I've been thinking a lot lately about focus. For example, focusing on my target market, the boomerpreneur. I've gotten sidetracked a bit lately. And focusing on larger projects to get them completed, such as my book. It took forever to get it finished - until I put everything else aside and focused on just getting it written. I've discovered during conversations with other business women that I am not the only one that struggles with this. In fact, one of the major problems many of them have is the inability to focus.
What exactly is "focus?" Focus is paying close attention to something. It can be a particular market niche or group such as baby boomers. It can be on a particular project such as writing a book. But whatever it is, you are paying CLOSE attention to it. That means you are not allowing yourself to be distracted or preoccupied with other matters.
I was so grateful for our recent vacation. I was exhausted and stressed. There never seemed to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that I wanted to accomplish. I was irritable and short-tempered. Then my husband asked me why I was working so many hours every day. What was so important that it was taking all of my time? After all, wasn't being in charge of my schedule one of the benefits of being self-employed? That's when I realized that my problem was simple - I had stopped focusing on what was important and key to my business and allowed myself to be distracted by several "bright, shiny objects."
Without learning to focus on what is urgent and important, your can easily get distracted by the latest trend or the newest system or great new market. Before you know it, your business has you running in 20 different directions at once. And when that happens you burn out - fast! And when you burn out, it's only a matter of time before your business does too.
If this sounds like you, take some advice from me. Sit down and reevaluate your business. What is your target market? What is your core product or service? What are your goals? Where is your business headed? Then make a list of the steps you need to take to get back on track. Write down what is truly important and urgent to your core business. Then make a vow that you will work on these steps ONLY. Now I know that some of your current activities won't make your new list. Some things will not get done. But that's okay. If they aren't on the list it's because they are not important to your business. Which means you shouldn't be doing them. It's that simple.
And I know there are some of you, who, like me, will be reluctant to give up a bright new shiny project. Why it could be the next big thing! But that's one of the reasons your business isn't growing. Your too scattered and worrying too much about unimportant stuff and not focusing on what is important to your core business.
Over the next few days, I'll be sharing more about FOCUS. Because when it comes to building your business, focus is the name of the game.
