I was reading an interesting blog post the other day from Penelope Trunk. In the post she was talking about how when we leave our options open, we are actually hurting ourselves because we are not focused on one thing. She went on to say this is the reason why multitasking doesn’t work as well as everyone would like to think it does. What she was saying did make sense.

When you are fully invested in one project, one thing, all of your attention goes towards that project. Everything you do, research, look for is all related to that one thing. So what do we do that screws this up? What mistakes do we make that divides our attention? Here is a list that covers  some of the things we do.

1. Decide Already – Make a decision. The heart of the problem is that you haven’t made a decision and stuck to it. Your attention is split between multiple choices and you are not focusing on one single thing, so any passion you may have for it, will be weak.
2. Doing Too Many Things at Once – We try to do everything all at once. Again, our focus is divided and so is our energy. You get more done by focusing on one thing, finishing it and then moving on. Doing one thing at a time does not mean that you can’t do other things, only that you have to finish one thing before you do the next.
3. Yell at Yourself – Yes, this is OK to do. You can yell at yourself (either out loud or just to yourself). When you are getting off task and not focusing, YELL AT YOURSELF! Tell yourself to get back on task. Your mind will want to stray and it will, if you let it. But, you can also jot it back to where it needs to be.
4. Have Some Willpower – Come on already, I see adults all of the time doing something and then saying that they couldn’t help themselves. Sure you can, you just chose NOT to. make the choice to do what is right and what you should be doing. Also make the choice to stick with something, no matter how tough it gets.
5. I’m Entitled – It seems these days, that everyone feels that they are entitled. That things should just be given to them and that it is incomprehensible to think that they would be expected to work for what they want. I’m sorry to say but it will take work to focus on what you want and achieve your dreams and no, nobody will just hand it to you.
6. I Give Up – Ok, so it gets hard. There will be difficult times and challenges but, are you going to throw in the towel at the first struggle? If you do, then you are not committed enough to your desire and your focus is not strong enough.

So there you have it, six mistakes that we all make from time to time when it comes to focusing and achieving our dreams. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

So what do you think about the six mistakes?

What mistakes do you make?

How did you overcome those mistakes?