March 18, 2013 - Is your focus part of the problem? Are you having a difficult time focusing on essentials due to feeling a bit overwhelmed or is your focus so laser sharp that you could be missing critical opportunities? At either extreme, where and how you focus is pivotal to getting you where you ultimately desire to go. If you are having a difficult time focusing due to so many things demanding your attention, it is time to take a step back and determine what everything means to your big picture and to what you are attempting to achieve. If you are intensely focused and have been diligently working on a particular effort, but not seeing it moving forward as you had hoped it would, it is time to step back and review your efforts to-date in order to determine whether an infusion of new insights are needed.
Take an MM&I Moment to understand what your lack of focus or intense focus means in the scheme of what you are ultimately trying to achieve. If you are feeling a lack of focus, create a list all of the things that you are dealing with right now that are pulling you in multiple directions. Which things are absolutely critical because you are the only one who can move the project or situation forward? What are you doing that you would prefer someone else to be doing? What can you delegate to someone else? What is urgent and essential versus what is essential but can wait? Prioritizing in order better will help you see real progress again and help you gain a sense of being back in charge of what you are striving to realize. If you are frustrated because you are not seeing progress on something you have been purposefully working toward, then it may be time to take a slight break and concentrate elsewhere. List some other important initiatives toward which you can refocus your energies toward. Countless times, this fresh challenge opens up thinking, realizations and opportunities that help other initiatives move forward as well.
Synergized Quote of the Week
"No other principles of effectiveness are violated as constantly today as the basic principle of concentration." - Peter Drucker
Yours in synergistic thinking,
Sherre'