You want to scream.
There are too many distracting things going through your mind. You’ve never felt this overwhelmed.
You feel like a computer with multiple tabs open. You don’t know which one to close first.
As soon as you as start to focus on one, you get a pop-up. You try to ignore it but you get hit by an intense Fear of Missing Out so you decide to take a peep inside.
Just a peep.
But before you know it, you find yourself sliding into a rabbit hole of complete distraction.
You wish you could crawl out of the rabbit hole and close all the “tabs” from your mind so you can focus on what’s important in your business. But you don’t know where to start.
The good news is, you can do it. It will not be at the blink of an eye.
No.
The brain does not have an off switch.
But it is still doable.
You just need to take it step by step and eventually, your mind will be clear and focused.
Here’s how to do it.
1.) Stare the big, hairy monster straight in the eye
The first step is all about doing some soul searching.
It’s about digging deep and taking a long hard look at your life and asking yourself some hard-hitting questions. Questions like:
- Am I putting too many expectations on myself?
- Do I have a fear of failure?
- Do I have a fear of being left behind?
As you go through the questions, allow yourself to be vulnerable. Be very honest with yourself.
No holding anything back.
This will help you dig into the insecurities that are causing you to jump from one venture to another.
Once you’ve done the soul searching, move on to work on acceptance.
Accept that the road to success does not have to be stressful and complicated.
Accept that the modern world has become a rat race and it is easy to get sucked in.
Accept that there will always be others who will be ahead of you but you should be in a race with only one person — that’s you.
Do not be denial.
Life is too short and you can’t do it all.
It is only after this soul searching that you’ll be able to move on to the next step.
2.) Weed out the bright, shiny objects
For this next step, you’ll need to grab a notepad, a pen and your favourite drink.
This is where you’ll strive to get clarity by weeding out the bright shiny objects from your mind. Separating the wheat from the chaff so to speak. But before you get there, you’ll need to first make sure that you’re mind is the right place by doing the following:
- Select a time and place where there will be no interruptions
- Look for a comfortable space with a comfortable seat and make sure the room temperature is just right
- Take long, deep breaths for about 30 seconds before you start
When you are ready, start putting pen to paper. Yes, the old fashioned way of writing things in long hand. Psychologist have found that there is something very powerful about writing things the old fashioned way.
As you write, allow your mind to wander. Get back to basics. Ask yourself why you started your business in the first place. What motivated you?
Once you remember the reason, write it in bold print at the top of the page. Stare at it long and hard and allow it to sink.
Once you’ve done this, move on to write what needs to be done (in no particular order) in bullet form.
Take your time with this exercise as some things may not be obvious and remember, all those things going on in your mind are not equally important
Once you are done with your bullet list, flip the paper to the other side and write your accomplishments and what you are grateful for. Stare at these accomplishments and smile. Congratulate yourself for coming this far.
Once your list is ready, keep is safe. You’ll need it later.
3.) Embrace the quiet
After the mental strain of putting your list together, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed.
If that’s the case, don’t beat yourself up. The overwhelm is part of the process of releasing the clutter from your system so in this step, you’ll need to step back mentally.
To do so, do what works for you when you need some peace and quiet and do it as you make a conscious effort to move away from your thoughts.
Disconnect from your phone, emails and even television.
Take a walk, exercise, or spend some time with friends.
Allow yourself to relax in a steam bath, do some yoga or listen to soothing music
Whatever works for you.
These actions are meant to take you away from any distractive thoughts and make room for feelings of well being.
Get you in a happy place.
Once you are in that place, you will be better positioned to move on to the next step.
4.) Re-visit your list
Remember the list you’d made? It’s now time to get back to it.
Now that you’ll have decluttered your mind, you’ll have space for clear thinking.
Look at the piece of paper and do so objectively. Sort of like watching a movie where you are the main star.
Ask yourself, “Which of these items on this list will matter tomorrow?” Then go on and prioritize the items on the list into 3 categories:
a.) Top priority: Things that you absolutely need to do (Colour coded red)
b.) Nice to do: Things that are important but can wait (Colour coded orange)
c.) Could do without: Things that your business can survive without (Colour coded green)
When all this is done, come up with a mantra to keep you focused. It can be a quote from your religious book, a quote from your favorite movie or even an poem.
5.) Zoom in
This last step is all about goals, goals, goals.
Items on a list without a specific timeline are just dreams. That’s all. So set a realistic time line for each item and make it actionable.
Once you are done, place the list where you can see it daily— on your work desk, by your bedside or even on your fridge.
As you progress, tick the accomplished items off the list and vow not to move on to the next one until you’ve completed the one above.
Reward yourself for each accomplishment.
Visualize where you want your business to be. Don’t be scared to dream.
As you go through this, do not be reluctant to ask for help from those who have been there before you.
Do not hesitate to work with a coach if you can afford it. Even the best athletes in the world work with a coach because that keeps them on track and helps them focus on what’s important.
Get ready for a calmer more focused you
Imagine how much fun it would be to know that your business is not as complicated as it once seemed.
Imagine waking up in the morning and knowing that you can focus on one thing at a time and not feel like you are drowning in a list of things to do.
A clear mind will lead to a love for what you do and ultimately promote clarity of mind that brings about focus and high performance.
You will feel a whole lot calmer and your business will seem less complicated.
And when you look back, you will be so glad that you stayed focus. Because without focus, you would not be where you are today.
So go ahead and get started today.