Nine days into the new year and I find myself playing “catch up.” Over the last few months I had been in the planning stages of figuring out how I wanted to go about presenting The Grammar-less Life for the new year (new logo and theme so far). I had a lot of new ideas and projects that I wanted to act on and start once 2020 began.
A lot of preparation on my behalf fell to the waist-side though once the holidays began because I needed to dedicate that time to kids and family. Then I got sick, because the winter time sux, and that took me out for an entire week (the kids fell ill as well, which only added to the redirection of my focus).
Now, nearly a week into the new year and I (and my kids) have fully recovered so that I may get back to the original plan I started back in early October of 2019. I have so much to work on along with so many ideas to pursue that I am lacking focus, and for a creative – lacking focus can be disastrous – a lot’s going on but nothing is actually getting done. I even received a journal for Christmas that I vowed to write in everyday starting January 1st, 2020 that hasn’t been touched since that first journal entry on January 1st, 2020.
So, one of the ideas I had for TGL was to come up with a word each month and allow that word to guide me through life and my creative process. The word for January is: FOCUS. The goal this month is to focus my thoughts so that my energy is evenly distributed among the things that need my attention in order for me, my children and my creative endeavors to properly flourish. I have written about staying FOCUSED before in Land of a Million Run-on Sentences. This is definitely a recurring theme in every creative’s life that needs reiteration.
Here are 5 ways that I feel will help me (and those of you reading this) to maintain FOCUS from here on out:
1. Avoid negative thoughts and draining people as much as possible because focusing on the negative can pull you away from your goal(s) and what you need to accomplish. They have a tendency to fill up your head space and cause you to lack motivation, which then halts your focus.
2. Create a to-do list each day (or week) and check off the items that are completed as you go. Whatever item you do not complete put it on the next day’s (or week’s) to-do list. A to-do list will help eliminate procrastination.
3. Find a time (for at least an hour or more) and a space that is all yours. Nothing and no one can penetrate your space of productivity but you. Make this space comfortable and distraction-free, but not too comfortable to where you are compelled to sleep as opposed to create.
4. UNPLUG. UNPLUG. UNPLUG. As entertaining and interesting the internet and social media can be – you have to resist the urge to connect because it will literally waste your time and suck up all your energy.
5. Before you begin to work/create…meditate or train your brain to stay focused on the task at hand. Just for 10-15mins close your eyes, clear your mind, think about the task at hand and visualize how you will accomplish it.
I’m sure there are plenty of other ways to help me stay focused, but I think this short list of 5 will help me get started onto a well-focused path of productivity from here on out.
Amazing! Its really remarkable paragraph, I have got much clear idea regarding from this paragraph.
Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine.
Please let me know where you got your design. Appreciate it
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a
colleague who has been doing a little homework on this.
And he in fact bought me lunch simply because I found it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to talk about this issue here on your web page.
Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to
and you are just too fantastic. I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like
what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it
entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I cant wait to
read far more from you. This is really a great site.
It’s going to be ending of mine day, except before end I am reading this
enormous article to improve my experience.
Thanks in support of sharing such a fastidious opinion, paragraph is
nice, thats why i have read it entirely
I truly love your site.. Very nice colors & theme.
Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m attempting
to create my very own site and would like to learn where you got this from or what the theme is called.
Many thanks! asmr 0mniartist
Hey there, You have done an excellent job.
I will definitely digg it and personally suggest to
my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this site.
0mniartist asmr
Hi! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting
a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!
asmr 0mniartist
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post plus the rest
of the website is also very good. 0mniartist
asmr
My partner and I stumbled over here different website and thought I should check things
out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page again. asmr 0mniartist
Ideas flow effortlessly for me when I just lay down in my bedroom, in silence.. the thoughts flow very easily. I think it’s good to take a break from social media, in fact, I deactivated my FB a few years ago and haven’t missed it at all!
Before I get up everyday, I meditate and go over all of the goals I want to accomplish for that day, I lay them out in a list in my head like I was writing them on paper. Because I work from home, I have to be really self disciplined to stay on track and accomplish my tasks for the day.
Your #1 on the list is mine as well.. toxic people suck the life and energy out of you! Also #4 too… I find myself wasting so much time endlessly scrolling on some random person’s page and by the time I realize what I’m doing, 45 minutes have gone by and I still haven’t gotten any work done!
While I’m not in the field of creativity, I resonate with what you shared about UNPLUG especially in the times we’re in now. There is a need to stay informed, yet I feel that I would benefit very much from a detox off social media and the news. Thanks for sharing some tips and thoughts!