The Power Of Focus
Apr 7 by Marcus Hochstadt | Posted in Business
This may sound like the start of some get serious pep-talk, but rest assured I do have a point—I promise! :-)
There is a lot of fuss these days on how to increase productivity, “churn and burn” sales, self-improvement for business growth, and a host of other secrets to success. The Internet is full of forum discussions, Web sites and advertisements selling tips on how to be more successful; which makes it difficult to separate the good success tips from the junk.
That’s where I come in. I’m cutting through all the junk and providing only the good stuff.
OK, I promised I had a point and here it is… One of the best success tips I can share with you is called The Power Of Focus. The Power Of Focus is not some cheesy fad, it is a real principle that when applied, makes for incredible improvements in personal and professional arenas.
What is The Power Of Focus and how do you use it?
The Power Of Focus is the mental discipline to focus on tasks with undivided attention.
In other words, it’s focusing on tasks without distractions to complete them with the greatest effectiveness and efficiency. As an example, say you’re chatting with a friend on the phone while trying to complete an important business proposal.
When it comes down to your success, what is more important, a friendly chat or a successful business proposal? This is when the discipline should kick in, and attention given to the task that will produce the greatest results. In this case, it would be completing the business proposal. Without distractions, you can bring your best to each task.
The friendly chat can wait. Frankly, you can talk to friends after you’ve closed the deal!
Here Are Some Tips For Using The Power Of Focus In Everyday Life
- Keep a daily planner – This is the power of focus hard at work. A daily planner serves two purposes: when tasks are written down, they are easier to remember and that gives the mind the mental space to focus on individual daily tasks without distraction.
- Focus on the task at hand – When writing an e-mail to a client, focus on writing and finishing the e-mail. Distractions reduce efficiency, draw attention away from what’s important, and result in less than your best. Remain “in the moment” in everything and don’t move on to the next task until the first one is complete.
- Keep a list of goals – The Power Of Focus can also be applied to goals. The mind acts as a sort of magnet, drawing near what it focuses on. Make a list of goals and place copies around the house, in the car, and in the office. Use The Power Of Focus to envision already having achieved the goals and watch them come to life.
The bottom line is this… Success doesn’t come from surfing the Net or chatting with friends on the phone, it comes from learning the secrets of success and applying them to your own accomplishments. One reason why the title of my blog says Internet Business Guide For First Class Progress. ;-)
—Marcus Hochstadt
23 Responses for "The Power Of Focus"
wtricks.com
April 7th, 2008 at 11:11 am
1The Power Of Focus…
One of the most important aspects in running a successful business or site is being able to focus on the task. Read more about this….
Ramona Iftode (2 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 11:12 am
2This is so true. So many people see only the finishing line, the success they might once have. They don’t realize the effort we have to put into making it happen how how focused we need to be in order to achieve success.
Marcus Hochstadt (147 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
3Glad you like the article, Ramona. I had to train myself to focused action. Was distracted all the time, until I found the right approach to get things done in half the time (or less.)
TripTheLady (2 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
4That’s a powerful article! I wish I could focus on my job without distractions. My distractions aren’t friends or internet tho - it’s always other crises occurring at work. It’s just the nature of the beast in the hospitality industry. We drop everything for the guest because they are our most important asset. When I’m home writing my blog I am focused ;)
Marcus Hochstadt (147 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
5Oh yeah, that may be a tough challenge. It may be hard to stay focused on something when you suddenly and/or regularly have to get away from it.
Online Social Networking (5 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
6Excellent post Marcus.
May I suggest an extension to this concept.
Some goals cannot be reached all at once. They take days, months or years to achieve. It’s not feasible to pursue them without breaking off for some other activity.
Here focus means keeping on track, picking up ahain the next day, after the weekend, the next time you convene with colleagues, etc.
New opportunities will present themselves. Are they really opportunities, or are they merely distractions?
Think of FOCUS as F-ollowing O-ne C-ourse U-ntil S-uccessful.
Larry Brauner
iris (7 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
7I like your point, i feel like i am reading about myself. I find it really hard to focus in one thing even if i keep a daily planner, procrastination goes with that too and then i lost the only opportunity i have.
It’s an eye opener post for me, it is showing me that i need to work more and discipline myself to be more focus and be successful.
Marcus Hochstadt (147 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
8Thanks for stepping by, Larry. Your extension is spot on! Really like it.
And I partially covered this in two previous posts: In How To Save 2 Hours Per Day and in The “Not Enough Time” Excuse.
I also love your last statement: F-ollowing O-ne C-ourse U-ntil S-uccessful. Awesome.
–
And Iris, I remember a female author, a WAHM (Work At Home Mom,) who gave the advice on dividing tasks into 15 minute portions. Meaning, you would focus on one thing for 15 minutes. You would even use a stop watch to control yourself. Once the 15 minutes are over you could do it again. But the main point, if I recall correctly, was that focusing for 15 minutes is easier than, say, for one hour.
Worth a test, isn’t it? :-)
Tim (7 comments)
April 7th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
9I totally agree with you Marcus; just recently I started writing down all the things I wanted to do in a day in a notepad, and it has helped a great deal. Before this, I only had long term vision, but without short term goals, I got nowhere fast.
Now I find myself doing more in a day, and actually seeing the progress I am making is motivating.
Although, I still have to work on my general work focus, the internet is such a distracting place :P
michael (4 comments)
April 8th, 2008 at 6:49 am
10nice article! :-)
iris (7 comments)
April 8th, 2008 at 7:34 am
11It really is worth a test, i will try it. thanks for the very useful respond.
Marcus Hochstadt (147 comments)
April 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am
12Tim, I totally relate to what you said. The Internet can indeed be a distracting place. Heck, you find info everywhere and our bookmark lists start to explode, right? :-)
And yes, writing down small tasks and focus on the accomplishments one-by-one also helped me getting things done and this faster.
Marina Del Rey Real Estate (1 comments)
April 10th, 2008 at 7:19 am
13I enjoyed this article very much. I going to share it with a friend of
mine who really gets frustrated with people at her nursing job that
want to chat instead of focusing on the work at hand. They want to talk
to you while you work. it is a way of avoiding work. Great ideas in this
blogg . I will put your principles to work. thanks very helpful
Waylon
Suzie Cheel (1 comments)
April 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
14Great article Marcus,
I like the points you make- focus is so important for becoming who you truly are as well as achieving success
To your abundance
Suzie
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