Focus Is A Sham: Why Ruthless Alignment Is Better

The reason you're not getting much done is because your energies are scattered.

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In the past week, I've been all over the place.

We had a bank holiday weekend in the UK, and everyone went back to work on Tuesday - except for me. My daughter went to nursery for about two hours before being sent home with a temperature. Just like that, I had to write off my day.

I was really looking forward to getting stuck back into all my projects, especially after a long weekend, so I was thrown off when I couldn't move forward. She stayed home the entire week. Not only did my productivity take a massive nosedive, but her clinginess and needing "mummy" every minute of the day and night took a toll on my sanity too.

I love my children, and I love being a mum, but sometimes it can be all too much to bear.

This past week made me realise the true meaning of the phrase "pull yourself together." It's only when every part of you is in sync that you can enter a true state of flow and satisfaction.

I was not in sync. I was completely thrown off by unexpected events, and even when I found small slots in the week to squeeze in a meeting here or there, it was incredibly challenging to concentrate or just get stuck in.

I wondered why, but I realised it wasn't the work. It's not that there was too much going on; it was simply that I wasn't aligned with myself.

As

Alex Hormozi

says, "The biggest reason businesses fail is not competition, it's lack of focus."

When you're getting pulled in several directions at once, it's not only your focus that gets scattered, it's also the energy that goes along with it. Scattered energies lead to ineffectual performance.

How do you pull yourself together again?

For me, the answer isn't locking myself in a room with no daylight and hunkering down. It's about pressing the reset button first.

This can look different every time, but one thing that always seems to work is starting my reset with a walk.

Here's the process I follow when I need to "pull myself together" again:

1. Walk — Get outside into nature and take a walk by myself

2. Breathe — Take several deep breaths through my nose, bringing more oxygen into my brain

3. Appreciate — Remind myself what I love about where I am right now: fresh air, beautiful views, crisp breeze, the sound of leaves rustling in the trees. Then I move on to appreciating myself - my ability to move easily, think clearly, how far I've come. Finally, I appreciate my loved ones - my loving husband, wonderful children, and supportive family.

4. Envision — I think about where I want to be at the end of the year and what kind of story I want to tell. It's a good reminder to focus on what I want, not where I am now (dwelling on the large gap between the two is a recipe for misery).

5. Prioritize — I ask myself, "When I get back to my desk, what are the essential things I need to do before the day is out to make today count toward my goals?" This gives me a clear plan of action when I return to work.

To sum up

If, like me, you get thrown off track and have unexpected things to deal with, try a hard reset. Move yourself physically out of the workspace and mentally into a place of appreciation and clarity - you'll feel all your internal energies coming back together again. Then you'll be able to tackle whatever's in front of you with aligned energy.

I promise, you'll find it easier to take the right next steps.

What do you do when you find yourself with scattered energies? How do you overcome this?

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