Focus and Distractions

by elementhealing, posted in Random Thoughts

 

 

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Hello everyone, I am back!
I was having a conversation with my guides about my goals recently. One of my guides response to me was “Are your goals smart?” It was a very good question because I overload myself with tasks and expectations, then beat myself up if I don’t get it all done. I guess that means that no they probably aren’t smart goals! I don’t have an issue admitting that I am a very creative person and my mind is going in many directions at once. So I can sometimes (OK frequestly) be distracted from one task and start on another. That has happened several times already writing this post. 🙂 and I am only one paragraph in! I can have the best goals and intentions but if I am not staying focused, I’m never going to get there. The issue is not one of not taking my goals seriously. I am incredibly serious and passionate about my purpose and my path. I just split my focus too much. Sometimes.

This got me thinking about a poster in a previous supervisors office. Prior to hurting my back my working career had been in Retail Management and Quality Control. The poster was the word Smart broken down into an acrostic. I am sure many of you have seen different variations of this breakdown. Whatever version you may have seen the message is the same. When you set a goal there are five things to consider. Is the goal:

S specific
M measurable
A attainable
R realistic
T time bound

It’s always a good idea to, occasionally, take a step back look at your life and take stock. How is it going? Are you making headway toward the goals you had set? Does anything need to change?  Being that this is a nine year and we are now in a retrograde cycle this seems like a good time to do that. I have been on a hiatus from my blog for several weeks trying to get my ducks in a proverbial row. You know as well as I do that doesn’t always work. I had family with farms when I was growing up and ducks don’t always play follow the leader. They may travel in the same general direction but not all at the same speed and not in line. Geese do and it’s adorable! OK I will not get distracted, I will not get distracted!

Dang, I got distracted again!

So you see my issue! I simply have too many things going at once. Since I decided to step back and take my break I have tried several ways of getting organized. Nothing has worked to my total satisfaction but I am still working on it. I have six projects in the works right now. Three of them I simply have not had the time to work on, so they are stuck on a back burner for now.

I have to set a goal to avoid distractions and stay focused on one thing at a time. To do that I need to make some decisions.

  1. What is most important to me? Then whatever doesn’t make this list I have to be willing to let go.
  2. How can I best work on the important things to keep them moving forward? Working on this one.
  3. How can I stay focused? This is two-pronged but an easy one, maybe. Have an office not the table in the dining room right in the middle of daily activity. My son is working on this one. Me being personally focused will take some work.

So taking this information, how can I take the S. M. A. R. T. goals plan and set some for me that I can stick to? My biggest issue is distractions, both external and internal. So, with a goal of no distractions and increased focus, is it:

S specific? My goal is to not be distracted from whatever project I plan for the day. I think that is specific enough.
M measurable? Yes it can be measured by the amount of work I get done during my work day.
A attainable? I am a Siverly. We never give up!
R realistic? It won’t happen over night but yes I think it is.
T time bound I’m not sure how to track this unless I give myself mini goals everyday and track my productivity.

Now the question must be asked. What can I do to reach the goal of no distractions and greater focus, so that I can get more done in less time, and achieve my ultimate goal. I am nowhere near the TV and I don’t watch it anyway so that is not an issue. I don’t listen to music when I work so that is not an issue. I think I need to do the following:

  1. Treat my day like I leave the house to work. By this I mean schedule my day more than I already do. My week is scheduled into which days I will work on what project. So I will act like I am in an office and work on whatever project is scheduled for the day and take breaks every 2 ½ hours, just like I am in a factory monitoring quality. Two 15 minute breaks and one 30 minute lunch break. That is making the leap that I only work eight hours!
  2. I won’t have as many tabs open on my computer. Tabs are temptations. 🙂 So is my phone I usually have it nearby so clients or family can reach me if they need to. I’ll keep it in the other room and check it on breaks.
  3. Have just what I need for the project I am working on in front of me. As I sit here I have in front of me jewelry I have been working on, binders for both blogs, as well as a notepad. I can so hear my college professor saying Sharon work smarter not harder! 
  4. Try to work and focus on one thing at a time! Being fully focused. This one may take some work. As I have been working on this post all afternoon, haha, did I just laugh at myself? Yes I did. 🙂 I have also been working on:
    The timeline for my other blog.
    Stewing about the hassle the historical society is giving me.
    Working out a process for making video posts for both blogs.
    Working on jewelry designs.
    All of this goes on in my head at once in addition to the sound I hear in my head. That alone can be very distracting. I truly do not understand how people can focus on just one thing at a time. If I want to reach my goals I have to do better at staying focused. On one thing at a time!

 

So that’s set. I will give a go tomorrow and see what happens. How do you guys stay focused?

