Take Smaller Bites

What is a good approach to starting something new? Are you working on creating a new habit or starting something entirely new?

When you think about what you want, it’s easy to get really pumped up about it. Once you start walking out the day-to-day, that can be a different story. Suddenly, there are other people/fire drills/priorities that pull you away or at least distract you. Now, this big, exciting, shiny, new goal you want in your life seems like it’s moving further away and you don’t know how to bring it back. It can be frustrating and disheartening.

Three things to help you with this right now: 1. Prioritize the 2-3 most important, specific tasks you need to accomplish today and write them on a sticky note or dry erase board. 2. Give each of these tasks a time limit that you will spend and set a timer when you start working on them. 3. Do not let yourself do or think of anything else while the timer is running for your important tasks of the day.

While you have many tasks that need to be accomplished each day – some planned and some spur of the moment – when you boil it down, there are usually two or three that MUST happen. Maybe every Monday it’s setting aside time to write your blog or schedule your social media for the week. It may be a spur of the moment task like putting together a pitch for a lead that you just received. Whatever it is, try to prioritize by what is most important for me to do today for the future success of my business. You may want to include 10 things but I’m telling you, pick three at the most. The remainder of your 10 items should go to a second or third tier priority.

I know how easy it is to let an important task consume all of your time. It may end up taking extra time than you planned, but often when you have a deadline, you will do everything in your power to meet it. Setting a timer can help you stay focused and push other distractions away. When it is the sole focus and you don’t have all the time in the world to work on it, you will do more work – and faster. My ebook gets into more detail about how much time you should set aside for each task to keep things manageable.

With 24/7 technology beckoning us, it’s easy to be scatterbrained. When you notice a thought trying to creep into the forefront of your mind that has nothing to do with the task at hand, either push it out and get back to work or jot a short phrase that will remind you of it when you finish. Turn your phone to silent and don’t check email during these bursts of time focused on your priority task.

What do you do to stay on track or get back on track? Click on the video for a critical piece of the puzzle to keep you moving forward and gaining momentum.