11 ways of staying focused
June 21st, 2006 by Dave Cheong
Each of us have our busy lives and in this world of constant distractions, how can we stay focused on our goals? This article discusses several techniques I have found to work.
For me, there are always several things constantly competing for my time - articles to write, business opportunities to explore, links to follow up, my daily work, personal commitments etc. In my experience whenever I try to work on many things at the same time, none of them actually gets done.
In response, I’ve incorporated the following techniques for staying focused into my work patterns:
- Having well defined goals. I can’t stress the importance of this too much. Having goals which are well defined along good guidelines is key. I’ve found writing my goals down really helps. Whenever I get distracted, I read my goals and I’m reminded of what I am trying to do and why.
- Breaking things into bite sized chunks. Having broad high level goals are good but having an actionable plan is essential. A plan can identify how you can get from where you are to where you want go. Breaking goals into smaller actionable chunks (tasks) is great - it gives me motivation to start and allows me to get things done in one sitting.
- Prioritising constantly. To figure out which task I should be working on, I prioritise constantly. Some tasks are more important than others. Some tasks are more urgent than others. I’ve found that working on urgent tasks followed by tasks which have the greatest impact to work well for me - urgent tasks allow me to get things done on time and important tasks allow me to maximise the benefits I receive.
- Tracking progress vigorously. Each of us wants to improve our lives. However, it is easy to start with good intentions but more difficult to sustain commitment. I’ve found that by tracking my progress, I have more visibility on what I’ve done and can better gauge how much effort is left.
- Planning ahead without fail. Concentrating on the remaining effort can help reinforce commitment. Some might think they’ll get discouraged, however I haven’t found this to be the case because my tasks are bite sized and easy to finish. I’ve found it really helps to look at my goals and task lists periodically, so I can assess how much time it’ll take to do something and determine the best time to sit down and work on it.
- Rewarding myself when warranted. By all means focus on what’s outstanding, but also take stock of what’s done. I always reflect on what I’ve done, whether it is reading a post I did awhile ago or looking at the ticks I’ve made alongside my task lists. Whenever I accomplish a logical piece of work, I always reward myself. It really does help with maintaining motivation.
- Having positive patterns in my routine. I’ve found having good habits and positive patterns to be instrumental. At the moment, I can consistently get more done. As these patterns continue to establish into a routine, I’m finding that I can better judge the periods of the day in which I really need to focus and work.
- Removing distractions as best I can. The best way not to give in to temptation is not to have the option to. What seems to work for me is making the distractions difficult or inconvenient to access. Because it takes too much effort to indulge in the distraction, I find it is less likely for me to give in.
- Blocking out some time. In a previous post I wrote about waking up early and consistently. You don’t necessarily have to do this but I’ve found that having quiet time, set aside specifically for accomplishing a given task, to be very productive. I also tend to be more focused in the morning after a restful night.
- Keeping the results clear in mind. Instead of concentrating too much on the task at hand, sometimes I put some attention on the feelings I ultimately wish to experience. By focusing on the results, it is easier for me to maintain my motivation especially when working on things that I am not by nature motivated by.
- Enlisting my family and friends for help. I communicate with my family and friends about my goals all the time. Not only have they been helpful with gentle reminders whenever they see my behaviour is not consistent with my goals, but they also give me constant incentives to work at my goals and succeed.
Here are some examples of how I have applied these techniques to my blogging:
- Having a goal to write 120 articles in a year.
- Working on 3 articles each week, or 2 paragraphs in each sitting.
- Prioritising bill paying before working on writing tasks.
- Tracking the number of posts I have done each week.
- Planning the topics for future articles in advance.
- Taking time out to do searches on Technorati and Google.
- Waking up at 5:30am and working on an article before work.
- Asking my wife to wake me up if I fail to get up on my own.
- Unplugging the Xbox to remove distractions.
- Watching TV to relax my mind after completing an article.
