We all have the same 24 hours in a day, right? How is it that your pal with the jewelry business manages to get so much more done in a day than you do? She has more kids, more responsibilities and more work. But she seems to get it all done while you feel like you are always struggling.
I am finding that the main reason I don’t get as much done as I’d like to comes down to focus.
How many hours a day do you spend doing stuff that doesn’t really matter? Stuff that doesn’t get you anywhere? Stuff that doesn’t make much difference in your happiness level? And by happiness, I mean that feeling of accomplishment you get at the end of a day when you realize you got quite a lot accomplished.
So, how many hours do you spend in front of your computer constantly checking e-mail or your social networks? How many hours do you spend falling down various Internet rabbit holes? Maybe it’s a few minutes or an hour. Keep a log – write down your activities during the day and see how much time you actually spend doing random things in front of your computer. You won’t believe how much time you actually spend wasting precious time.
How do you get those hours back?
- Shut off your computer if you aren’t actively using it. It’s far too easy to just plop down to check on one little thing and find yourself in the same spot 30 minutes later. Sure, you’ve discovered a new blog, decided on what you will make for dinner and maybe even sourced new items for your inventory, but you haven’t not shipped any items or made a single thing (or completed any other activities you intended to accomplish that day).
- Turn off sound notifications. If you are using your computer to get some work done, turn off the sound notifications for all of your email and social media sites. It’s very tempting to just click over to see who replied to your last Twitter comment only to click on a link in an interesting tweet and then find yourself on an entirely different website. Also turn the sound notifications off on your phone.
- Close your email. If you are trying to update your spreadsheet or write an article for a website (ahem!) then make sure to close the window for your email program. It’s far too easy to check it very few minutes to see if something new has come in.
- When you are working, it might help to remind yourself once in a while of what you are supposed to be doing. I’ve caught myself wandering away from the task at hand and actually said out loud, “We are doing ____ right now” to redirect my focus. I know, I sound like a kindergarten teacher, but it works. Just a gentle reminder to direct my attention to the task at hand.
So you see, it may not be that your pal has any other trick up her sleeve for getting all of her work accomplished other than focusing on the task at hand.
When your mind wonders, how do you re-focus your attention?
By: Vicki O’Dell, The Creative Goddess
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