We’re roughly halfway through the year. And if you’ve avoided breaking out in a cold sweat because time is flying by, then this is a great time to step back and refocus on your work.
It’s easy to lose sight of goals we established way back in January. And a lot can happen in the span of those months. Maybe you took time off to care for a loved one. Or to take care of yourself.
But before you return and dive into the work, take a moment to refocus on what’s important to you so you can thrive for the remainder of the year.
Take Stock of Everything You’ve Accomplished
Okay, before you dive in to work on refocusing, let’s talk about what you’ve accomplished. So often, we only look at what’s in front of us on our to-do list or calendar. And that can lead to feelings of how we’re falling short.
But to appreciate where we are, we must look at the good things we’ve done. And odds are, you’ve accomplished so much more than you realize. You just haven’t thought about it.
Think back over the last few months and write down the things you’re most proud of, whether it’s work or personal.
Maybe it’s a project you just knocked out of the park.
Or you’ve met a fitness or mental health goal. Whatever is important to you, put it on the list.
Identify When You’ve Done Your Best Work
If you feel like you’re in a rut with your productivity or focus, think back to times when you’ve done excellent work.
What were the conditions that helped you focus and be most productive?
Maybe you had an established schedule or were surrounded by people who encouraged and challenged you.
Identify how you were able to focus and work on re-creating those parameters in your current work setup.
Review Your Organization Methods
When you’re struggling to focus, organization methods are often a culprit. And even if you have a sound system for tracking projects and client requests, those tactics can fall by the wayside when you’re distracted.
Examine your organization process and see what needs to be tweaked or re-implemented to help stay focused on what’s in front of you.
Establish Short-Term and Long-Term Priorities
When searching for how to refocus, you can grab at straws and focus on the wrong things.
Instead, you gravitate towards tasks that make you feel good, like cleaning out your inbox or spending a lot of time responding to emails.
To avoid this trap, write out critical tasks or work you need to get done.
Prioritize them. Put them on your calendar (or wherever you track your work) and honor that list, as your life depends on it.
Drown out all other noise and save it for later. Those emails will still be in your inbox if you let them stay there till the end of the day.
Some “busy work” is essential. But a large part of finding your focus is knowing what to focus on at the right time.
We All Struggle with Focusing
Every business owner, freelancer, and employee struggles to maintain focus. Competing life priorities, outside influences, and many other issues can take our minds off work for long periods.
Remember to give yourself grace. Losing focus is part of being a normal human being. What’s important is you identify the cause and do what you can to find your focus and continue doing great work.