Focus On What’s Important

Let’s talk about FOCUS.

What’s important to you?

Define that immediately. It can be your family or the goals you are working towards for yourself and your family. Whatever it is, it should be your #1 priority right now. The world is constantly changing and the levels only get harder as you scale the mountain of Life. You can only focus on what is defined. Whether it’s positive or negative is up to you.

Growing up you probably watched peers set goals and achieve them and some set goals, lose focus due to distractions (because of lack of discipline/structure etc etc) and then end up in a place in life totally different from where they wanted to be. We all have seen it. We all live it. Whether it’s the former or the latter. We all are a combination of the choices we have made in life. Whether we remained focused on the bigger prize or we lost focus along the way. So how do we remain focused through life?

1. Define what is most important to you; YOUR GOALS. Always hold this close to you and understand why you do what you do.. and/or who you do it for.

2. Cut out any and all distractions.

STEP ONE: Define what’s important.

Only you can do this. You do this by clarifying your core values like impact, security, freedom, growth, impact etc. What do you refuse to compromise on? What makes you proud? What inspires you to work hard in life and achieve bigger and better things? These are the things you are willing to struggle for in life. These are the things (and people) you care about the most. THAT is what is most important to you.

STEP TWO: Distractions.

In order to touch on focus, we need to understand WHY we focus. Distractions lead us from the path of our goals. Distractions can be social media, friends/family, addictions, and just overall bad habits. Distractions cause you to lose FOCUS. Can you clearly define the things that are distracting you from being where you want to be in life? Deep down we all know what we need to do to be better in life. Some of us may need better glasses to see the picture a little bit clearer.

Here’s how you can identify your distractions:

1. Write down your full day AFTER you do it. Make it a journaling habit. Write down what you did and the time it took you to do it. Take note of times you stopped doing something productive to do something unproductive. Make a note about what changes can be done to lessen distractions.

   1. Example #1: you tried to study for 2hrs after class but ended up playing video games with your roommates and talking to your cousin on the phone. You only ended up studying for about 30mins before your phone rang and by the time you got off the phone, your roommates asked if you wanted to join in. THE CHANGE: you could have gone to the library and gotten a private room to study for a few hours. You also would have benefited from putting your phone on Do Not Disturb for 2hrs and calling your cousin back when you leave the library. Your roommates probably wouldn’t have asked you to play if you were home and just having a casual phone conversation.

   2. Example #2: you need to go to the gym 3x a week after work but you often end up just sitting on the couch, watching tv, and scrolling social media. THE CHANGE: you pack a bag & take gym clothes with you to work 5x a week which will allow you to stop at the gym after work AT LEAST 3x a week, whichever days you choose. You don’t have an excuse because you will always have what you need with you AND you won’t be at home tempted to sit on the couch and waste your time.

2. Do this daily until you identify and hammer out low-value habits and change them into something more productive. Study what you’ve written and noticed over a month. By now you should be able to identify things easily in your past behavior like tasks you postpone (procrastination) and emotional triggers that lead to you being distracted. Audit the environment you have yourself in as well and see where changes can be made.

3. Write a short list of “Not To Do” things and identify the worst ones you want to work on first. Use resources like screen timers, app blockers, as well as accountability partners.

Low-value habits are routines or behaviors that take up your time and energy but give little or no return toward your goals, values, or personal growth. They feel productive, comforting, or entertaining in the moment, but they don’t move your life forward—in fact, they often hold you back.

Focusing on what’s important to you (your goals in life) is all about STRUCTURE, MINDSET, and TIME/ENERGY MANAGEMENT.

1. Create a clear plan for your goals. Break it down by the week and then by the day based on what you have to get done and when it needs to be done. Example: Week 1 - study modules 1-3.. break it down to 1hr of studying daily to complete 3 modules in 7 days. Should finish one module in 2 days with day 7 being used as a review day.

2. Use “Focus Blocks” or Timeboxing to do things free of any and all distractions. Example: morning 8-10am, phone on Do Not Disturb for 60mins of studying + 60mins of submitting job applications.

3. Set small daily goals before rewarding yourself with things like tv or video games or even just scrolling on your phone. Example: study for 2hrs THEN watch 20mins of youtube videos after you’re done studying for the day.

4. Limit distractions by being proactive and not reactive. Example: phone on DND or leave it in another room while studying so that you’re not tempted to get on social media.

5. Constantly review and see where you can improve.

6. Health is wealth! This is a major overlooked step. Without the proper sleep, you will always be distracted and will find it very hard to focus on anything in life. Sleep deprivation is not a joke. Taking walks outside and working out will boost your mental clarity and health. This has been scientifically proven. Failing health will not help you reach your goals, it will only hinder your progress along the way.

I hope you can apply this information somewhere in life. Whether you’re in school, planning a family, or working to get to the next level of something important to you, always remember… 1) define what is important to you, 2) cut distractions AND… this one wasn’t talked about above but you should understand it already… 3) GO GET THAT SHIT!