Keeping yourself on task these days is a challenge. There are SO many things competing for your attention.
You can maximize productivity by learning to limit distractions and stay focused.
Getting distracted is a normal part of life, but you need to learn how to get back on track when you start to waste time or lose focus.
Create better systems and strategies to help you limit distractions and maintain better periods of focus and productivity.
Below are some tried and true methods, but you have to find what works best for you. Try some of these ideas and stick with the ones that work…
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. It doesn’t cost you more and you may find you save money using my partnerships.
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. It doesn’t cost you more and you may find you save money using my partnerships.
I included some ideas on holiday cards and giftsin my previous post. Here are some additional tips I hope you find helpful:
Holiday Gifts
Wrap your gifts and place name tags on them immediately after you bring them home, and then store the gifts in a secure spot. This will cut down on those late night wrapping sessions that I am sure we ALL have experienced a few times, if not every year.
Also, be sure to save the gift bags each year so they can be reused. For a real frugal alternative, you can use newspaper.
Holiday Baking & Cooking
If you will be cooking during the holidays, it is important to plan your meals ahead of time. Be sure to stock up on all the necessary non-perishable baking ingredients ahead of time.
Keep your holiday recipes in this cute recipe box. Also, try to think of dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and frozen as an extra time-saving measure.
Holiday Delegation
Be sure to enlist the help of your family or friends. Sit down and discuss what needs to be done and ask for volunteers. You can also assign small tasks to each of them.
Whether it is arranging for a babysitter so that you can escape for a child-free day of shopping, passing the shopping list onto another so they can pick up items for you, or letting children decorate your home.
Be sure to get the whole family involved in the holiday preparations so that you won’t be overwhelmed. If you do begin to feel stressed, try some of my stress-busting ideas on my Stress Awarenessblog.
Holiday Parties
Dinner and cocktail parties are timeless ways to bring friends and family together. Attending a party may sometimes involve more than simply showing up at the designated time.
Here are some potential party solutions…
> Introduce yourself to a few people you don’t know.
> Think of small topics and questions that you could ask anyone, and have them in the back of your mind.
> If someone puts an uncomfortable spin on the conversation, give yourself an out and change the subject. “Wow, Tom I haven’t thought about it like that. (Pause) Did I tell you that I am planning to go to Europe for my vacation? Have you ever been there?” Crisis averted.
Enjoy The Holiday Season!
Whatever you decide to do in your holiday planning, remember to relax and enjoy yourself. You and your family will have much fonder memories of this holiday season if you are not spending it pulling your hair out.
Being aware of where you are and what is happening right now — some call it mindfulness — can help you relax instead of fretting over what’s on your to-do list.
Let go of thoughts about the past or future, and focus on the present moment. If your mind wanders, just bring it back again to focus on the present.
Conclusion
Although the holiday season is a great time of year, for a lot of us it means we have to go into overdrive trying to get everything done. You have done this before and you know just how overwhelming it can be.
The holiday season always makes me think about gratitude and blessings; about all the things that we take for granted.
We Americans have such an overabundance and such busy lives that we forget about the simple blessings in life. Sadly, we forget to be grateful. 😢
Gratitude is appreciation or thankfulness, a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. Gratitude has been found to be connected to a feeling of well-being.
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. It doesn’t cost you more and you may find you save money using my partnerships.
The start of the final quarter is a good time to review your efforts and make adjustments to meet the goals you established for this year.
And to start thinking about your self-improvement plan for next year…
You may need to roll over some goals you didn’t meet this year into next year’s plan. You may have found some skill or knowledge gaps that you’ll want to work on next year.
But the plan is simple, identify your weaknesses and develop a way to master them. Everyone has weaknesses and that’s okay. You’re human and you’re not perfect.
Self-improvement is your responsibility
It’s important to step up and take action for creating your own path. You can’t sit around and wait for others to do it for you. And life is too short to waste living without a plan!
If you don’t take charge of your own life, you risk not reaching your full potential and not becoming who you are meant to become.
You are the master of your own ship. You need an action plan broken down into small steps to accomplish your bigger vision or goals.
The most successful people are those who develop a strategic self-improvement plan to improve and grow and do not depend on chance.
Yes, it takes time, sacrifice, effort, and discipline. But if you want something serious enough, it will all be SO worth it!
How to develop your self-improvement plan
Set clear, realistic, measurable goals in your strategic plan that you will be proud of achieving.
Write them down then break down each goal into action steps. Then assign a deadline for each action step.
Once you have a strategic self-improvement plan, commit to it and remember that little adjustments may need to be made along the way.
Review your goals habitually so you will remember how you are supposed to be spending your time and energy. This will be your roadmap to your success.
Once you know what you want and how to get it, you will be much more focused and engaged with your life or career.
Get help if you need it
If you need help or advice, you may need to speak with someone such as a trusted friend or colleague, enlist help from your network, a career counselor, or a life or career coach.
They could also serve as an accountability partner who checks in with you periodically to see how you are coming along with your self-improvement plan.
You could also do some research online or at the library.
The Waiting Place
You may not always meet your goals, or have the perfect strategic self-improvement plan. Focus on progress, not perfection.
The important thing is that you plan your work and you work your plan. If you don’t, it is way too easy to get stuck in The Waiting Place.
Conclusion
As long as you are working on the next step, you are making progress.
It’s the little steps in life that add up to big differences. Accomplishing your goals will bring you closer to what you want in life.
But nothing will change without your participation. So what are you going to do to make the changes you want to see?
No goal = no direction = no progress “Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.” ~Elbert Hubbard
