Finding your focus

Relax

If there are no burning matters to attend to, allow yourself an hour, or even a day, of rest and relaxation. Every small business owner needs to unplug from time to time. Breathe, meditate, sleep and play. A lack of focus can be caused by forgetting to include that little bit of ‘me’ time into our lives.

Remember your vision

Remind yourself of why you are in business for yourself. Remind yourself of your goals and aspirations. Draw a picture in your mind of how you look when your business has succeeded beyond your wildest dreams. Give it as much detail as you can.

Review and refine

Sometimes we need to adjust or change our goals, especially when our lack of focus is caused by a shiny new opportunity. One of the great things about small business is its flexibility – so feel free to change what you need to keep things moving forward. But be careful – don’t change course too often, otherwise you will never find genuine focus.

Want more articles like this? Check out the work motivation section.

Make a list

Write down everything you need to do, no matter how minor. Note down personal and business tasks. Then prioritise the list. The benefit of doing this is that it empties your head of swirling, mixed-up thoughts and ideas, and lays them all out in front of you.

Set a goal

Or refocus on a goal you already have. Solid, achievable, tangible business goals help the mind to zero in on those tasks that need to be done to reach the goal.

Talk to someone

As a soloist, we spend quite a bit of time alone with our thoughts, and sometimes, they just need to be given a voice. Your coach, mentor, someone in your business network, friends or family, or even the Flying Solo forums can help with this. You may just need to talk. All they need to do is listen.

Start something

Remember that list you made before? Start at item number one and work at it until it’s done. If it’s a huge matter, break it down into little chunks. Just the action of starting something can click your focus into gear.

Finish something

Unfinished tasks always take up a corner of our mind that would be better used for something else. If you don’t know the next action to take on a task, just do something. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something.”

Sometimes a lack of focus is caused by more serious underlying issues – if that is the case with you, consult an expert – an accountant, lawyer, doctor, mentor, business coach or other professional who can work with you to overcome the issue.

Otherwise, use the suggestions above and be assured your focus will return, often sharper than ever.

How do you regain your focus?