Christian Living

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Recently I have taken on too much, thus my focus has shifted and I now feel like I am missing some things.

Focus on Immediate Needs

I have taken on something new without making sure that the things I had already started are completed and I immediately felt that pressure. I decided that next year I will need to get some help if I am going to accomplish my goals. So I started looking for a Virtual Assistant. But during that process my focus shifted from what I was working on to a future need. Then it all became too big and overwhelming.

Focus means, “to concentrate attention or effort.” In order to meet your goals and be successful, you need to be able to focus and not allow your focus to shift towards things that are not related to your immediate goals. Yes, hiring a Virtual Assistant is related to my business goals, but it is not an immediate goal. It is a mid-term goal, which means it will not happen for another 3 to 6 months. The more immediate goals need to be accomplished within a one-month period. Therefore my focus should remain on them.

Getting Off Track

When you get off track and allow your focus to shift towards longer terms goals your task can seem overwhelming thus leading to confusion and anxiety. So goals should be attainable and manageable. For example what I am working on right now is an immediate goal because I need to use it this week, however it will benefit my business on a larger scale on a longer term as well. Therefore it has a bigger picture but a more immediate need. Versus the need for the Virtual Assistant, which right now I am handling things on my own. However I realized today that as I get more clients, my time spent doing administrative and operational tasks will diminish. The bigger picture shows that I will need an assistant but the need is not immediate. Therefore it is not something that needs my immediate focus.

Re-establish Focus

So how do we stay focused on our immediate tasks? I have a dry erase board that lists only the immediate business tasks, projects or clients that I am focused on. Therefore these things are what usually get my focus. When I was shifted today, I did not immediately go back to what I was working on. So I took a break. I stepped away from all of it and cleared my mind so that I could get back on track. When I came back I was able to set aside the search for a Virtual Assistant and pick up where my focus should have been.

Distractions will come so you should expect them. But you need to have something that will jolt you back to your focus. Sometimes it is helpful to write out your immediate goals and post them somewhere visible so that you can quickly refer to them. Find what works for you but you need to stay focused in order to succeed.

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