What Is The Importance Of Focus?

When discussing the importance of focus, the three authors of The Power of Focus say that you should invest most of your time each week doing the thing you do best.

If there are things that you do not do so well, you would be wise to find another who has that particular skill, and can do it best.

Focus on the activities you do brilliantly. From these you can produce extraordinary results. Here is an example: Say you are part of a well-known music group. You travel to the spot where you are performing.

When you arrive, all is ready for you. The stage is built; the sound system is on and working; lights are in place; advertising for the event has been circulated.

Then you arrive backstage in your limousine. You walk on stage and pick up your instruments. You give a brilliant concert, then leave, again entering the waiting limousine and you leave.

As you can see, the only job you had to do as a musician was to perform. That is what you do

brilliantly. Other skilled people took care of all the other details. You, meanwhile, will reap great rewards just for doing what you do best.

Do you spend you time doing what you do best? Here is an exercise to find out how you are actually spending your time. Create a time-log. Keep a notebook nearby. Every 15 minutes, record what you have done.

If you do this activity for four or five days, you will have a very accurate record of how you spend your time.

Next, list three things you do brilliantly in your business. These should be activities you do effortlessly and which can bring you energy. These activities will produce the greatest results and income for your business.

Think about your work and figure out what percentage of time you spend on these brilliant activities. How can you refine your time until you are using 80 to 90% on those things you do brilliantly.

Next, look at your list of weekly activities and select three things you don't like doing or don't do well. These little details need to be done to keep your business on track, but not necessarily by you. These are the activities you farm out to someone who will do them better.

Here is something that the authors of The Power of Focus call the 4-D solution. This list will help you figure out which things are your important priorities and which things you can delegate. Here's the list:

• Dump it

Be firm in learning when to say "no".

• Delegate it

Find someone else to do these tasks. Just ask, "Who else could do this?"

• Defer it

These are things that do not need to be done right away, but which may be scheduled for later.

• Do it

Important projects need your immediate attention, so do them right away. Reward yourself when they are completed. Act to avoid nasty consequences.

Achieving what you want in life does not require a magic formula. You must simply focus on what works. Many people focus on the wrong things and end up living from paycheck to paycheck. It is important to focus more on acquiring a strong useful base for your future rather on spending.

If you carefully study what is working in your life, you can adjust your focus so it becomes centered on the things that are most important.

Information for this post came from The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt.