Have you ever spent an hour or two “working” on your blog, only to realize when your time was up, that you never actually accomplished the ONE thing you sat down to do?
Yeah. It’s possible that only happens to…
(Squirrel! Text message! Email!)
What was I saying? Oh, yeah, focus.
It’s hard to stay focused in this digital age with so many inboxes and notifications and messages coming from so many places.
If you want to stay focused as a blogger, there are three things you need to do before, during and after each work session:
1. Plan
Decide BEFORE you open your computer what you’re going to accomplish.
Never let social media or your email inbox determine what you need to work on each day. Those are called “inboxes” because everything in them comes from someone else. Those messages and requests are their priorities and agenda, not yours.
Before you open any sort of device or inbox, write down 3-5 task that you *actually* intend to get done in that work session. And to kick it up a notch, beside each item, write down how long you expect each task to take.
It’s far to easy to just randomly list things without being realistic about whether or not we can get them done in the amount of time we have.
Listing the time is also helpful because sometimes there are tasks that we procrastinate just because we find them unpleasant. If we take a minute to think about how long it will take, we will probably realize we can get it done in 15 minutes or less. Taking a minute or two to plan can tame those “looming” tasks and help us stay focused.
2. Prepare
Before distractions even arise, have a plan of attack against them. I personally love to use a couple different apps to keep me focused on on task.
30/30 is an app that allows you to enter your tasks for that work session, along with the estimated time you need to complete it. Once you’ve entered all your tasks, just press play and the countdown begins.
If you stress out easily, this might not be the app for you. But if you’re highly competitive (ahem) it is perfect to keep you focused and attacking the work at hand.
If you don’t want to use an app, a timer and a piece of paper with your tasks can work just as well.
I also love the app Coffitivity. It recreates the sounds of a coffee shop, so even if it’s early in the morning and mind numbingly quiet in the house, I can put my headphones on and feel like I’m right in the middle of my favorite coffee shop churning out a lot of work.
It sounds strange, but that ambient noise really helps me to focus.
3. Review your work
Far too often, we work, work, work but never take a look back to see what exactly we accomplished.
By planning before a work session and then reviewing at the end, we “complete the loop” and can be sure we are spending our time well.
I’m currently loving this quote from Bruce Lee (No relation.)
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee
This week, work on your focus. Plan, prepare and review and be amazed at how much you’re able to accomplish!
You belong here! Our heart is to equip you to be an effective Christian communicator.