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Hi, How driving home helps you stay focused.
June 10, 2009

How driving home helps you stay focused Hi

Volume 62

Hi there to all our loyal and our new members. 57 new members joined in the last month. Welcome to the Time Creation community.
This edition of your Time Creation Newsletter explains How driving home helps you stay focused.
The article takes about 2.4 minutes to read.
Enjoy and have a laugh too.

In this Edition:

  1. Article: How driving home helps you stay focused
  2. Laugh out loud: An Aussie in an Irish Pub
  3. How to stay focused: A system to cope with 21st information overload.
  4. Links you should check out: The Ultimate Gift Video. A lesson in life.
How driving home helps you stay focused
-- and helps you achieve your goals.

"My wife and my boss are going to kill me," Karl blurted out."I worked to 11 again last night," he groaned. "I thought you made a commitment to your wife not to work late this month," Andrew said softly. Karl yawned as he started to make a strong coffee. "I did, but you know, things got behind and weren't done the way I wanted so I had to stay back and fix them before the meeting today. But I still didn't get everything done."

"Let's go. I want to get this meeting started," the voice boomed from the large, balding man in the doorway. "Yes boss," Karl replied submissively. He took his coffee and whispered to Andrew, "will you come to my funeral?" in a tone that was half joking, half serious.

Clients often tell me about their dreams and goals, just like Karl's. They tell me they initially get excited but the next day they find them too hard, unrealistic or they just don't know where to begin.

Have You ever set a goal and a day or so later you felt unsure about whether you can really achieve it! Well YOU CAN. The very fact that you clearly thought about your "goal" means you can achieve it. Then why do so many people fail to achieve their goals?

Lack of FOCUS. Yep, not being able to stay focused. Focus is about not being distracted and overcoming procrastination. It is about seeing, feeling and breathing the outcome you want - NOT the one you don't want.

Most time challenged people do not even realize that when they accomplish very little it's because they have been easily distracted from their objectives and priorities. An example of this is when you say you're going to clear your in tray. You start clearing the tray and then your computer bings with the sound of a new e-mail. You stop what you are doing and spend at least 30 minutes reading emails (though you swear it didn't seem that long!).

At the end of the day you discover that the stuff from your in-tray is all over your desk and there seems to be more than there was when you started. So you put everything back and wonder what happened and why you made no progress at all!

If you're going to clear the in tray then, clear the in tray! Do NOT allow yourself to become distracted.

When you drive from work to your home, do you turn down streets that take you further away from home? Probably not. So why do it with a task or project you are working on? Which way DO you drive home? The way that gets you home in the shortest time!

This principle can also be applied equally to any outcome you want. Choose a task and stay focused on only that task until it is completed, in the shortest possible time.

But How do I stay focused?

Most of my clients ask this question. It is a really important question because it is very hard to stay focused today in a 24x7, information overloaded world that constantly interrupts you.

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How to Stay Focused -- HERE is the answer. It's UNIQUE. It's BUILT for the 21st Century information overload. It is ....
A 21st Century Time Management System. Finally a way to deal with the mass of information overload in the world today.

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"I see you are still alive!" Andrew joked as he walked into Karl's office. "How did the meeting go?" "Not too bad - no scars!. But I still have to get all the work done by tomorrow and I just can't seem to stay focused on the task. I am constantly distracted. Now I am really dead, because I am going to have to tell my wife that I will be working late again tonight."

So, What should you do to stay focused?

Here are three ways that my clients find keep them focused.

  • What is the best use of my time right now? Ask yourself this question before you start a task. Continue only if your answer is the task you are about to do!
  • Set a clear objective and boundary. Write down your objective for the task and the boundaries you will stay within. For example - My objective is to clear my in-tray. My boundaries are that I will process the tray, not do the tasks. I will do this task until the tray is empty. I will not start on anything else.
  • Use visual triggers to remind and reset yourself. Using the same example, your trigger could be to put a post-it notes on your computer screen that says "have you finished clearing the in-tray?"
  • Hide. Yes I am serious. One of the best ways to stay focused is to be in an environment that helps you stay on task. When you have a really important task that requires your full focus, get away from your desk and find a place where you won't be interrupted.

Yes, it can be that simple. But don't get simple and easy mixed up. Changing your concentration style to make sure you stay focused is not easy. You are faced with so much information, so many interruptions and so many possible tasks, the easiest approach is to manage by reaction. Staying focused requires proactive management.

Karl can get his KPI's AND be home with his family for dinner. I have helped many clients to do this. The starting point is for you to recognise what support you need to make this happen.

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Get your FREE Time Management Course here. and learn How to Stay Focused.

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Links you should visit
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1) A lesson in Life: The Ultimate Gift Video. There are 13 episodes to this heart warming story.

2) Time Management Central.net time management videos to inspire you to use your time wisely.

3) Need help to deal with your workload and your boss? Contact Time Creation for a complimentary consultation on 61 3 9849 1723.

If you would like to use this article feel fr'ee to share it with your own list, post it on your site, on your blog or add it to your autoresponder. As long as you leave it intact and do not alter it in anyway. All links must remain in the article. And include this at the end of the article. Michael Erwin is an internationally certified coach who specializes in Time Creation. He has created the unique Time Management for the 21st Century system. Get the FREE version here. He has collected the most effective time management resources, including Time Management Videos and made them available to FREE at https://www.time-management-central.net

Laugh out Loud
An Aussie in an Irish Pub

An Aussie walks into a pub in Ireland and clears his voice to the crowd of drinkers. He says, "I hear you Irish are a bunch of hard drinkers. I'll give $500 to anybody in here who can drink 10 pints of Guinness back-to-back." The room is quiet and no one takes up the Aussie's offer.

One man even leaves. Thirty minutes later the same gentleman who left shows back up and taps the Aussie on the shoulder. "Is your bet still good?", asks the Irishman.

The Aussie says yes and asks the bartender to line up 10 pints of Guinness. Immediately the Irishman tears into all 10 of the pint glasses drinking them all back-to-back.

The other pub patrons cheer as the Aussie sits in amazement.

The Aussie gives the Irishman the $500 and says, "Mate, can I just ask ya, where did you go for that 30 minutes you were gone?".

The Irishman replies, "Oh...I wasn't sure if should take the bet. So I went to the pub down the street to see if I could do it.".

Have some fun today :-)

More great Time Management Information
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Time Management Planners -- A summarized review of leading time management planners.




Thanks for spending your valuable time with us.

Michael, Graham and the Time Creation Team


www.timecreationcoaching.com.au
www.time-management-central.net

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