My son recently had surgery and I experienced a peculiar mix of emotions caring for him in hospital. Whilst I was anxious and worried about him during and after the operation, and upset by the pain he was in, I also felt a general inner calm and reduced stress. Doesn't make sense, right? I was confused, so I remained curious.....
Move on to this week, and I was listening to an excellent podcast by Jay Shetty (10 Proven Strategies to Boost Productivity) and it dawned on me…..
The reason I felt less stress was because I had one very clear focus in that moment…. Caring for my son.
Nothing else was as important as this one thing and I consciously chose to focus on it. I wasn’t worried about who I hadn’t messaged or emailed, what commitments I had in my diary for the day, or examining my never ending to-do list chastising myself for clearing less than I’d hoped. I had one purpose and I could put all my energy into it.
Realising that this is an unusual situation and we operate in a world of competing demands, what has this and Jay's podcast, taught me about how I’m organising my time:
Do one thing at a time – Choose my one thing and complete it – it enables focus and reduces stress.
Make sure my one thing is actually the most urgent and important thing to do. At the start of my week examine my to-do list and categorise items into four groups – 1) Urgent and important 2) Urgent but not important 3) Important but not urgent and 4) neither urgent nor important. Prioritise and be purposeful with what I’m focusing on.
Set a goal of the day and/or goal for the week – Be clear about the thematic purpose of my day or week based on this prioritisation and keep focused on that goal.
If this resonates and/or you’re struggling with prioritisation as a parent, employee or business owner, please reach out for a no obligation chat to see if coaching can help you improve your focus and reduce stress.
Comments