Staying focus in business is probably one of the common challenge for entrepreneurs, especially the younger generation. Instead of find out how to stay focus, perhaps lets us understand why we can’t stay focus in the first place? in short what are the “distractions”?
- Multitasking
If you notice the way we work today, we are using many gadgets or multiple functions within a gadgets. E.g., listening to music from Spotify via our tablet while replying email from our laptop, plus whatsapping friends using our mobile phone from time to time; or working on a powerpoint presentation using your laptop, at the sometime playing music from Youtube via internet, and not to mentioned many other social media taps which pop up with notification from time to time. With all these distractions, how do you focus?
   2. Opportunity
Entrepreneurs are sensitive to opportunities, they smell opportunities faster than others, nevertheless, these opportunities needed time, effort and money to materialise, while you are busy building your business, you just don’t have the luxury from your existing resources, by trying to juggle both your existing business and new opportunities without careful plan will collapse you. The idea of become business owner who own many businesses is not a good idea especially when you existing business need your full attention.
   3. Over focus
Yes, you hear me right, over-focus on details is a distraction by itself. As an entrepreneur, you are suppose to focus on setting goal, building required resources, plan your cash flow, deploy your people, strategise your marketing, calling for action etc., over focus on anyone of these simply mans that you are gonna reduce your attention on others, which is equally bad.
Losing focus is not entirely due to personality, sometimes you just need some skills, let me give you some useful tips here:
- Sleep well
Tired is probably the biggest reason why you can’t stay focus. Having good quality sleep is essential as it help you to recharge yourself, you feel refresh the next day when you wake up, and not just be able to stay focus on your work, you are probably more creative after a good night sleep.
   2. Cut down entertainment
Focus on getting your backlog settled instead of spending time on unnecessary entertainment, cut it down unless it’s really necessary. You won’t enjoy the entertainment when you know you know you have a long outstanding list on your desk.
   3. Settle the small issues first
Big issues are more complicated, you often stuck and running out of idea and starts to lose focus, so get the easier tasks solved, grabs these low hanging fruit before moving to the big issue.
4. Ask for help
You are not a superman, if you can’t solve your business issues, call for help. By drilling into the issue for too long will destroy your confidence and focus, you may just ended up by ignoring it and that is really bad. If you can’t get your friend to help, then outsource the issue to professional.
5. Don’t have a plan B
Have you come across this situation, when you are working on your plan, and at the back of your mind, you keep reminded you that failure is ok as you already have a plan B, and you ended up using the plan B instead of focusing on pushing on your initial plan? Plan B is definitely not giving you the best outcome, if not it won’t be a Plan B, right? so why settled with second best when you know initial plan is the best for you?
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Article can be found in Entrepreneurs Insight magazine, July 2018