So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.
Nehemiah 6:3-4
Distraction is the enemy’s plan for you because it breaks your focus. Nehemiah had a number of distractions (good reasons) to stop building the wall. Some included fear, complaints by the people, and real physical threats he and his team faced while they built. Nonetheless, he let nothing stop the building. Metaphorically, there are many things that will “break your focus” and attempt to divert your attention away from starting projects and then finishing the projects you start. For myself, I tend to take on too much, which fractures my attention in a way that leaves important projects left undone. Has it also been your experience that taking on too many projects siphons a little bit of energy for each, leaving them all unfinished?
In the world of procrastination, tomorrow is the busiest day of the week. In PERSUADE, I discuss the dangers of multitasking and why it retards the concentration muscle, making it difficult for people to stay on task. Leaders must keep themselves and their team focused if they are to consistently move projects and people into the end zone of victory. Here is a strategy to stay focused when managing projects:
- Time Block! Shut yourself into a room with your project and refuse to come out until your project is complete. For some, this is a physical room; for others, it may be a mental room I call the “Focus Box” that allows nothing in but “the one thing.” The Apostle Paul once said, “One thing I do” (Philippians 3:13).
- Refuse Mental Interruptions! The thoughts of the mind must be directed in a specific direction. The mind hates to be focused on only one subject at a time. It must be brought into subjection to its master—YOU.
- Set Technology Aside! Focusing is a mental exercise in REFUSING to do anything but the “one thing” you have decided to do. Refuse to respond to email, social media posts, and alerts. The dopamine hit your brain receives by constantly looking and reacting to your smartphone is what breaks your concentration and weakens your attention span, making it dependent on quick fix, feel-good distraction bursts that hinder your mental focus.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- What unfinished project has been haunting you?
- What successful strategies do you have for staying focused?
- Of the people you know who are successful, how do they manage their tendency to procrastinate?
Focus is the byproduct of building your concentration muscle; it grows with use.
