Oct 18 2007
Focus is the Key
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Chatting in the Pososto chatroom last night with two special members of our mastermind group, we found ourselves losing focus. It made us laugh at the time, although there is a serious point to be made about it now!
Having arranged to meet to discuss a particular project we spent longer than planned talking about a personal matter and then we found ourselves off at a complete tangent bouncing ideas off each other around possibilities for future projects. (I hold my hand up here to being the culprit - it was me who changed the subject!)
In the end we spent very little time on the subject for which the meeting had originally been called.
Does that sound familiar?
This lack of focus on the project in hand is, I believe, at the root of the feelings of overwhelm that are experienced by so many colleagues and clients.
The nature of working on the Internet and disseminating information sets up a dichotomy for us.
On the one hand we need to be aware of the news and the general happenings. How can we report on them if we are not?
On the other hand, if we always have our focus outwards, on gathering information, there is the real risk that we will never reach the point where we are able to actually do anything with the data we have collected.
Working for yourself can be challenging at the best of times - especially in the early days of a business when financial constraints usually mean the business owner wears all the business hats and fulfils all the business functions. It can be difficult to keep sight of the primary goals and aims of the business when caught up in the day to day ’stuff’.
However, the only way for a business to be successful is for there to be a clear focus. This focus provides the light at the end of the long working day tunnel; it keeps us going in the right direction and means we will ultimately achieve our goal.
Our challenge, as we work in the virtual world of the Internet, is to gain and retain this essential focus. To decide on a course of action and to see it through to the end - not to abandon it for something else when the next batch of emails is delivered offering us yet another ’solution’ or opportunity.
So, I am interested to know how you stay focused? What tips you have to share about how you stick with the job in hand until it is done?
