Writers: How to Have More Focused Hours in Your Day
Don’t try to eat the elephant whole, but rather in small chunks throughout the day.
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I was talking to this person the other day and he said that with all the time he spends putting around on the internet, he gets maybe 2 hours of focused time a day. Truthfully, I think that’s probably higher than average!
Now, with that in mind, if he was/is doing incredible work in those 2 hours a day, just think of the increased good he could do if he doubled or even tripled that amount of focused time. The impact of the contributions he provides to the world would multiply.
With that said, it might benefit you to do some self-inventory and take a closer look at how you spend your own time. See how much of it is focused, meaningful work. Once you complete an exercise like this ask yourself, “Is that a good amount for you, or would you like to increase your focused hours and impact on the world?”
For me, the success I’ve experienced in increasing my focus time has been dependent upon three main habits:
- Ask yourself what are the three most important and impactful things you can get done today?
- Create room for meaningful work instead of just doing busy work or being distracted all day — don’t try to eat the elephant whole, but rather in small chunks throughout the day.
- Work in full-screen mode and give one task your full attention.
Let’s look at each of these habits in more detail.
The BIG 3: Deciding on Your Most Impactful Work
I believe it’s Brian Tracy who introduced the idea of the “Master Skill”, which he refers to as goal setting. Believe it or not, most people dive into their inboxes or social media networks first thing. Rarely, do people set specific goals or objectives for their day anymore.
Sure, they might be consciously aware that there are bigger tasks that need to get done, however, they end up getting lost in the woods throughout the day because they are not moving in any specific direction, or have no specific purpose to shoot for.
