I’m continually amazed at the range of things that present themselves that can potentially distract a business owner from achieving the goals they have set and what tasks they need to do on a daily basis to achieve them. Not long after I started my business (just over 11 years ago now) I was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of goals I had set and what I had to do to achieve them, I had a business plan that was easily 50 pages thick.

To make life easier I summarised my plan to one page so that I could become focused and logically work my way through achieving the goals. Interestingly I started to achieve more goals, have more time and importantly for me became less distracted.

So do I still get distracted? Yes! and when I do I simply come back to my one page plan to see what I have to do next to achieve the goals I have set rather than going off in a tangent from the original distraction.

What are the two main things that distract us?

I ask this question at the seminars I run and typically these are the top two distractions for most business professionals:

1. Procrastination and 2. New Ideas. Here are some ways to overcome these two distractions:

Procrastination

Most people procrastinate because they are not crystal clear on what they specifically want, which then leads to not knowing what to do or the best place to start. When this happens all the excuses for procrastinating come into play.. a customer called with an urgent request… I have emails that I must respond to… I need to attend a function… I don’t have enough time… I have to do the paperwork… and the list goes on.. Take a minute to think about what your procrastination excuses are?

To overcome the excuses I use my one page plan it has one word (usually the thing I am crystal clear about wanting to achieve) that helps me remain focused for the month, I only set three goals at one time and have limited number of tasks to complete, as they are completed cross them off and only add others that directly relate to my goals until the goal is achieved. As the goals are achieved I set new ones. By following this method I avoid being distracted and procrastinating on what to do next, I follow the rule if it’s not on the plan it’s not getting attention until it makes it onto the plan!

As I mentioned earlier procrastination comes from lack of clarity. If you are struggling with procrastination and continually going off track  go back to your goals and ask yourself if the goal is really what you want, how committed to the goal you are and is it something you really want to do or is it something you think you should be doing. Seek the assistance of a coach, mentor or business buddy to help you get clear on what you want, sitting in your office thinking about it will keep you exactly you are right now. Taking action will bring results.

New Ideas

New ideas are one of the biggest distractions for achieving your goals! How easy is it when we get a new idea for marketing our products and services to start researching it immediately? the next thing you know 1/2 a day has gone and you have all this great new information, the current workload you have is piling up and now you are 1/2 a day behind!!

This is a common scenario for most people, it may not be a marketing idea it could be a new product idea, a new sales idea, a new networking idea or a new business opportunity.

When I get a new idea the first thing I do is look at my current one page plan to see if it fits in with any of the actions I need to take that month. If it does not fit in it goes in the new ideas folder on my desk until it’s time to set a new plan where I have allocated the time examine new ideas to see if it relates to moving me towards my goals in a timely manner. (I take one day a month out to work on my business) I have found this to be a more efficient way to invest the time and money to making these ideas work with everything else I have to do.

Take action and turn your distractions into Success Drivers…

• Make a list of the things you are distracted by and what your excuses are
• Assess your goals today, are you really committed to them?
• Create a one page plan for yourself to keep on track
• Plan to take one day off in the next month to work on your ideas

Let  me know how you go

Cheers

Sue