Maintaining our Focus- by Mike Van Ruth

In our busy lives, many lose sight of our focus in regards to our personal development goals. The time we have available each day gets stretched thin with work and our families. We try to do so much in as little time as possible. I have found this true in my own life as well. New projects are taken on and now they all suffer due to the fact that they are not given the appropriate amount of time to accomplish.


The best way to start is to sit down with pen and paper, listing those goals and the means and tasks to accomplish them. Prioritize those goals and appropriate adequate time to each. This allows us to see exactly what is on our plate. It may be realized that there is too much too take on all at once. Some goals may have to be put off until others are accomplished. Enlisting the help of others may also be an option so to free up time to accomplish those tasks only you can do. Let others know about your goals. They can be seen as an accountablity coach.


Once the goals are written down on paper, the next step is to see how time is being utilize throughout the day. Are there things being done that are not a priority? Can time be used more wisely. How much television is being watched? Are video game eating up too much time? It may be only a couple hours a day. But add up that time over a year period. It is a considerable amount of time. What valuable goal could have been accomplished with that time?


In these economic times, many have really focused on their monetary expenditures. Now there is a realization that money is limited and must be used wisely. When we spend our money, we want the biggest bang for our buck. No one has unlimited time either. Many don't focus on that until a close relative passes away and we begin to contemplate life and how short it really is. As we get older, we look back and see how quickly it all goes by. It is important to use our time wisely as our money. Just as many have a financial plan, we must also have a time management plan and get the biggest tic for our tock.