Have a great day…

Blessed Be ❤ Sharon

21 thoughts on “Focus and Distractions”

  2. I wish that I could print this out..I think this list could help me as well…
    I seem to be a lot of the above ok most ok all of the above lol..I also need so much help with all this…mind racing so many thoughts the one problem out of many is not having enough quite time…
    I agree with you treat it like a job I did do that for awhile I would start at a time and end at a time it did work out good then I got off distracted lol… I also have a notebook with list (I love list) and that was helping me.. maybe you getting a notebook and making a list and listing under important and things that can wait things like that may help you???????…I hate chaos I like I have to be organized and gurl this system is not working for me either..I can’t do this much longer..
    So I would try like I said above about the list…jmo gurl..As I get things done I would check them off and the ones that could wait till the next day I would add it to that day…I had on the list phone calls in order of importance even water intake….Maybe try it and go from there gurl…But still wish I could print this out I think it would help me too…
    HUGGGS
    Suzette

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      1. I love order as well gurl lol.. I have no idea what sign I am but like order …and list….
        So happy for you gurl I knew you had it in you…I think that would help you with having an office…I need one as well at this time my office is in our bedroom and that is a no no…and it’s crowded and some clutter being here at dads home …something has to be done about getting organize and in order for me anyways lol..change is coming gurl I feel it…
        but yeah getting your own office and a place for everything i think would help you…again so happy for you big hugggggs to you
        Suzette

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      3. I feel like it is…2016 was a rough start and still has been but been feeling a change for awhile a positive one..one that is so needed…I am ready as well…

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  3. OH THE TABS OPEN ON MY COMPUTER TO GURL LMFAO…I need them open since I go back to them and I can’t always remember the sites..brain fog lol..
    Oh what I would do for having time for myself to do all the things that I enjoy..taking time for oneself (me) so hard…This is the most that I have been on WP…either to sick or to busy..New goal work on me!!!! and follow through!!!!

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      1. It is a goal of mine to have the weekends just for me…Today was the first day that I have not done any work..I have been on here most of the day and going to spend sometime painting my nails and looking through some mindless magazines lol..I need the days to be longer I feel so rushed all the time..This month and my health will hold up I will be getting more than ever done..that is my plan..so I don’t feel the way I do..agitated and overwhelmed with all I need to do and I can’t move things around in the bedroom STUCK ..first on the list organizing …

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      3. so far so good lil anxiety trying to breath and yes still just doing what I want like being on here lol…
        Hope your weekend is a wonderful one and all is going great on your me time too

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      4. So far, yesterday was tough. we had some pretty negative energy in the house. I had a friend coming over who also is an empath. I contacted her and said we need to rechedule, you don’t need to be coming into this!

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      5. WOW!! gurl!! I am so sorry to hear it was tough for you and that negative energy in your home…is there a way to figure out what it was or don’t go there ??….
        Sometimes when I have my drs appointments I get a strong gut feeling and I always listen to it but first off it starts as very high anxiety I mean high!! I can’t even try to get ready to go to the doctor I just sit in my chair and try to calm myself to try to get ready but I end up calling and changing my appointment then for the most part it goes away.. yes some has to do with pain but it’s anxiety ..I know I have problems with that but for some reason it stops when I cancel that appointment…unlike regular anxiety I can usually control and then it goes away or my medication helps but either way if I take my medication even on those days it helps none..btw I don’t feel anything in this house ..not like ours..heck people won’t even spend the night at our home it’s pretty active…

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      6. My Mother gets prettyanxious when she goes to the doctor. She jokes and calls it “white Coat Syndrome” but I think it’s actually a thing! I really don’t know where the negative energy came from. I share the house with my brother, son and his boyfriend and I think one of them brought it into the house. I burned some sage and openend the house up. Today is better but whoa, yesterday was rough. The energy was physically painful and all I could do was cry. My house is haunted too! 🙂 Is your scary? Mine isn’t. Must be if people won’t spend the night.