- Visualise the growth in subscribers to my feed to maintain motivation.
These 11 techniques can be applied to any aspect of your personal and professional lives. If you find you have trouble staying focused for whatever reason, try applying some or all of these techniques. What works for me may not necessarily work for you, so don’t be afraid to experiment. If you have any techniques which work for you that I have not listed, please leave a comment.
Update: I have posted a follow up to this article entitled 18 ways to stay focused at work. In that article, I approached the issue from a bottom up perspective and provide a set of useful things you can actually implement in order to have more productive work days.
I have found the following resources to be helpful in writing this article:
- How to have a more focused day - Steve Pavlina
- Radio interview with David Allen (Getting Things Done)
- Getting and staying focused
- How to stay focused and achieve your goals
- 7 simple ways to stay focused
- How to get work done in a home based business
- Staying focused in your home office
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Our limitations are self imposed
June 18th, 2006 by Dave Cheong
It’s been about one week since I launched this site. Writing articles has been a good change to my normal patterns.
However, this morning on another successful early rise from bed, I was thinking about what possessed me to write online. As my high school English teacher would say, I’m not naturally good with words.
Each article I have posted so far takes me at least 3-4 hours to compose. Being a Software Engineer, sometimes I can even get so enraptured in my work that I go through an entire work day without speaking with anyone let alone write.
So this morning, as I struggled for words, I remember telling myself this is too hard. This paragraph is just not right. How many times would I have to rewrite this?! Now, several hours later, I find myself thinking about a saying I heard a long time ago -
Our limitations are self imposed.
In my line of work as a Software Engineer, I model the real world all the time. Computers must be instructed to behave in a certain way. What features a piece of software has and how flexible the system is can be attributed to how the designers have modelled reality. For example - How shall we represent a Person on the system? What attributes exist on an Order? Should the postal address be recorded against the Person or the Order? Can a Person have multiple emails?
Everytime we model an object, we define its purpose, characteristics and behaviour. In doing so, we also implicitly define what it isn’t. The thing is, this holds true for all our preconceptions too - including who we are and what we’re capable of.
And more importantly, who we’re not and what we’re not capable of.
If I asked you to visualise the following, what do you see? Sky diver. Lawyer. Swedish girl. Now ask yourself why you visualised them that way. Is that Swedish girl blonde? Does the Lawyer have to be in a suit? Can the Sky diver also be that Swedish lawyer?
We see what we see because of what we have experienced in the past and what society has conditioned us to see. We all have our labels. Husband. Son. Friend. Each label comes with a certain visual image and a set of preconceptions. However, we are not defined by our labels. Do not let your labels draw boundaries around who you are, what you can do and how you behave.
Most of the limitations we have are self imposed based on how we choose to see ourselves or how others see us. Just for a second, imagine yourself without these labels and limitations. What would you be doing? Now, ask yourself what’s really stopping you. I can’t say for sure but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how amazing you are if you give yourself a chance.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, learn how to draw, be a better cook or Bungi jump. Whatever it is, barring any physical disability, the limitation you think you have is most likely self imposed. They only exist in your head.
As for me, just because I am a Software Engineer does not preclude me from being a good writer who is also passionate about personal development and chooses to write about it. Not being able to write was a limitation I had imposed on myself, partly because of what my English teacher had said. This is no longer a limitation I choose to acknowledge. So even though this post has taken me 2 hours to compose, I know I can only get better and improve with time.
If you like this post in any way or have gained an insight you wish to share, please leave a comment. Any words of encouragement you can provide is also greatly appreciated.
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Goal setting
June 16th, 2006 by Dave Cheong
My old boss back at TelstraClear (the second largest telco in New Zealand) posed an excellent question for me. In an email, he asks “What is an Entrepreneur and how do you know if you have become one?“.
