"Where Focus Goes, Energy Flows!"

We're only a few days in to 2021, and I'm noticing a trend among my friends and family as we wish each other a Happy New Year, and discuss our "plans" for 2021. The word plans is in quotes because, well, didn't we all have EPIC plans for 2020?!?

I chuckled at my journal entries of 2019 of how epic 2020 was going to be for me. How it was going to be the best year I've had in a long time. Well, epic was certainly fitting! As I know it was for the ENTIRE WORLD! Just to be clear, epic in this sense means particularly impressive or remarkable. Thanks Google! ;-)

Now, please don't get me wrong. My 2020 was still very blessed and I encountered many positive days, weeks, months, and events. But just as I had good days, I had some bad days too. So is life....

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the real reason for this writing:

F O C U S

Or, lack thereof for some of us. I'd like to share with you a few tips that I have embraced and incorporated into my morning routine, and the things I do to help me stay focused to achieve my routine goals. Why? Well, because just like I have morning routine goals, you may have goals that you plan to accomplish as well and the one thing we ALL need to do that is.....yep, you guessed it! FOCUS! So here it goes. The top 7 things I do to help myself accomplish my morning routine goals.

#1.) Set a goal. An accomplishment. An "I'd-like-to-do_____".

We need to start there so that we can identify what we need to focus on. Without the goal, there's no need for focus. Starting with a goal gets your mind, which is automatically set to give you more of what you want, into gear to help you accomplish said goal.

#2.) WRITE IT DOWN....your goals that is.....

Writing your goal(s), or "I'd-like-to___" down, helps to prioritize the many goals you may have swirling in your head. It also helps clarify what really needs attention at the present moment, and what can wait. This helps me keep anxiety at bay. When I start to feel overwhelm because of my laundry list of to-do's, it's usually because I haven't taken the time to get the list out of my head and onto paper. Writing your goals can help you see what's in your head more clearly and gives you a better chance of completing your goals.

#3.) Find a quiet thinking place.

This tip was from my mom, who enjoys her quiet, thinking places. Separating yourself from the noise of life itself, detaching from those who are vying for your attention, and giving yourself permission to ponder for YOURSELF are all ways to help you focus. On whatever! Since our goals are as different as we are, a quiet thinking place may be more necessary for some than it is for others. And that's ok too. Either way, some quiet time alone will do a goal, and your body, some good.

#4.) Meditate.

While you're in your quiet, thinking place thinking, take it a step further and meditate on your thoughts. Like give yourself some time to meditate not only on your goals, but your 'why' for these goals. Having a goal and a reason for wanting to accomplish them will certainly help you stay focused on achieving them. Get your head in the game. I have learned that meditation helps me center myself and focus on the present tasks. Where focus goes, energy flows.

#5.) Eliminate distractions.

We all encounter distractions. And they usually come up just when you've decided THIS is what I'm going to do-whatever THIS is for you. Did you decide you'd complete some online coursework? BOOM, the phone rings. Did you decide you would exercise in the morning? BOOM, you overslept. Did you decide you'd work on yourself with some self-care? BOOM, everyone else needs you. Did you decide you'd tackle that bathroom project? BOOM, that out of place object that you went to put away in its rightful place got you cleaning out your shoe closet and locating donation bags for clothes you no longer wear! Again, so is life. But maybe I can help.

Try this:

Choose a time that you will dedicate just for YOU! Use your phone or other electronic device's Digital Wellbeing app, or download one to help you choose a time range to focus on what YOU want to accomplish for yourself by eliminating distractions. My phone comes with a built-in Digital Wellbeing portal where I can choose the most distracting notifications and set a timer so that I won't receive them within the time frame I've set for MYSELF. It's a way for me to be sure I've given myself time to fill my cup enough to be able to pour into and for others.

When it comes to tasks that need your undivided attention, use the app in the same manner. The only apps that will be available to you are the ones that will help move you closer to your goal. Remember that bathroom project? Perhaps the only app that should be available are those that keep you motivated to stay focused on the bathroom. That out of place object? Do not leave the bathroom. Put the object in a bin dedicated to out of place things and put it away when you're done with the bathroom. Music, Audiobooks, or podcasts about bathroom remodels can give you something to listen to as you tackle your project and they are talking about the very thing you are working on. The moral of this tip is, take away anything that does not serve your goal's purpose and get back to them when you're finished.

#6) Set a timer.

There are two reasons why I love the idea of setting a timer for my tasks:

6a) Setting a timer helps me keep a check on my ever-present "squirrel moments". You know, those thoughts, memories, or to-do's that always seem to help squirrel us away from what we are currently working on. Knowing my timer is ticking helps me live in the squirrel moments, but get back to the task at hand because I'd like to finish my task by the time the timer goes off. I also know that I cannot spend all day on a certain task. Life certainly will call us to a different direction. My timer keeps me FOCUSED on the tasks needed to complete the ultimate goal so that I am ready to move on when it's time.

6b) Setting a timer helps me see the end at the beginning. It gives me something to look forward to. In the case of my morning routine, it's the next task. Setting a timer helps relax me in knowing that whatever I'm trying to complete will either be completed in the time I've allotted, or it won't. Either way, I will be ok. Big task? Chip away at it daily, a little at a time. I've found that my timer sweet spot is 30 minutes. I review the goals/tasks/to-do's that I've written down. I then prioritize what I should focus on completing first. I set the goal to complete it, and a reasonable time to do it. Let me emphasize reasonable here. It is not reasonable for me to set a 15 minute timer to journal, read, and pray no more than it is to set a 3 hour timer to do the same. Fifteen minutes is not enough time to reasonably complete that task, and I do not have 3 hours to do it either. So I meet myself in the middle, and adjust accordingly.

Let's go back to the bathroom scenario. Bathrooms can be projects to tackle depending on your goal. Have no fear. Maybe a week is a reasonable time for you to complete your bathroom project. Within that week, set a timer for which you can reasonably accommodate to be able to tackle one smaller project at a time. You can say to yourself, "I will take thirty to sixty minutes to clean under the counter. Whatever gets done will be done, and what doesn't I will revisit tomorrow." By the time you get to day 3, you may realize you have accomplished more than you thought because you gave dedicated focus on it for one to two hours within the past 2 days. AMAZING! Keep going! Apply this logic to all areas of your life!

And finally,

#7.) Act on your goals. And keep on acting on them!

Have you ever heard the saying, "Where focus goes, energy flows"? NEAT! ME TOO!!! I have learned that who, or what I give the most attention to is who, or what I am focusing on the most. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Yep, and that's exactly why I use this trick to help me complete my morning routine goals. I act on them by focusing on them. I focus on them so that I can act on them. Have you noticed a trend here yet?

Setting all the goals, finding all the mediation spaces, setting all the timers, and even eliminating as many distractions as possible won't really matter if after doing all that you still don't ACT on your goals. That means taking actionable steps toward achieving them. The whole point of the first six tips is to help you act on your goals....annnnnd accomplish them! And the purpose of this writing is to give you some ways to it!

Happy accomplishing! And Happy New Year! Welcome to a focused 2021!

Like what you read? Spread the read, and the tips! ;-)