Samurai Innovation
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Daily Focus

On our recent webinar training together, several excellent people shared their concerns and challenges. Today, I want to address Catherine and Pat’s concerns which deal with:

Sharpening Your Daily Focus

Catherine said that she is challenged with “Maintaining focus from day to day”.

Pat mentioned that there are “Daunting things to do… connecting with resources: writing blogs, updating websites, social networking, on and on”.

It is easy to lose your daily focus amongst too many choices of things to do. What this often indicates is that we haven’t sat down and thought about the essential priorities or the things we need to do in a structured way. The Samurai always trains and prepares for a battle in a structured way and so should you.

Are you overwhelmed?

Lets go at it step by step so that we can overcome this deadly force of overwhelm. Remember, you will slay many enemies once you are armed with powerful Samurai focus.

How does a person eat a pizza? ONE bite at a time. So too will we overcome the moment of overwhelm, one moment at a time. I will offer you several questions that can help you address the feelings you have for your overwhelm and lack of focus.

  • What deadline driven event have you recently or in the past year overcome?
  • How did you conquer the challenge or deadline?
  • In the past, what derailed you from making the deadline or completing the task on time?
  • How did you feel?
  • What would you have done differently?

Sometimes the best thing to do with overwhelm and a lack of focus is to clear your desk. I mean literally clean the desktop so you can see the surface. Then start over working on the most critical or what we call an essential priority.

  • Knowing what you now know, what advice would you give someone else who is starting over?

Guess what…

You are starting over.

Techniques to Try:

  1. Prepare the Dojo – When we train, we ensure the dojo (school or training hall) is clean, safe and ready to work in.  Your desk or office should be the same.  Clear off the space you need to work on so that your daily focus is maximized.
  2. Warm up – Place your project on your desk. Then begin a warm up sequence. For some people this may involve deep breathing, stretching or a moment of silence to clear the mind.
  3. Train / Work – Get started, get going. One foot in front of the other is a great approach and before you know it you will have gained momentum and be well into the project. This feeling of accomplishment will fuel your desire to complete with excellence.
  4. Cool down – When your allocated time is over for the task at hand, close it. The move it off of your desk to someplace else for temporary storage until you can get to it again.

What about the Daunting Things to Do?

As I mentioned earlier, you would be well served by sitting down and assessing your essential priorities. I teach my students to write all their competing priorities on a chart. Using, Pat’s example, there seems to be a strong orientation to online business and marketing.

Pat – How does each task connect to your large goals?

Let’s suppose social media is a strong part of Pat’s sales lead generation program. I would sit down with Pat and analyze the percentage of traffic each site contributes to overall viewership. Then let’s pick the top 3 traffic drivers. For example, it may be Facebook, Twitter and an article directory that is driving 75% of Pat’s traffic.

Once we know this I would put this information into building Pat’s – Top 3 – Fundamental Success Indicators™.

Pat would have a list of things that will be done and things that will not be done. The measurement is critical in knowing how often each task needs to occur.

This will help Pat focus on a few essential priorities and say no to those items not in the Fundamental Success Indicators™. Those “no” items could be decided to forget entirely or delegate or outsource them to another resource to get done. Often with social media, one or two tactics given daily focus will yield tremendous results versus 10 media platforms that you develop a hit and miss approach to.

Leave me a comment about your challenge or struggle with daily focus.  Together, we can assist you and work together in the Samurai Innovation Dojo to strengthen and increase your accomplishments.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author Shane Fielder

I am a grower of human capability and a business builder. The best part of my life is helping people become stronger and develop their skills, talents and character in order to lead powerful lives. I have had the great privilege to study under some of the greatest minds of business, leadership, health and fitness along with the most talented Martial Arts instructors. My passion is helping people to become even more powerful in life than they already are.

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