whilst working on the one I choose. It might mean I have to endure discomfort as other projects wallow for a while. It might mean the courage to put up with other people complaining for a while.
Making the choice of what to commit to is also part of making the commitment. Having a mechanism or an approach to follow to make the choice really helps. That can be Gary Keller’s One Thing Question, the 80/20 rule processing or just a simple prioritisation. But however you decide to choose, you have to make a choice.
And then having made a choice, you then actually have to decide. I can remember Tony Robbins saying that decide means to cut off all other possibilities. Making a true decision means true commitment because there is no turning back.
Other words that support making a commitment are Pain and Pleasure. If you get clear on what is going to happen if you don’t commit (PAIN) and balance that against what is going to happen if you do commit (PLEASURE) then the commitment will be stronger.
- Clarity
I’ve said this many times on this podcast and in my Masterclasses, but my favourite quote is “resistance is often the lack of clarity”.
So it is important to get clear on what the outcome of the project is AND what it’s purpose is.
- Focus
There are two dimensions when it comes to focus. The first is in the nature of the project itself.
Will the project itself be laser targeted? If it isn’t then it’s effectiveness could be brought into question.
The other dimension of focus is that which you’ll bring to the project in terms of your time and attention. It is so very easy to be distracted, especially because as a species we are hard wired for it. So marshalling your attention onto JUST this project will increase its probability of success.
- Energy
This word sprung to mind because throwing myself into the task with all the energy I can muster will help create momentum and will speed up its delivery.
