[[:encoded, "Today we are going to talk about 11 Guidelines for Increasing the Power of Focus. \n\nIf asked, what is the one defining quality that sets great leaders apart from their wannabe counterparts, it would have to be their ability to maintain focus on the important issues.\n\nFor the majority of us, the power to focus on one task at a time and see it through to completion is not an innate gift. Focus is a learned response, so if we want to achieve the professional, personal and social goals we imagine, we have to first learn how to focus on what we want.\n\nWe now live in a frenetic, activity-filled, multi-tasking, instant gratification society, so it is easy to get lost in the distractions that bombard us from every angle. How many times have you found yourself on the phone talking to a client, while reading your emails, hitting the “Reply” button and then typing out a response? Where is your focus while you are completing a number of individual tasks at the same time?\n\nFocus requires that we learn to differentiate between the “urgent” and the “important” tasks. \nThe power of focus lies in your ability to distinguish the urgent from the important; and concentrate your energy on the important.\n\nWe discuss 11 guidelines to help re-direct your focus and prioritize getting the important things done first.\n\nStaying focused requires effort and determination, but like any project we want to achieve, perfect practice makes perfect!\n\nOn www.AccountabilityCoach.com, you have access to at least 11 free personal development resources you can take advantage of right now. To help keep you focused on the activities that produce the results you want, subscribe to The Accountability Coach Blog at www.AccountabilityCoachBlog.com. Invest in the 30-day Goal Achievement self-study program so you can begin achieving your goals in the time frame you want so you can have the life you want. Get started by going to: http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/bw/30dayStudyCourse.php \n\nAim for what you want each and every day! Make it a great day, today and every day."]]
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I’m the author of many books, including, Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, The Guide to Stopping Procrastination, The Power of Visualization, My Gratitude Journal, the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit, and The Roadmap To Success with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard, and more.
Aim for what you want each and every day!
Anne Bachrach
The Accountability Coach™
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(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to the Accountability Coach podcast, where we will discuss topics, ideas, questions and issues related to having a totally balanced and successful life. This is Anne Bakrak. Today we're going to talk about 11 guidelines for increasing the power of focus. We've asked, what is the one defining quality that sets great leaders apart from their wannabe counterparts? It would have to be their ability to maintain focus on the important issues. Sure, once behind closed doors, even the most successful people and leaders probably have moments of indecision or even procrastination and uncertainty, but even the sharpest minds need to take a break occasionally. That makes perfect sense. For the majority of us, the power of focus on one task at a time and to see it through to completion is not an innate gift. Focus is learned response. So if we want to achieve the professional, personal and social goals we imagine, we have to first learn how to focus on what we really want. We now live in a frenetic activity filled multitasking, instant gratification society. So it's easy to get lost in the distractions that bombard us from every single angle. How many times have you found yourself on the phone talking to a client while reading your emails, hitting the reply button and then typing out a response? Where is your focus while you are completing a number of individual tasks at the same time? Focus requires that we learn to differentiate between the urgent and the important tasks. Urgent tasks are distractions that cause us, well subconsciously, to put off or delay the important projects. It's the important tasks that lead us to our objectives and achievement of our goals. Responding to urgent emails, answering the phone or checking your pager can all be categorized as urgent tasks. We are conditioned to believe that these urgent tasks require our instant attention because they keep us busy and make us feel, well, you know, important or needed. We think this will only take a minute when in fact urgent tasks can often take a lengthy amount of minutes to complete. And if this happens over and over again, that adds up to a lot of time. Let's talk about 11 guidelines for staying focused. The power of focus lies in your ability to distinguish the urgent from the important and concentrate your energy on the important, as we just mentioned. Here are some of the guidelines to help redirect your focus and prioritize getting the important things done first. Number one, write down the important tasks you have set for yourself for the day. These are the results-driven projects that require your complete focus. Now, prioritize those tasks according to their importance as they relate to goal achievement and then plan a strategy for completing the most important things first. Visualize the entire process and how it will look once it's completed. Keep that image in the front of your mind. Number two, clear your desk of everything except the important project you are working on. If necessary, make a pile of paperwork on the floor. You can always pick it up once your important task is completed. Number three, block out a time in your daily schedule to attend to urgent matters. Most of us find that we are at our lowest ebb early in the afternoon, so this is an ideal time to take care of anything that's urgent. Number four, don't answer the phone. Imagine you're in a meeting and can't be interrupted. Number five, turn off your email and shut down the automatic email notification system. Number six, turn off your cell phone or shift the ringing tone to silent. Number seven, close down any programs on your computer that could cause you to become distracted. Remember, also to turn off the RSS feeds if you know what that is. Number eight, close the door to your office. If you work in an open plan space where there's a lot of noise around here, a lot around you consider buying a pair of earplugs. Number nine, work attentively. If you find yourself getting distracted, re-visualize the project in your head and the action steps necessary to complete it. Number 10, take regular breaks. Very few of us can remain focused and intently focused for long periods of time without losing the plot. So take a five or 10 minute break every hour. If you sit at a desk, get up, stretch your legs, take a few deep breaths, do some sit ups, do some push ups or walk around the inside of the building. If you have been working on a computer, retrain your eyes to focus on the middle to long distance objects, this helps avoid eye strain. And number 11, when you have successfully completed one of your important projects, give yourself an imaginary, hey, pat on the back for the job well done. Taking the urgency out of the urgent tasks makes you aware that they weren't life threatening and they weren't really urgent after all. Completing the urgent tasks within your timeframe enables you to focus on each small task individually and then remove it from your desk and your mind. Staying focused requires effort and determination, but like any project we want to achieve, perfect practice makes perfect. My hope for our time together is that you got value and an idea or two that will help you be even more successful personally and professionally. Review the 30 day self study course so you can discover for yourself how to focus on your highest payoff activities and produce the biggest result in the shortest amount of time so that you can experience that feeling of true and total success and a fantastic quality of life. Aim for what you want each and every day. Until next time, make it a great day today and every day. Thanks for listening. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
[[:encoded, "Today we are going to talk about 11 Guidelines for Increasing the Power of Focus. \n\nIf asked, what is the one defining quality that sets great leaders apart from their wannabe counterparts, it would have to be their ability to maintain focus on the important issues.\n\nFor the majority of us, the power to focus on one task at a time and see it through to completion is not an innate gift. Focus is a learned response, so if we want to achieve the professional, personal and social...
