Isn’t it strange that we act like ‘human doings’ rather than ‘human beings?’ Gone are the days when it was acceptable to stop and smell the roses, breathe fully, and allow life to unfold in its own time, and enjoy each moment. Nowadays, it’s considered a virtue to be ridiculously busy.
And don’t you find it odd that people use their busyness and being in a rush, as virtue signalling? Oh, look at them, juggling ten things at once and telling everyone about it – all because they want to be seen as worthy.
Modern society has a lot to answer for with the emphasis on being productive and getting stuff done in a hurry. All of which is compounded by technology that pushes us - fast and faster to be the fastest - to get tasks and projects completed in minimal time.
But hang on for a minute...
Do you have the nagging feeling that you’re doing lots but don’t finish what’s important? You know, the things that will make a massive difference if you were to complete them?
Because you’re busy doing... what exactly?
Busyness isn’t a virtue, nor is it a sign of productivity. If you’re taking on too much, you'll focus on none of it and do a horrible job at what you manage to complete. It’s always better to do less, yet do it correctly, rather than to do many things while making an inordinate number of balls-ups.
Feel a tad scattered? Time to take a step back and consider…
Are you trying to focus on too much? Here are eight tell-tale signs you are:
You Forget What You’re Doing
Have you ever started something and forgotten what it was you’re doing right in the middle? This is a genuine problem for those who take on too much. You can’t focus on everything , do everything for everyone, and try to cram it all into a sliver of time. The problem with even trying is that you’re training your mind to become less focussed. And the more you try doing too much at once, the more scattered your brain becomes.
You Don’t Prioritise
If you don't know what needs to happen first, you may do things unnecessarily. For example, should you dust or vacuum first? Should you outline or research first? Understanding the processes that work best will help you prioritise your workload.
The best way to organise and focus your thoughts is to write a ‘to-do’ list of what needs to be done step-by-step, and get a game plan together for what you want to achieve.
You’re Missing Deadlines
If you’re working all the time but not getting anything done, it’s simple - you’re doing too much. People think the so-called 40-hour workweek is a good example of how long people should work a job, but that 40-hour workweek originated with the idea that someone was home taking care of the household business. When you add in all the time spent handling the out-of-the-office chores, commitments, and responsibilities, that’s an awful lot of time spent on becoming exhausted. Phew!
You’re Not Managing Your Time
If you keep a calendar or diary and nothing happens as scheduled, you’re not managing your time. One way you can help yourself is to learn more about time management. You have the same number of hours as the next person, so it must be about managing it to get the most from it. - without being distracted by unwanted demands. Especially the demands of others! But it’s vitally important that your calendar includes time out from your busy schedule. Time to think, relax, and be where your feet are (instead of some other place in your mind). Schedule in ‘me time’ and make it sacrosanct. Knowing you have ‘time out’ coming up allows you to feel less overwhelmed and more in tune with the natural rhythm of life.
You Feel Anxious and Stressed
When you aren’t having enough downtime to rest and can’t take care of your human needs like eating, exercising, loving, and so forth, you’re not going to have a happy life. If you feel stressed out, consider whether your schedule includes all parts of you that need to be expressed or not.
You Get to Bed Late and Can’t Sleep
You find that it’s hard, if not impossible, to get to bed at a good hour to ensure a minimum healthy seven hours of sleep because you’re doing too much. The problem is worse when you get in the bed because your mind is so full of stress that you can’t sleep.
You Miss Opportunities
Because you're so all over the place doing a little of this and a little of that, you aren’t ready when opportunities seem to come right at you. It's not possible to buy that laptop on sale because you’re too busy to go shopping. Your mind is too tired to find about what’s going on in your local area and you miss the inspired idea for a new business. There’s no energy to go to that party and meet new people. And you’re too exhausted to read that self-help book which has the solution you seek. Your frontal cortex shuts down and you miss the hands of opportunity that are waving at you.
Maybe it's time to stop, breathe, pivot, and look at what’s happening around you.
You Pay Late Fees
When you’re too distracted because of having too much on your plate, it’s not unusual to end up messing up your finances too by having to pay late fees. Not being focussed not only costs money, it also costs the time sorting out the mess.
If you are doing any of this, you’re not a less-than-perfect person. In fact, you’re just doing what society has taught you to do, or at least pretends to you that successful people are doing. Nothing is further from the truth, though.
Smart, successful people focus on doing fewer things well to build a balanced, high-quality life. They make proficiency and efficiency a priority, rather than appearing busy and doing more. Moreover, they're not concerned whether others think they're doing enough. They focus more on what brings them fulfillment and make each day an opportunity to master that.
So, what’s the solution?
Ask yourself the right question and take the right action!
If you’re trying to focus on too much, here’s a question from the book The One Thing by Gary Keller, which will help you focus on what’s most important:
What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
Now that’s what I call a Power Question! Something to ask yourself to get you out of lack-of-focus, scattered thinking and overwhelm, and into focusing on what’s going to make your life easier and more streamlined.
And the right action? Oh, that’s easy. Stop doing the stuff that’s unimportant and doesn’t need to be done. Especially if you’re doing that stuff just because others expect you to do it.
Remember:
Trying to focus on too much is being a servant to the idea that constant busyness, doing a million-and-one things, is the correct thing to do. It isn't.
The ability to focus is a superpower. You'll do more than you ever thought possible by deciding to do less.
Concentrate on The One Thing that will have a positive knock-on effect to other areas of your life and let everything else take a backseat.
I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please let me know about the tips and techniques that enhance your life - I'd love to hear from you. And if there's a particular issue or subject that you'd like me to explore in a blog, then please drop me a line!
Sending you love and hugs
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And there's more...
Allow me to introduce you to a Sprinkling of Magical Thinking when it comes to the ability to focus - with the help of Switchwords!
Switchwords are one-word mantras that help to focus the mind on what you want to manifest, bypass subconscious resistance, and work with the Law of Attraction, to help you achieve your goals.
Switchwords can be used singularly by themselves or added to other Switchwords to form Switchword-Phrases that work together and power up the effect.
Try chanting the following Switchword-Phrase regularly and notice how you find it far easier to focus on what needs to be done, without procrastination and distraction kicking in:
Together-Divine-Put-Done-Now
Curious about Switchwords and want to find out more? Take a look at the journal I've created to help you take a deep dive into the wonderful world of these magical and powerful words - please click on the link: The Switchword Journal - How to Use the Magic of One-Word Mantras to Transform Your Life!
Want to learn about Self-Help with a Sprinkling of Magical Thinking? Then take a peek at my Amazon page and learn my secret sauce magical life hacks to create the life you want! Please click on this link: Ruthy Baker Author Page
Do you want to create a life filled with feel-good vibes that makes your spiritual soul wiggle? Do you want to work less hours, have a better work-life balance, and create a life and business you love? Then take a look at the Brilliant Biz & Life Academy - it's simply pure gold - I've done quite a few of the courses and highly recommend them! Please click on the link: Brilliant Biz & Life Academy
Do you love crystals? I'm crazy about crystals and have quite a collection. They are one of my secret happiness hacks to lift my mood and help me keep my focus.
Check out my fave online crystal cave at Crystal Wisdom the fabulous Dawn and Sarah can help you pick the right one for you. Oodles of knowledge about all things crystal healing - it's a must see - please click on the link:
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© Ruthy Baker 2022
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