Many clients share their frustrations of losing focus and enthusiasm, and getting distracted (by others or by themselves!) and an overall sense of procrastination. This can impact on motivation, wellbeing, progress and success.

This can apply to anyone, whether you’re working in the corporate world, running a business, managing a team or working as part of a team.

I resonate with this, and it’s helpful to be reminded of what steps we can take to move us forward to a more productive, happier and successful state.

The same principles can be applied when engaging and coaching team members, and it’s a good reminder of how our own behaviour and approach can impact the motivation, focus and performance of others.

It tends to be that most of the reasons we cite for not staying focused are within our control. This is fabulous news, as we can make positive changes to achieve better results.

A few thoughts to consider:

• Be clear about your goals and objectives, for the year ahead, and for each month. A goal represents a statement of intent. An objective captures specifically what you will achieve, and by when. For example, on a personal level, I recently set myself a goal to improve my fitness, and to incorporate exercise into my life every day. My objective; to run a 5km distance by the end of February.
• Share your objective(s) and commitments with others. I’ve put my stake in the ground to run 5K on the 18th February with a friend at my local park run. Saying your objective out loud, and making that commitment, makes it more real, holds you to account, and it has a greater chance of happening!
• To achieve the objective, what do you need do to, specifically? Break the objective down into mile-stones and key tasks, and then prioritise. Don’t be put off starting a task until you have a substantial amount of time, as that just tends to cause a delay. Look for ways to make regular, impactful, progress.

• Think about who can support and challenge you to achieve your goal. Talk with your partner, friend, coach or business buddy, and explore what would influence your success. Invite someone to work with you or accompany you to give you the drive you need. Sometimes even a chat over a cuppa or a walk can spark ideas and create a shift in thinking and motivation.
• Keep your goals, objectives and key steps visible. Where can you display them, to help keep them `front of mind’?
• Recognise what distracts you and make the necessary changes. What new habits do you need to form? What boundaries do you need to set? In my exercise example, I have planned in my diary half an hour every day and made the commitment to NOT take that time out of the diary. After recognising that social media was a regular time stealer, I committed to logging on 3 times a day, for a maximum of 10 minutes. Each evening, I put my phone in a different room at 8pm and stop checking for new messages; this has improved my sleep and wellbeing as well as my focus and productivity.

• Review your achievements regularly. This might include what’s been your proudest achievement or biggest win? What have you done to influence this? What progress have you made today? Which of your strengths have been at play? How have you stretched myself (am I working outside of my comfort zone?). Try doing this monthly; review the past month, and plan for the following month. Today is a timely day to do this :o)
• Consider the best diary system that works for you, and invest in the right one. I’ve recognised that a paper diary, that includes sections to capture my goals, objectives, regular prompted reviews, and weekly/daily to do lists, works well for me. It incorporates personal to do lists as well as business, which has stopped the need for excessive post it note reminders!
• Create a daily to do list. Sense check, does it achieve the important stuff? Does it link to your goals and objectives? Is it realistic? Remember, urgent doesn’t necessarily mean important.

• Notice what energises you, and build into your day way(s) of giving yourself a dose of that. For me, this includes walking and fresh air (ideally with open spaces and views!), music, and conversation. We all have a set of resources we can tap into, to recharge us. A previous blog http://kcsunshine.co.uk/tapping-into-your-resources/ talks about this in more detail.
• Are there enough hours in the day? If you’re hitting a feeling of overwhelm, take half an hour to plan and prioritise, and start a time log, for the coming week. This simple, self-analysis tool will help you identify where you are spending your time, and a sense of what adjustments need to be made, to help your focus, wellbeing and performance. Do get in touch with me to find out more, karen.chamberlain@kcsunshine.co.uk
• Finally, and by no means least, include an opportunity in your day for mindfulness. I introduced Headspace (https://www.headspace.com/) into my world two years ago, an on line meditation tool. The benefits have been wonderful. A 10-20 minute daily dose of ` being present’, time for me, on my own, to pause and create calm. This has enabled me to slow down a little and see things much more clearly, which helps me professionally and personally. Perhaps another blog topic for a later time :o)

Which of these tips are you drawn to trying out? What is your top tip for keeping focused?

Have a fabulous month, and do get in touch to find out more, or to arrange a free consultation.

Warm wishes,

Karen Chamberlain

Trainer, Facilitator & Coach, Director of  KC Learning & Development Limited

07764 942531

www.kcsunshine.co.uk

www.linkedin.com/in/karenachamberlain

www.facebook.com/KCLearningandDevelopment