The first person we need to get good at saying no to is ourselves. We are often our own worst enemy. We often break our focus on what are really time wasting activities.
If you'd like to strengthen your "no muscle", a starting point is to take a personal inventory of your self-imposed focus breaker habits. Are you interested? Scan the following list and put a check by the things that you do that break your ability to stay focused.
| ______ Insufficient planning |
______ Your own errors |
| ______ Failure to listen carefully |
______ Your need to over-control |
| ______ Unrealistic time estimates |
______ Poorly defined goals |
| ______ Misplacing or losing items |
______ Failure to anticipate changes |
| ______ Responding to trivia |
______ Socializing |
| ______ Surfing the net |
______ Attempting to do too much |
| ______ Getting lost in details |
______ Preoccupation |
| ______ Ineffective delegation |
______ Unwillingness to say "no" |
| ______ Arguing |
______ Lack of self-discipline |
| ______ Procrastination |
______ Failure to prioritize |
How did you do? Did you check a lot of focus breaker activities? If so, don't fret. We have good news for you. All self imposed focus breaker activities are one hundred percent controllable. But first you have to strengthen your "no muscle" to yourself. How? By daily practice.
Here's the process. Pick an item on the list that is troublesome, for example, "attempting too much." Attempting too much destroys our focus because we spread ourselves too thin and stress ourselves. Rewrite the negative habit as a positive habit. For example "I never attempt too much." Put it on your action list every day in your planner. Practice it every day for at least three weeks. Practice not attempting too much just as you would practice any skill you are trying to learn.
Once you've mastered one, pick another on the list and control that one. Don't try to control all of your focus breakers at once. Work on them throughout the year. Watch your productivity increase as your " no muscle" gets stronger and stronger. It's highly rewarding and not all that hard.
Which focus breaker will you start working on today?
