We are officially only 3 months until we ring in the New Year and make those New Year goals all over again, but the last few months of 2017 shouldn’t be wasted, we can certainly revisit those plans we made 9 months ago and refocus for the rest of the year. I don’t usually set New Year’s resolutions, however, I know that I could definitely revisit my save more money idea and will be putting a plan together to help me achieve it. See below the steps to take if you too want to refocus for the last part of the year.
Stop and take time to plan
Taking the time to just stop and still the business around us can really help to refocus and clarify what we are doing day to day. Life is busy, and months tend to blur together. I have a friend who always tells stories that start with “last month I did…” and when asking when he actually did the matter of the story, it will be from six months ago; most of us underestimate how much time passes us by and therefore, your plans that started out well may have slipped thinking it was only a month or two, but really it is double that timeframe.
Clarify
What were your goals at the beginning of the year? Did you lay out a plan and it’s sitting dusty on a to-do board? Clarify what you wanted from this year and refocus on getting yourself back onto that plan, it is never too late and you have 3 months until 2018 to make any changes you want. Remember a new habit takes 21 days to form – you have plenty of time!
Meditate
Meditation is a fantastic tool to help you refocus on the rest of your 2017. Taking 10 minutes a day to calm your world can help with your clarity and also creativity in every aspect of your life. Taking time to listen to your body can keep you mindful of your goals and will keep you on track.
Schedule a ‘golden hour’
Dedicate one hour a day to turning off your emails and focusing on 2017’s most important task for you; not only will this make you feel super-efficient when you finish a bit more of that project each day but it also gives you complete focus on that task. Email notifications popping up can be very distracting, you think “ooo…I’ll just reply” and before you know it you are at lunch and you haven’t done anything on your project.
Listen to music
Music is proven to improve productivity; whether it’s heavy metal (one of my old managers swears by this) or some chill-out tracks, listening to background music stimulates the part of our brain that controls motor actions, emotions, and creativity. It will cheer you up, calm you down and focus your mind all at once! It is the perfect thing to help you focus during your golden hour and can be a real motivator.
Clear the dead-weight
Whether it is clearing your 3000 strong email inbox, selling your summer wardrobe on eBay or creating a zen office environment – get rid of those things that distract you, play on your mind or generally hold you back from what you want to achieve. For example, I never used to file my emails and I would get anxious every time I saw the number ticking upwards! I now live by a zero email policy and by Friday evening my emails are appropriately sorted, leaving only those that need actioning the following week(s).
Let me know how you stay focused on your goals and what you have achieved this year?