At first I thought, that’s simple. I’ve been thinking about being an Entrepreneur forever. It wouldn’t be too hard to come up with an answer. Now, upon reflection, I believe the answer is much harder. After all, how does one describe passion and measure happiness? As I write this post, I see the importance and value in that seemingly simple yet complex question.
Let me begin by addressing why this is an important question. Simply, it is important because it is about goal setting. Goal setting is key in any undertaking. Without goals, not only does it become difficult to channel your time and energy constructively, it is also impossible to measure success and failure. How can you possibly know if you have done something when you haven’t defined what it is you want to do and what criteria marks it as done?
Goal setting however is not simply about wanting to do something, it is also about being able to articulate what the goal is about, realistic in whether you can accomplish it or not and what yard stick you can measure your progress against. When applied to your personal and professional life, goal setting is about taking control of how your life evolves. It is about exercising your freedom to choose. It is about being proactive about your happiness.
So what makes a good goal? Here are a few simple guidelines for determining what a goal should be:
- Conceivable. That is, you must be able to articulate what it is about and describe it to your family and friends. The more vividly you can visualise your goal, the more committed you will be. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, can you visualise what you’d look like in that nice new suit or dress?
- Achievable. Do not set yourself unrealistic goals. Not only is it a waste of time (because they are unattainable), it is also damaging to your confidence and well being. How would you feel if you set yourself an unrealistic goal of losing 20kgs overnight, be totally committed to it and then failing to do so miserably?
- Measurable. You must be able to track your progress and definitively say if you have attained a goal or not. Generally, the more worthwhile the goal, the more difficult it is and the more time it will take. Especially for these goals, it is important to have a yard stick to measure progress against. An example of a measurable goal is losing 20kgs in 6 months.
- Aligned. Every goal you set for yourself must be consistent with your overall objectives, desires, expectations and beliefs. You cannot set yourself conflicting or contradictory goals. For example, losing weight is probably in contradiction to a goal to sample the best cuisines around the world.
- Worthwhile. Although not completely mandatory, I believe a goal should be challenging and worthwhile. Life is too short doing unimportant things. If you genuinely wish to improve your personal or professional life, set yourself worthwhile goals. Losing weight is a worthwhile goal - it can improve your health and overall standard of living.
- Desirable. Not only is it important to have worthwhile goals, they must be goals you genuinely desire to attain. A desirable goal will command more commitment, dedication and perseverance from you. This desire will be your motivation. In our example, losing weight is desirable because you can be more alive and energetic, feel more confident, lead a better life, play with your kids etc.
Many people fear setting goals, especially the goals which seem tough and worth achieving. I feel that way for some of my own goals. Ultimately, this fear stems from a fear of failure. We fear setting goals because we are afraid of failing. If I failed, what would my friends think of me?
One effective way I know of to combat this fear is to ask yourself - Why do I have this goal? What do I wish to accomplish? Is the pain to change less than the pain not to change? Do not focus on the fear, focus instead on the positives and your desire to accomplish your goal. Yes, I want to lose that 20kgs. Yes, I want to look good in that new dress. Yes, I want to feel alive!
If you have a goal that is truly desirable, you owe it to yourself to try. There is nothing wrong with failure. There is no shame in failing when you have tried your best. However, you’d regret it for the rest of your life if you have a goal but did not attempt to accomplish it simply because you were paralysed with the fear of failure.
Take a moment to think about what your goals are. Remember, goal setting is a map or process for attaining desired outcomes. It is about identifying where we are now, where we want to be and the steps that can take us there. Follow the simple guidelines I have highlighted above to begin your own journey.
If you think you are up for it, I strongly suggest taking a look at my 5 step framework for accomplishing your goals. It’s easy to follow and provides a very simple and high level overview of the things you need to consider and remember about goal setting and following through.
In my case, what is an Entrepreneur? Why do I want to be one? How do I know if I have become one? Am I already an Entrepreneur? Will I ever be able to become one? These are all great questions and I have dedicated a future post to addressing them.
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