Focus
July 1, 2009 by Dr. Letitia Wright
Filed under Featured Articles, Wright Ideas
Focus on your business
Success comes from focus. I know it seems like people who are successful are just hanging out with their friends and doing nothing and everything just comes to them.
They are not thinking about it or doing anything, it just flows to them. Well it’s not entirely true. Usually these stories are to help them sell you their product. Everyone here is an adult, right? So let’s get real. It takes some work to make it all happen. You do not have to be the one doing all the work, however, the work needs to get done.
When I interviewed John Assaraf, he said, “Success does not come overnight!” Wow! From a guy in the secret? Yes, from the guy in the secret. He had some things in place. By focusing on doing a few things well, you can actually get more done. When projects come your way, you can decide to be a part of them or not, based on what you do well. When people are asking you to be an expert in the area of you do not want to be in, you can say, “No, This project is not for me.” By consciously choosing your projects, you can stay focused on them until the end.
Multitasking is over rated. The time that one has to take, switching from thing to thing and resetting your mind makes the tasks take longer! Multitasking is to be avoided if possible. We have a lot of choices all the time. All entrepreneurs need to learn to make decisions quickly and stick with them. By not making a choice or claiming it’s too hard to make the choice, you take yourself out of the game.
Which projects move YOU closer to your goals? Not your friend’s goals or your child’s goals but YOUR goals. Those are the projects worth focusing on. You can re-evaluate your goals from time to time to make sure you are on trac. You can lso re-prioritize projects while doing them. Some things can go off the list if they are no longer needed or you get new inforamation that makes the task obsolete. Any task not moving you towards your goals should be delegated or gotten rid of.
That is why you need a team. You cannot do it all. You can use assistants or hire staff. It really does not matter, what matters is that YOU are not doing everything yourself.
I use an Executive Virtual Assistant who specializes in clients who in are the public. You can ask your Aunt Sally to help you, as long as she is good at what she does. Students are great. They need money and you need help! That can be an easy match. Mario Van Peebles said “Never confuse people you like for people who are good at what they do.”
Great article! Yes! It is so easy to get caught up in the important and urgent things of life as opposed to the essential. This is definitely food for thought. I am such a multi-tasker by nature, but am quickly evolving from that state of mind to a perspective more conducive the quality of life and business that I wish to manifest in due time. A very good friend of mind reminded me the other day that it is perfectly okay to say “no” to projects, events and circumstances that are not congruent with my current goals and objectives. Thanks for the great post! Looking forward to the next insight! ~Tasch