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      7. Hey Beautiful!!… I am playing catch
        up for a bit while I wait for my better half to come back from town(I just did another blog post) and thought I posted it yesterday but nope I forgot lol…I know we talked about the white coat syndrome I believe it has to be something it’s not about being scared..it’s something for sure..(and we are going through a battle with drs so lots of stress I mean stress they are playing games with dad so I have to figure somethings out for him….hold on I have to breath relax i am over whelmed just got off the phone with dad dr office I had to call them again when I left a message on the 9th and my gut is strong on a feeling that I am getting from this office something has changed I can’t pin point it right now but oh boy something…MY GUT IS NEVER WRONG!! maybe it’s not my gut maybe something else?? so hold on gurl so I can compose myself…
        you may need to send me a huge box full of sage or two since we have been here 6 years nothing but bad,bad luck..no joking.. everything we touch really breaks things are breaking down for no reason things are acting up one minute things will work say the stove then other time it won’t and it’s everything gurl…oh shitt I could just go on but don’t want to bother you gurl…
        Well it’s not scary to me lol..my better half tells them I know your here but just leave me alone lol..most will just come over in the daytime they won’t sleep over ever since they were young kids our home was built in the early 1800’s so it is old…I have seen many times a guy in a white t-shirt and overalls in the house most times in the hall..we have 2 sides each side has one long big hall so the bathroom and kitchen and say dinning room and a front room on one side and then a hall then on the other side is 2 other rooms..the hall goes from the front porch all the way threw to the full back porch…
        more times then I can count we had this big old time radio you know with the record player and radio big box looking thing lol well we used to keep it on the big porch so we had musik outside and it has been inside the home as well but it will change the dial at anytime it wants you would be listening to a song as it would be changing …oh and it likes to play when it’s not even plugged into the wall…… it will turn off for no reason..and on middle of the night or day and you go to turn it off and it’s unplugged ..musik was playing one time when we all were doing some work in the home and we were done for the day so we left (this before we were staying in it) and we remembered that we wanted to clean up more before we called it a night so we told one of our friends to walk over and turn everything off the radio was inside the house this time and as soon as he turned the key the radio went off he ran over to our other home lol..many times this went on..same with the lights more the porch light lol go over to turn the lights off and come back and the lights are all back on..or off..I have so so many things I can and will tell you..times sounds like someone is doing work with a hammer in our home lol you hear the pounding …they have taken the covers off of people that have slept over when younger and kept doing it till that person left lol…
        OH THERE IS MORE..MUCH MORE…
        Is your home active like our home is ???

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      8. You know what really works? Gather up any paperwork necessary, go to the doctors office and while standing where everyone can hear. Have a major Bitchfest Moment. Seriously! I had to do that more than once before anyone would listen to my concerns for my Son last year and my Mother the year before. I do not have a problem putting the Bitch Hat on!! I was epic. I wish it had been recorded. lol it probably was on the office security cameras!
        Most of the activity in my house is residual, so they aren’t even aware that we are here. Those that are leave us alone because they know we love the house like they do. The only time they got real angry was the time we remodled the upstairs to make two huge bedrooms into three ok sized bedroooms. They did not like that, at all!! My plan is to restore the house this year and put back features of the house that were removed before my parents bought the house, that includes putting the upstairs back. That should make the lady happy. I bought the house from my mother and my parents are only the 4th owners of the property. This is one of the first houses built in town so it also goes back to the 1800’s. It’s not antebellum though.

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      9. yes I may have to be that bitch..now they are blocking our calls..like I called to talk to the dr nurse voice mail and they wouldn’t even let me do that now…we are thinking of just going to another dr that won’t mess around dad has seen him before so it maybe the best case since there is more to this story like a lady that works there is very good friends with mom side of the family that we no longer speak too and we believe she is playing a big role in all this …and that is a conflict of interest and we know that she has told mom side of the family all that is in dad medical record …we are thinking since the last time the so called family was here in the house and asked dad whats wrong with him since he was cussing and not taking any of there shitts and comments he was standing up to them since then dad dr has acted funny cut his pain medication down that was the start…now can’t even make appointment to see the dr and by law for pain medication she is to see him at least every 3 months…we never got the blood test and urine test since they went up for his dr appointment I stayed home and still have the card but dad and better half got up there and they said you better check your calendar dad said no suzette is on top of this and she has the card at home ..I still have the card to show them..they told him at that time he has appt sometime in may or june lololol but never told them and they were pissed off and just kept walking out and they still haven’t called me to tell me when his appt is lol…and when I called the other day they said they are all booked up???!!! so I may look into this other dr like I said since he does know dad…
        I think when we were working on our house they liked it since we were doing much needed work and true to the era I just think they didn’t care for some of the people that stayed at the time here and there…and it acted up more when certain people would work on it since they are the ones that heard and seen the most of everyone and yes we love the house like they do too we are making it a home ..the banker lived there first he built it and I think just one other couple then my better halfs family thats it…when they would be working on it usually better half was on the road and it was his friends doing what they could i don’t think they liked them since that is when most of the activity would act up and the radio would start ohhh I didn’t tell you the song it would always strangle hold…omg..i just remembered that…
        so we have a lot in common with our old haunted homes…and from the 1800’s ..when we did the work again they seemed happy too…so I can’t wait to start up again and see how it goes..

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      10. If something improper is going on then it’s time to find a lawyer and consider a malpractice suit. As a business any medical office can refuse service. But they cannot share private information and the doctor cannot force a medication change or anything else if they are told that is not what you want. They can suggest and urge but it is the patients choice to take the doctors advice. Put the bitch hat on and give them both barrels and if that doesn’t work. Get a lawyer!

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