Category: Focus

Posted on

Shift Into A Strategic Mindset For A Stellar 2024

If you have yet to plan, prepare, & create structure for this new year – now is a perfect time to get your strategic mindset on making this an outstanding year.
January is the ‘fresh start’ time to review & renew our aspirations with top goals for the year.  What are your key goals for the year & what metrics will you use to chart progress?

Yes we all face the daily life whirlwind with obligations demanding attention and at times the challenges of unexpected dramas & circumstances that yank us away from our accomplishment goals.  When achieved, priority goals deliver a  signifiant quality of life difference.

Here are several strategy tips to remain on target:

Plan & structure your schedule with dedicated time blocks for laser focus on top priorities.  Make that time sacrosanct – for working however long is possible on one of the key goals.

Focus on the important & manage the urgent.   Avoid the rabbit holes & shiny objects that unwittingly turn into time & energy deficits.

New beginnings deliver a clean lens to view potential new opportunities for forward focus towards progress & growth on the goals of significance that matter most!

#GoalsForSuccess
#InspiredLeadership
#Mindset #Wisdom
#YourLifeCompassExecutiveCoach
#CalibrateForSuccess
Posted on

Pause, Assess & Measure Progress 

“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”  C. S. LEWIS

To begin a new year with setting priority goals is important. Creating a structure to review & assess at various points throughout the year can prove even more crucial. 

We’re just past the mid-year point of 2023.  Good time to pause & assess.  What have you given up on already or find yourself fiercely sticking to without evident merit? Pause & mentally dust yourself off to rethink your strategy or process.  What aspects need to change to head toward a better path? 

“If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.”  Lao Tzu

It all begins within our mindset; reflecting, correcting & perhaps shifting what felt solid at the start of the year.  Expectations for the goals set, the direction to get there, & the timeline for achievement.   

To be able to reflect on what’s been achieved thus far, progress made, helps to determine what’s working & what isn’t.  Will the current direction prove effective? OR is now a good point in time to recalibrate? Time to enlist the help of an objective trusted friend, colleague or professional for input & coaching to chart the best path forward.  What variable would have the greatest impact for progression to make the most with the remainder of this year. 

Your Life Compass Coaching and Consulting

 

Posted on

Perspective: Success, Failure, OR Opportunity?

Today’s setback, roadblock, or failure CAN become tomorrow’s success.

“I have NOT failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work. [yet]” Thomas Edison

Frame the start of each morning as an opportunity to create change, to grow & improve something in your life.

Take that opportunity & decide.  What will your priority focus be today?
So you think you’re not ready?  Then decide WHEN you will be?

We can’t reclaim days that are gone.  But we can choose what we can & will make of today!

Posted on

August Launch Into A Smooth Week

Awesome August to all this 1st Friday of the month!
Today is a great day to put in place a strategy to make this a stellar month. Start out by deciding on a few things you can do today to prep & launch into a smooth next week?
 
Some ideas to consider:
1. Review your top initiatives for the month.
2. Identify priorities & sequence of steps supporting those initiatives.
3. Schedule them into your calendar as no miss appointments to work on them.
 
What can you add to  your success routine for setting a productivity flow.
#GoalsForSuccess
#MotivationalNuggets
#Mindset #Wisdom
#YourLifeCompassCoach
#CalibrateForSuccess
Posted on

The Benefits Of Developing A Priority Focused Mindset

“Ultimately, each person chooses whether he comes out of the tumbler crushed or polished.” Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

We all find ourselves in overwhelm or the paralysis of feeling stuck at some point. The saving lifeline is in having clarity with focus on our priorities.  Determining what is most important is foundational.  A priority focused mindset anchors that & becomes as a ballast to what matters most to us!  A priority focused mindset help in homing in on the important goals & the strategic steps to propel us forward beyond overwhelm or paralysis. Having meaningful goals generates intrinsic motivation.  Priority goals require the support of solid plans & structures helping to sustain our focus.  Making the important central in our schedules help us honor the decisions made to achieve them, anchoring our commitments, guiding us beyond the demands, whirlwind and overwhelm from everything else going on in life.

Success in life, whether abundant or lacking, tends to correlate with the consistency of of our choices and decisions. The ones many we make, the ones we avoid, and the ones we are ignorant about. Life is indeed full of them. Our personal and professional growth & success balances on our grasp of our identified priorities & the level of confidence we have regarding how and where we habitually choose to focus our attention with the actions we take.

A priority focused mindset serves as a compass for executing on these priority goals.  It is a guiding system & an inherent process for transcending obstacles, challenges, and circumstances.  It provides a forward focus for planning, anticipating, perceiving & responding differently when the disruptions of change or the unexpected happen.  That mindset is shaped with internal motivation, to keep progressing towards the goals that matter most for progressive growth into our realm of power and confidence to succeed.  Especially when the inevitable challenges, obstacles or adversity materialize.

The journey towards our best self is in how we manage the challenges & obstacles.  We actualize our potential through experience, using all our skills, talents, and capabilities to keep stretching into our progressive best.  A priority focused mindset is formed with continual and deep engagement with the belief in our vision & our potential best self to regularly propel us through the short & long distance, focused forward towards what matters most.

