Swirling Thoughts in Christine's Head: Have You Lost Your Focus?

Have You Lost Your Focus?

The reason I ask is because I think I have lost mine. I have been running around like a chicken with her head cut off lately and you know what? I am getting very little done and I think it's because I have just too many ideas, too many things I want to do, and then there's all the stuff I need to do (or maybe I think I need to do?).

OK, I'm rambling.

I just returned froma week-long visit with my parents in Ottawa. I live in Toronto, Ontario. I know a lot of you are American, or from even farther off countries, so just to orient you, that is about a 5 hour drive. I went took my 2 year-old and my 4 year-old. So it was just lil ol' me and my two kids in my van.

Busy, busy! Long story short, I got back Saturday, and I have a million things to do and busy children that want to be entertained, and huge loads of laundry, there's my jewelry busines which has been sorely neglected for a few months now, my computer stuff, all the projects I have volunteered to help with, AAAUGH!!!

So I have decided I need to slow down. I am prioritizing. Not everything needs to get done this minute. I need to become more effective and do less wheel spinning. Hopefully this will result in feeling less crazy.

This brings me to my newest Tip:

Work on becoming effective rather than just busy. Doing something that takes a lot of time does not make it important!

Here are some ideas on how to become more effective rather than just busy.

1. Make a list of all the things you need to do.
   Don't think about it. Just make a list encompassing everything. Set a timer for 5 minutes if that helps keep you on track.
   


2. Analyze your list.
   You can't do everything so just accept that and start crossing stuff off. If a task will take more from your life than it gives you, cross it off. If not completing that task will make no difference to you a year from now, cross it off. If you won't even remember why it was important a year from now, cross it off.
   



3. Delegate or Outsource.
   If you can't cross it off (I'm thinking household chores, bookkeeping, simple administrative tasks) delegate or outsource it.
   
   - Delegate household chores to family members.
   
   - Get a cleaning service to clean your house every two weeks. Even though money is often tight in our family, we have made it a point to add cleaning into our budget. I hate cleaning. There are so many other things I would rather do with my time. I spend enough time picking up after people without having to mop floors and scrub toilets too. And why should I when there is an easy alternative?
   
   - Hire a VA (virtual assistant) to proofread and format your blog articles. I will speak more on this in future, but for now, check out http://www.elance.com/ or ask around in the online forums for referrals to a good vitual assistant. It is possible to hire a VA for as little as $4 per hour for simple tasks that suck up your time.
   



4. Make Improving Your Life a Priority.
   Stop for a minute, and think. What is one thing I can do today to make my life better a year from now. This can be business or personal.
   
   Decluttering is a great, easy thing to do. I am a pack rat myself. I tend to save things that might someday be useful or tuck things away to give to others but never get around to actually giving them away. I have a catch-all shelving unit in my kitchen. Yesterday I ruthlessly purged it of anything than was complicating my life more than it was useful. I threw out cookbooks, cooking magazines, candies, saved recipes, old crayons, broken toys I have been meaning to fix, and other assorted bits of flotsam from my busy life. In the past, I have put off decluttering because I felt, "What's the point, since my husband doesn't feel the need to get rid of any of his junk?" I decided yesterday that I was going to worry about myself and leave his stuff alone instead of my usual fuming and inwardly complaining to myself, and making little piles of his stuff for him to take care of later. It worked wonders for my productivity.
   
   Other ways to improve your life a year from now.
   There are lots of other ways to make your life better a year from now.
   
   Here's another quick 5 minute exercise: Set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes.
   
   Brainstorm all the things you could do this month to improve your jewelry business a year from now.
   
   Don't have a jewelry business? Substitute "life", "work", or "family" for "jewelry business".
   
   Now pick one of those things to do everyday. Does each to-do item take too much time? Break each one down into 30 minute chunks and work on one thirty minute chunk each day. Slow and Steady wins the race.
   



5. Make punctuality a priority.
   This is a definite challenge for me. I tend to be always trying to squeeze in one more thing before I have to be somewhere, and end up being perpetually late and stressed out trying to find something at the last minute. Usually keys, purse, sippy cups, extra diapers and child snacks. For myself, I vow to leave 10 minutes earlier than I think I need to from now on.
   



6. Know when to stop.
   On that note, off I go. Enjoy your day!

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