Can you hear that? It’s 9 am and the house is quiet. AMAZING! Breathe it in. Schedules, routines, and focus are practically swimming around you!
Every summer I start out with a master plan and an intention not to get distracted in my business. And then… scout camp, girls camp, family reunion, band camp, football camp, family vacation, a little business travel and before I know it, the freedom I was relishing in June feels like pure chaos by August. The fight for focus in the summer is real!
Even if you don’t have 5 kids that just went back to school, fall is still a natural season of productivity. Since the beginning of humanity, fall has been a time to work. It is when people gathered, harvested, hunted and preserved and prepared for the winter. It’s deep in our programing to be productive and focused during this time of year. You are probably craving focus, but that still doesn’t mean it’s coming naturally. Fall is unfortunately not a time free of distractions. When my kids go back to school, they also go back to cross country, football, soccer, band and scouts. Fall is busy and it’s critical for me that I create an environment where focus can thrive.
Here’s 5 ways to increase focus and productivity this fall.
- Start off with a Power 30. The first 30 minutes in my office are not spent checking email or reviewing the schedule. They are actually spent checking in with me. I journal, contemplate, pray, and make sure that I am feeling mentally, emotionally, and spiritually grounded for the day. My goal is to show up at 100% each day. When I am on top of my game I’m naturally more productive and focused.
- Schedule out the year. I schedule my business year in December. But the family schedule is usually planned around the school year. I get everything into the calendar. All the concerts, all the games, all the meets, all the vacations and days off, everything goes in. Some schools now are using google calendar and you can actually take the school calendar and just add it to yours. That can be a time saver! Get everything on the calendar so that you know what is coming up. If you have any conflicts between business and family activities, now is the time to make adjustments.
- Hold weekly calendar meetings. If you can’t tell yet, there are a lot of moving pieces in our lives! Our business is busy, and our family is busy. I need a time each week to review the calendar and make sure I know what is coming up. I can plan for anything as long as it isn’t a last minute surprise.
- Hold productive team meetings. We start the week by meeting with each of our teams. We meet with our executive team, our admin team, our sales team, our marketing team and our production team. These meetings are not just a time to touch base and shoot the breeze. We set goals for the week. We coordinate work efforts to ensure productivity. We report on how our work went from the week before.
- Measure progress mid week. Wednesdays are a critical day to a productive week. It’s the day you either measure progress and adjust the game plan for the week, or it’s the day that you lose steam and start sliding into the weekend. Check with your numbers on Wednesdays. How are sales looking? How are your projects progressing? Is the team hitting their daily production numbers? Wednesday is the day to measure and adjust!
Fall and back to school doesn’t mean it’s less busy. My falls are just as full as my summers. But with a little structure, your fall can be one of the most focused and productive seasons of your year. If you’ve got year end goals you are working towards, then this is the time to get all your ducks lined up so you can finish out the year strong!