“Success has always been easy to measure. It is the distance between one’s origins and one’s final achievement…”           Michael Korda

 

Posted on

Make End of Year Time Count

As this year winds down, most of us are experiencing either a sense of pride at the progress and success achieved or pangs of remorse or frustration for falling short from our set goals.  At this point you can decide to write off the year or choose to spend remaining time more productively.  I plan on pushing a bit harder each day for a stronger close by making the most of every remain moment, as well as laying the groundwork for 2019.

I like to approach year’s end by taking time to solidifying a better foundation for next year,  looking back to review and assess, all the good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly.  Next, focusing on the positives I want to replicate and do of, dedicating more time to focus on priorities specific to personal, professional & community contribution areas.  This is followed by looking at the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’, for the particulars that set Murphy’s Law into motion.  Putting the spotlight on where important components, projects or goals got derailed, can help in planning future improvements to anticipate ways to better mitigate, as well as avoid repeating those ineffective scenarios.  Determining cause that sabotages success, typically tend to point to lack of planning, preparation or follow through – or combination factors.   December is a perfect time to reflect on what worked well and what proved to be less than stellar, and to create more suitable strategies for implementing each future success goal.

Motivate yourself for invest some time to evaluate and apply insights from this year’s achievements as well as missed benchmarks.  The process involves some key questions to clarify areas for improving success this upcoming year.

How can you leverage end of year time to position for a stronger finish this year?

What key priorities would be foundational in making a marked difference in next year’s success – personally and professionally?

How do those priorities shape your vision for next year? Get as specific as possible.

How would a successful year support your longer term vision?

What lessons do you need to apply going forward?

What are the consequences if you continue with the status quo approach?

How would using a priority based framework create improvements in the year ahead?  What would that look like? Get as specific as possible – again.

It all comes down to clearly identifying top priorities to better allocate key resources of time, energy, and focus to support what is most important. Dedicate time now for assessing, planning and preparation will facilitate execution for fulfilling your vision in achieving top goals for success.

Now is the perfect time to review this year to better plan, prepare and strategize for the launch of 2019 as the best year yet!

“You can mark time or invest time making it count where it counts most.” dlb

Posted on

Anchor Priorities To Improve Focus & Productivity

Identifying and clearly knowing our priorities is of benefit on many levels. First, clear priorities lead to better self-knowledge forming the bedrock of a more satisfying life.  In addition, our priorities become a powerful guiding force serving as our internal compass. Priority focus reduces overwhelm by keeping us anchored to what matters most, and minimizes squandering valuable resources to the non-essential.

Formulating priorities supported with specific goals clarifies our bigger vision, and orients us in the right direction. When our focus is guided from deeply held values, it infuses our motivation, energy and effort with the conviction of our mission.   That mission is the heart of why we pursue what we want to create or achieve. With sustained focus homed-in on priorities our performance and productivity becomes more targeted for progressing on our success milestones. The countless daily decisions and choices become aimed to support rather than all allow the non-essential to subvert achievement on our identified priorities.

Priority focus will nevertheless be routinely challenged with the inevitable internal and external intrusion and distraction sources. With sustained focus, you will gain the benefit of actually boosting your wellbeing and brainpower, creating flexibility to more quickly shift back to what is important,  to accomplish more of what matters most.

Try these four effective tips to manage & mitigate the potential lure and timing of distractions:

  1. Set specific times to check incoming messages and e-mails. Turn off the tempting distraction of notifications (yes, including all social media).
  2. Identify your top three priorities to anchor the day’s workflow. Attach a starting and projected finish time.  Begin on the #1 key task until it is done, before tackling the next item or anything else.
  3. Keep a ‘to-do tracker/reminder’ using a notepad on your desk or an app on your PC, to jot down and release any distractions of thoughts, ideas, people or obligations non-related to what you’re working on, that pop up.  Writing them down keeps them from running around in your head, so you can maintain focus on the task at hand.
  4. Take breaks at regular intervals. Research studies have proven that standing up, stretching or walking around for a few minutes, rehydrating or having a healthy snack refreshes and improves productivity. Repeat every 60-90 minutes.

Developing any new habit requires consistency & perseverance. The more you incorporate & sustain priority focus, the easier it will become part of your routine, for more productivity and progress toward your highest priority goals.

 

 

Posted on

Productivity: Laser Focus VS. The Multitasking Myth

Ascent To SuccessThe foundation for achieving success is in aligning how you spend your time on the daily choices that either support or subvert your dedicated focus on your highest priorities. Research has shown that multitasking is not the best choice for progress on your desired goals.   Here are four productivity tips to help you overcome that distraction based fallacy of multitasking, so you can actually accomplish more, while boosting your brainpower and wellbeing with greater focus on those priorities.

  1. Set specific times to check incoming e-mail, and turn off the tempting distraction of notifications (yes, including all social media).
  2. Identify your 3 top priorities to anchor the day’s work flow. Include a starting and projected finish time.  Begin on the #1 key task until it is done, before tackling the next item or anything else.
  3. Keep a ‘to-do tracker/reminder’ in way of notepad on your desk or an app on your pc to jot down and release any distractions from non-related thoughts, ideas or obligations that pop up.  Writing them down keeps them from running around in your head, so you can maintain focus on the task at hand.
  4. Take breaks at regular intervals. Research studies have proven that getting up, stretching or walking around for a few minutes, rehydrating or having a healthy snack refreshes and improves productivity. Repeat every 60-90 minutes.

Like any new habit, the more you incorporate ways to sustain focus as part of your routine, the easier it will become, to be more productive, progressing toward your highest priority goals, with much less effort.