When your company is growing, so do your responsibilities.
Some companies which started small are now on their way to becoming global. This kind of development is great, but expanding a business, in reality, is not easy.
Some entrepreneurs may feel a little overwhelmed as they strive to press the accelerator. This is because several factors, including sales and revenue performance, personal concerns, and even the social climate, can all contribute to their stress and be viewed as barriers to their enterprises’ success.
There are several reasons why your attention is waning, so don’t be concerned if you can’t define what’s causing your loss of focus on any given work while your business is growing.
Finding focus is a problem that everyone faces.
I know firsthand how difficult it is to maintain focus. However, if you stay clear on your goals and weather tough times, you can make it through. You just need to remain agile and adapt to the changing environment whilst not losing sight of your business goals.
Here are 5 easy steps to help you stay focused during your business’ growth:
1. Manage only the things you can control
This is a fact for all of us: we have no control over many things that happen in our lives.
It’s pretty easy for the mind to overthink when attempting to take in everything you can’t control.
If you force yourself to prevent these things from happening, your mind would be filled with worries and stress – you’ll just waste your time and energy on them.
Instead, why not focus your efforts on a few things you can control?
According to a study by Microsoft Research, people who attempt to focus on more than one thing at a time reduce their productivity by up to 40%.
That is why you need to concentrate on the things you can only count on with your hands. Determine what you can control first, and then look for solutions to those concerns.
I guarantee you that you will begin to make more positive decisions if you learn to master what you can manage to control during your company’s rapid growth. Besides, after mastering it, you can execute positive and empowered actions for your business goals.
2. Be aware of your triggers
We can’t always escape all distractions.
Opposing beliefs might be one thing or even threats to our egos. That happens, and it varies depending on the situation.
Our ideas, experiences, and memories are all linked to triggers. We connect our past with comparable emotional triggers and the current circumstance.
According to lifehack, there are three common indicators for which you should either set boundaries:
· Guilt
· Discomfort
· Resentment
But before you can set boundaries, the first step to stay focused is to go deep within yourself to discover why you’re losing focus in the first place.
Then, with self-observation and introspection, you can identify your boundary cues.
This way, if you are aware of your triggers and set boundaries, you have a more significant opportunity to put the necessary measures in place to decrease your exposure to distractions substantially.
Just focus on the things you need to do – self-management is an excellent answer since it allows us to regulate our emotions so that they don’t interfere with our work.
3. Get back to your ‘why’.
Getting back to our purpose is a brilliant wake-up call.
When unanticipated setbacks derail our business objectives or interrupt our growth strategy, we lose our focus to stay on track.
What you need to do is just breathe and take a step back.
Get back to your “why”.
According to Simon Sinek, the ‘Why’ message is perhaps the most important message that an organisation or individual can express since it encourages people to action.
A strong and positive purpose statement will help you navigate challenging times and muddy waters.
It’s also time to create systems that work aligned with your purpose.
These systems, if applied effectively, will not just help you but also your teams and can trigger the growth of your company like a wildfire.
4. Avoid or lessen digital distractions
If you’re easily distracted by your phone, laptop, or computer notifications, you’re not alone.
Digital devices have become more and more of a distracting force.
Nir Eyal, a technology and psychology specialist and author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, claims that the reason why people want to get distracted is to avoid pain and discomfort at the neurological level.
So, when we’re faced with a challenging goal or objective we don’t want to accomplish, we search for a diversion, which is simple to get by these days through digital technology.
With these digital distractions, you only have a limited time for deep thinking and flow states, required for complex activities needing distraction-free focus.
You can use these strategies in your workplace or even at home to stay focused:
· Utilise quiet spaces
· Screen your phone calls and answer only essential calls
· Minimise phone notifications
· Organise and schedule uninterrupted focus time
· Take phone free breaks
· Limit email and message checking
· Remove social media apps that are no longer needed
With these workplace strategies, you can reduce digital distractions and find more ways to become more productive and stay more focused during work hours.
5. Create a daily ‘to-do’ list and stick to it
Are you sure that you know what you’re supposed to do for the day? Or for the week?
When planning your days, make sure you understand the tasks you’ll be doing and what it will take to complete them.
Sometimes, when you keep adding tasks to your list, things will start to go wrong. As a result, you might end up rushing things. Moreover, some of the tasks that you’ve added to your list might be impossible to achieve in one day.
If this is the case, this was probably the primary source of your stress during the day, causing you to lose sight of your objectives.
Having a streamlined ‘to-do’ list is vital, especially for critical activities, because you will be able to progress the most important business objectives for your company’s growth.
Personal productivity begins with a good to-do list. Finding a task-management application and procedure that works for you is a huge relief, such as Asana, Monday, Trello, and the likes.
Remember, make a “to-do” list with the most critical tasks at the top and the least important at the bottom.
Creating an excellent task list requires some practice. Things will look a lot better, and you will be more productive overall once you learn to fit all the parts together.
When you’ve accomplished all the “done” tasks, you’ll feel a sense of success and satisfaction to keep your focus as your company grows.
Want some more productivity tips to stay focused?
Have a FREE 30-minute session with me to discuss taking your business to the next level by visiting this website www.ellivateconsulting.com/coaching.
About Ellivate
Ellivate is the expert partner helping organisations and their go-to-market team’s scale.
Our powerhouse team of industry experts – with a combined 60 years of experience across the fintech, corporate and technology spaces – will work alongside your business to achieve your goals.
We have a shared passion for working with businesses to achieve rapid growth and apply an authentic, human layer of expertise that addresses the real challenges and concerns at the heart of your business.
We will work alongside you as a trusted and expert partner. We get in the trenches and ensure every solution is embedded within your business.
