[[:encoded, "When you’re focused you get more done – plain and simple. Focus also helps you to enjoy the moment you’re in. Being in the present is a gift that many people take for granted. Pay attention. Focus on what you’re doing. You will be happier for it. \n\nIt doesn’t matter whether you’re an entrepreneur or an individual just looking for a bit more peace in your life – focus is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. \n\nIf you’re not certain if you are focused enough or if you want to find ways to fine tune and enhance your focus, you’re in the right place. \n\nImplement these seven steps and you may be able to remain more laser focused, be more efficient in your focus, and enjoy living in, and working in, the moment. \n\n1.\tSet the alarm clock a bit earlier. I can hear you groaning, but if you get up earlier you may get more done. Also, getting up before everyone in the house wakes up will give you solitude and will make you feel less rushed. If you have always wanted to practice yoga or take a long walk with the dog, read a book, sit on the deck with the paper and your coffee but you never seem to have the time, getting up earlier will be your gift to yourself. As you’re sipping your coffee consider eating breakfast. Skipping meals may make you overeat later. However, if you’re doing intermittent fasting, schedule your day so you have time later in the morning to break your fast. \n\n2.\tGet the most challenging project out of the way first. If you know you have a pressing task or project to complete, putting it off until the end of the day won’t make it go away. Putting it off will only make it so you’re working on a challenging project when you’re tired from the day. The harder projects won’t go away and putting them off will only drain your mental energy because they will still be there tapping you on the shoulder, waiting for you to complete it. If you have been putting business development calls off until later in the day, do them first thing and be done with them for the day. Brian Tracy calls this “Eating that Frog.” Doing uncomfortable activities first thing in our business day can be very beneficial.\n\n3.\tEat it one bite at a time. If you have a huge project ahead of you, eat it one bite at a time. Take your large project and break it down into manageable tasks. Don’t look at “Write a book,” for example, as something you need to complete in one sitting. Take your “write a book” project and break it down into smaller “meals.” For example: choose a title, write chapter titles, craft the back-cover copy, look for your author photo, make note of the beginning, middle and the end, so you have points to work toward. \n\n4.\tYou will procrastinate. There are a myriad of reasons why you will procrastinate, and you will. We all do. When you factor in procrastination time you won’t feel frantic if you find yourself taking fifteen or thirty minutes to “just do nothing.” Don’t schedule yourself so tightly that you don’t have time to just not feel like working for a few minutes. Call it cushion time, break time, or whatever you want. \n\n5.\tMake a list. I’ve found that when I make a list, my projects aren’t as overwhelming. Make a list and you will get more done – that is a proven fact. Write down a goal, write down tasks and you are more likely to complete them. A goal, written down, is no longer a vague thought – it is an object of substance. \n\n6.\tTake a break. Yes, taking a break will help with your focus. You cannot work for eight hours straight without a break. You truly don’t want to work more than two hours without a break. Every hour, or every two hours, get up and move around. Do jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups against the wall, walk around the building or block, stretch, go get more water (most of us don’t drink enough water during the day). This break is a gift of rejuvenation a
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