What are your favorite tools for staying motivated and focused? It is dangerous to depend solely on our will to stay focused on our business goals and dreams. We need tools to remind us and keep our will strong and focused for success.
Recently, I discovered a new tool for focus that is somewhat unorthodox and may not be for you but I like it and am going to try it for awhile and see how it goes (listed first below). The tools that work for me may not work for you and vice versa. We each have our unique motivators therefore the combination of tools that keep us motivated and focused will be unique to each of us. Try a few of these and see what works.
Calculate your statistical last day here. I told you it was a bit unusual. Check out this post by Michael Bungay Stanier of “Box of Crayons” on his, “The Great Work” Blog. His blog is full of great stuff about doing great work and in his interview with Peggy McColl (in the linked post) he mentions Kevin Kelly’s “My Life Countdown” post where you’ll find a link to a pdf table of average life spans and a link to a countdown clock you can download to your computer desk top. I now (as I write) have 35 years, 11 months, 1 day, 11 hours, and 19 minutes left to live on purpose and fulfill my dreams. By the time I finish this post some of that time will be gone…The key is that this reminder (that my time is limited) keeps me focused. Of course the time is an average and it may be shorter or longer (before doing this I figured I had 50 years…). It is a fact that we each have a finite amount of time; sometimes I forget this fact and lose my focus. If this fact just makes you anxious or worried then this is clearly not the tool for you, try another one.
Write your purpose, vision, and/or mission down and keep it in front of you. Read it out loud a couple times a day. If you don’t have it written down then do it and keep it handy for quick reference. Here is the prior post on creating your purpose if you missed it: What is Your Purpose?
Keep a folder of positive feedback handy either on your desktop electronically or in a folder on your desk where you can see it. Open it up and read the positive statements periodically or when you are losing motivation or focus. Thanks to Irene Hammond for this great idea.
Post inspirational reminders around your office or home to keep you focused. These will be unique to you. Some ideas: pictures of people you love or a favorite landscape, inspirational quotes, funny items that make you laugh or a token from a favorite place.
Create a list of your favorite music for concentration (I like Bach; research shows that classical music facilitates focus in our brains), and/or music for inspiration, and/or music with a strong beat to keep you motivated and moving forward. Make the list before you need it and then easily listen to the music when it is needed.
What are your favorite tools for staying motivated and focused? Please leave a comment.
Photo credits: Sterendepole, Emily Barney
hey – delighted you liked the post. I’ve got 12,216 days left and it really does focus the mind!
Wow–that’s radical. I’m going to the countdown clock now. Thanks, Paula!
Thanks for the comment Denise, Yeah a bit radical but effective for me! Keep me posted on what you think of the countdown clock.
Thanks Michael; Yes the reminder of our finite amount of time does focus the mind.