Masterful Mindset – The Power of Focused Energy
“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.” ~ Elbert Hubbard
Often what keeps people from being highly productive is not a lack of time but instead, a lack of energy – mental and physical energy are necessary in order to be a high performer. But what about when you have that energy, you’re extremely busy marking things off a to-do list but still, you’re not really achieving success? What’s missing?
Well, if you had to clean dried up, stuck on food from a kitchen sink, would you use a strainer full of water? And if you did, how likely would it be that the gunk would come right off?
I realize this seems like a silly analogy but stay with me here…
Water in a strainer flows out everywhere and yes covers a lot of area but that tough spot that is stuck, it doesn’t budge because the water doesn’t have enough concentrated power. However, if instead of wasting that water covering everything, you used the nozzle that sprays a focused, concentrated stream of water over the spot… what would happen? You’d see that tough, stuck muck start to move away quickly.
So what does this have to do with being productive and reaching your goals?
Think about it, how often is your energy all over the place? Just like that strainer you might be full of energy but it’s running out of every hole and being distributed all over the place. Not really hitting the spot it needs to be focused on. Then at the end of the day, you feel like you did a million things but got nothing done. This is what happens when we don’t focus our energy on what matters – the things that are a priority to us and the needle movers for projects. This is what happens when we let distractions or competing interests steal away energy. This is what happens when we consume ourselves with being busy checking off to-dos but avoiding and not every really taking action on what’s most important. This is what happens when we try to multitask or when we simply don’t ever fill ourselves with enough energy to have a concentrated effort.
With focused energy… all that changes!
You put the focus on what is important, what is a priority, a needle mover and a necessity for you. You are disciplined enough to not allow distractions but instead give yourself the reward of a break after completing an important task. You don’t multitask, you focus. And when you have focused energy, just like that concentrated stream of water, things get moving quickly.
Where do you need to focus your energy?
Get clear on the projects that are most important and necessary to you in order to reach your goals. Then break those projects down into manageable tasks. And within those tasks, look for the priorities and needle movers. In other words, what tasks are really going to move the project forward. Often these are tasks we avoid because they may be challenging or the risk is high. But as Mark Twain would say, “Eat the frog.”
Prioritize and schedule those tasks to be done first thing each day so that you are sure to do them. And schedule them into blocked times where you know you will give your full attention and energy to those tasks. Interestingly enough, when you do that, they usually take a lot less time and energy then you think. (Probably even less energy then you’ve been wasting by worrying or avoiding them.)
Give it a try:
Pick 3 big projects you really want to complete, that have been dragging out for way too long. Break them down into manageable pieces, schedule out at least 3-5 tasks each day that will definitely move the project forward, prioritize and schedule the tasks. If there are similar tasks, then block them together. For example, schedule all your follow up calls for a block of time. That way you can get into a rhythm. And just like a bike that’s already rolling, it will take less energy to keep it going. Then take that focused energy and get moving towards your goals!
***Join me for more on this subject during my Wednesday Wisdom, Facebook Live at 2:30pm Mountain (1:30pm PT, 3:30pm CT, 4:30pm ET) on my Facebook Biz Page: Coach Michelle Weimer.
***I want to hear from you… Share your thoughts and comments about this topic below.