How to Direct your Focus when being Distracted
✉️ Originally shared in my November newsletter 2024 — now available here for easy access and sharing.
3 tips on how to stay focused & 2 quotes to remember
I just spent nearly two weeks in Stockholm, enjoying a change of scenery with some quality time for family, friends, and even managed to train with my old basketball team. There’s something about stepping into a different environment that shifts our perspective on routines and goals.
The past month has really tested my ability to stay focused on what’s truly important and set the right priorities. I’m great at meeting deadlines, but I’ll admit, I’m also the queen of context-switching, “brain-popping,” and procrastinating when those deadlines are missing.
Most of us can focus well when we remove distractions. When a deadline or someone else’s request decides for us, we make things happen. But choosing our own priorities, that’s the real challenge.
Instead of doing the difficult work of choosing one thing to focus on, we often convince ourselves that multitasking is better. (And we know that’s just a myth, right?)
3 tips on how I stay focused
1️⃣ Identify What’s Truly Important
Every Monday, I start by asking myself: What are the three most important things this week?
It sounds simple—but try it, and you’ll likely end up with 10–20 points like I do!
Then I challenge myself to narrow it down again to a real top three. For everything else, I create a...
2️⃣ “Not-To-Do” List
To focus on what matters, you have to say “no” to a lot of other things.
That doesn’t mean “no forever,” just “no for now.”
When new tasks show up, I check them against my priorities:
➡️ Do they qualify to replace something else?
If not, they go on the not-to-do list. This keeps my focus clear and aligned.
3️⃣ Plan the Plan & Track Progress
I often forget to plan the planning!
If I want to stay focused and avoid getting swept away by new distractions, I need to block time to review and replan.
Each day, I also take 5 minutes to make a quick “What I Did” list, a small but powerful way to track progress and celebrate wins, big or small.
Recognizing small steps builds confidence and momentum for the next day.
2 quotes to remember
“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything”
“What you don’t do determines what you can do.”
