Focus

One of the challenging parts of working from home is focusing. Pre-Pandemic my life was very segmented. While at work I did work things, while at home I did home things. Now as home and work merge into the same space focus becomes a daily battle.

fo·cus /ˈfōkəs/

pay particular attention to

Each day I get up and I'm faced with a series of choices:

1. I open my eyes and ask - should I check my emails or go for a run
2. I walk out the bedroom - should I throw a load of laundry in or wait until the weekend
3. I see another meeting pop on calendar - should I accept or should I make space for lunch
4. When my husband finishes his day at 4:30 and comes downstairs should I finish my day or go for a walk
5. I see a meeting pop up in the evening - should I accept or should I focus on my family
6. I see a late night IM - should I respond or should I get some sleep

The examples go on and on. At any given time I could "focus" on many things at once and not truly giving them the FOCUS of my attention.

The same thing happens within departments and organizations. In January we have very specific goals and objectives. But as the year goes on new initiatives pop up every day and we might have that "shiny object syndrome" that strays us away from that focus we once set for ourselves. If we focus on every shiny object we will likely never achieve those goals we set for January.

How do we set our focus?

It's all about discipline. When we want to exercise more frequently it comes down to discipline, lacing up those trainers, getting outside, going for that run. We need to have that same discipline to our focus.

At home I have set that discipline. I make sure that when it's working hours I stay in my office. I decline calls that are during family time. I decline family distractions during work time to focus on my team and customers. I try to replicate the same cadence of time that I had when I left that house inside this space by designating specific rooms for specific activities. My commute it only through the kitchen now but it helps me to focus on the tasks at hand.

At work I keep the same discipline. I keep those big goals in mind and focus my activities on those that contribute to the big goals. I de-prioritize or decline the items that don't contribute. I will be honest it's just as hard as lacing up those trainers in the morning. But organization fitness is just as important as physical fitness. With focus and discipline all things are possible?

Are you focusing on the things that matter?