Ponder this
Often, when we are on the cusp of a major change, our heads are awash with ideas and we have no idea where to start. We can find ourselves going round and round in circles, talking ourselves into something, and then talking ourselves out of it. We can get so excited about the prospect of doing something different, that we take a scattergun approach and don’t actually move forward with anything significant. If you feel like that it’s time to focus.
Try this
- Write a list of every project or idea that is swirling around your head. What have you been toying with doing? Making? Selling? Learning? Trying? A long list is good. Don’t worry if it seems quite random.
- Now group things together where they fall under a similar theme.
- Pick one of the themes and for the next seven days make that theme your focus. Forget about all the other ideas. You are going to focus on this one theme.
- Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I need to know in order to make this a reality?
- Why would this be awesome?
- What am I afraid of?
- What are my stumbling blocks?
- Who could help me, and how?
- Now draw a simple table. Column 1 lists the next 7 days. Column 2 shows how much time you are going to commit on that day. Column 3 shows what you are going to do.
- Give yourself a week for complete immersion in the theme you chose. Plan time to research it online and offline (in books, magazines etc), ask people for advice, flesh out what it would look like in practice, think about how you could deal with what you are afraid of, and how different your life would be if you could make it happen. Put each of these activities into your table, even if you can only do 20 minutes a day. If you can repeatedly come back to the same theme for several days in a row, it’s amazing how your brain will continue to process the idea even when you are not consciously thinking about it.
- At the end of the week, bring all your findings together, find a quiet spot and take out your journal.
Journal/blog this
Today blog this:
When I think about my theme, what am I excited about?
In one week’s time blog this:
Now you have thought about your ‘theme’ for a week, ask yourself the following questions:
- How do I feel about this theme?
- Do I want to move forward with it?
- If not, why not? If so, what do I need to do next?
And then…
Repeat it all over again with a different theme for the next week. Within a month you may be able to process all of your crazy ideas, and home in on what is really appealing to you.
Tweet this
Imagine what could be possible if you focus all your resources on one area of your life #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm
“You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” – David Allen #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm
Stop procrastinating. It’s time to focus. That’s what I’m telling myself today. #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm
I am parking the rest of my wild and crazy ideas to focus on [fill in the blank] #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm
Focus. Focus. Focus. #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm
PS If you blog about your experience please link to https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/zen and share a link to your post on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/dowhatyoulovexx
You can also follow along on Instagram @dowhatyoulove #zenforten
Zen for Ten is a ten day mini chill out series. Join here and take a step back from your hectic life to focus on what you love.
