Have you ever found yourself working on one task, yet at the same time your mind is leaping ahead to everything else you need to get done?

I know I have, which is exactly why this quote from Tim Ferriss’ Best-Selling book, The 4-Hour Work Week, jumped off the page at me.

“Time without attention is worthless, so value attention over time.”

He was making the point that checking your email on a Friday evening or over the weekend is absolutely pointless if there’s nothing you can do about the situation until the next work week begins.

Sure, you still have your weekend to be off, but you no longer have full attention for it since you’re distracted by the issue you need to deal with come Monday.

He’s absolutely right and I realized that it’s the same thing in running your biz day-to-day.

If we’re constantly checking inboxes or thinking ahead to future tasks, we’re never truly present in what we’re currently doing.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t plan ahead. But what I am asking – myself and you – is whether we’re devoting our time and attention to the task at hand?

Here are three simple ways I’ve been learning to stay present and focus on what truly matters:

>> Create and prioritize your to-do list the night before. Don’t start your day with making a list. That simply means you begin the day with a distraction. Create the list the night before and prioritize the tasks so you know exactly what you’re working on and you are fully focused.

>> Start your day with space and time for you. I always take 8-10 minutes for my mindset practice before starting any work so I’m setting a positive tone for the day. After that, I focus on the most important tasks so they get my attention early before other distractions have an opportunity to creep in.

>> Check email and social media only periodically. I know all too well the temptation to check that latest email that came in or scroll through your Facebook notifications. Talk about total distraction and time flittering away! Close your inbox and all social media while you’re working on important tasks and set specific times during the day that you’ll check them. This used to seem like a radical concept to me until I started doing it…I worried that I’d miss something. Yeah, not so much. It’s all still there when I log in and if someone needs me urgently, there’s always that good old device: the telephone!

How can you be more present and focused in what you’re doing this week?

Remember, it’s about devoting your time and attention, because one without the other is worthless.

You’ve got this! <3

Alex 🙂

xox

P.S. If you haven’t already, join my Facebook Group, The Inspired Female Entrepreneur, to connect with like-minded, savvy business women. Share and promote what you do, get feedback and support, PLUS a boatload of free resources to help you build your biz!