The Up’s and Down’s of Staying Focused

I have mentioned in numerous posts the advantages of directing our focus and how it helps to guide attempts at creating greater meaning in our lives. But, as I conduct workshops the situation that continually comes up is someone feels they are focused but still find themselves drifting and can’t understand why.

Once we have decided to take a particular path, deciding is simply not enough. There has to be a certain amount of effort on our part to anchor desire to a definite path we have chosen. First, writing down the goal or desired outcome is a primary first step. I say that because a number of studies have indicated there is a psychological boost we humans receive when we write out something to which we wish to commit. In fact, we are almost psychologically programmed to adhere to a greater degree to the things we write down; and the mere act of writing it down causes us to begin some level of organization. So writing it down is crucial.

But once the list has been assembled there should be a second level of pondering that aids in project or goal completion: determining areas or steps that are high and low value. We mistakenly assume that if we are working on the points on our list then everything is fine when work for works sake is usually self defeating. If there are five steps or points for focus the next step is to spend some time evaluating the value of each. In other words, which point or step offers the greatest yield for the effort or input (some might call this a cost-benefit analysis). This step is critically important because it requires you to evaluate your strengths and how they match up with what it is that you want to do.

Determining and then writing out high and low value tasks serves to further narrow your focus and insures that you have thought out where your real interests lie. High value tasks are the things you will continually come back to because they offer the greatest benefit. Low value tasks will then become things that should be put off or if possible farmed out to someone else. This is an activity that should precede the evaluation of every “next step”: Is it a high or low value unit and what is the expectation for outcome in relation to what I have said I want?

I’ve walked through this process because life happens and there will always be something that falls across your path to draw you off the intended course. Applying this approach allows you to see the new event for what it really is, part of the plan or a distraction that leads to the dreaded dead end.

If you wish to delve further into this subject, I highly recommend the book “Wait: The Art and Science of Delay” as it highlights the benefits of reflection and how it aids in decision making. All you have to lose is dead ends and wrong way streets!