Maintaining Focus

Many people struggle to remain focused.  They get side tracked and procrastinate and never get around to doing what they are supposed to be doing. There is an easy fix for that. And it involves asking yourself a question. Or rather several questions.

The main question to ask yourself when you are struggling to maintain focus is, “why.”

Why are you working on whatever the project is? What is it you hope to accomplish by working on it? In this context, the question why can help you find the motivation you need to finish the task or stay on track. Instead of focusing on the task, you now know WHY you are doing it and WHY it matters if you don’t.

I often find that if I am stuck it’s usually because what I was doing wasn’t working and I just wasn’t’ willing to admit that to myself.  By asking myself WHY I am working on a project, I remind myself of what it is I am really trying to accomplish. Often, we get so caught up in the task itself we get blinders on and forget that the problem we are solving is actually just one of many possible ways we could be fixing our real problem. Asking why helps you refocus on your real problem and when you do that, you can find other ways of solving it.

The final way asking yourself WHY helps you maintain focus is because sometimes the answer to why I am doing something is nothing. I have no good reason to do it. And when I realize that, I allow myself to not do it anymore.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of things on my plate. Getting sidetracked is super easy. When I ask myself why I am doing any particular task, I can prioritize my tasks! What is really important and what isn’t can only be ascertained if you ask yourself WHY you are doing those things.  It’s a lot easier to maintain focus when you are able to concentrate on the things that really matter and ignore the things that don’t.

So the next time you find yourself struggling to focus, ask yourself why.

How to say “no”

How to avoid temptation and distraction.

You have to stay focused. But how? There are so many things you could be doing. So many things you should be doing. And so many people asking you for help. How can you say “no” to avoid temptation and stay on task to be more successful?

I’m glad you asked.  BufferApp Blog posted an essay on “A Scientific Guide to Saying No.” (See: http://blog.bufferapp.com/a-scientific-guide-to-saying-no-how-to-avoid-temptation-and-distraction)   For those of you too lazy to click there, here is what the research shows.

It turns out that the language you use to say “no” has a huge impact on how you actually act.  The difference is whether you use empowering language vs. dis-empowering language.  There is also a moral component to this.

If you say – I can’t do x – you are disempowering yourself. It doesn’t feel good and you feel like you are cheating yourself out of something. Like ice cream.

If, on the other hand you say – I don’t do x – you have empowered yourself and added a moral dimension to your refusal.

It turns out that “I can’t” is experienced as a restriction of choice, which most people naturally rebel against and “I don’t” is experienced as a choice, and who doesn’t like choices.  For the record “just say no” works better than “I can’t,” but not by much – again – there is research behind this.

Your experiment for this week is to test out this change in language for yourself and see what happens. Report back and let me know!