Goals Gone Wild January 12, 2007

Dog Daze

Matthew Poepsel, LeftBrain/Co-Founder

I opened the backdoor and looked down at a familiar sight - one fat dog and one worn-out ball. The two are virtually inseparable. For as long as I've had my Chocolate Labrador Retriever, he's been obsessed with retrieving things. He's genetically programmed for this type of thing, of course. When he's inside, he sleeps. But when he's outside - it's go time.

Sometimes I think that if he kept a journal, it would read:

"Dear diary, Had a wonderful game of fetch today. (Even better than yesterday.) Capped off my adventure by peeing on a tree. Great stuff."

Some people find his obsession a bit annoying. "How many times do I have to throw this thing?" Personally, I think that his laser-tight focus is one of his best qualities. (Way better than the way he smells after I sneak him some lasagna.)

Unfortunately, we don't always demonstrate this same degree of dedication and focus in our own goal pursuits. Hey, sometimes we get sidetracked. Too many nagging tasks and too many needy people compete for our attention. By the time we take care of all those squeaky wheels, we often don't have the time or energy left for doing what it takes to get ahead.

That presents a major challenge. If we don't apply adequate attention to our goals - if we allow ourselves to be spread too thin or become distracted too easily - we won't be able to make sustainable progress toward a better future. We often aim for the penthouse but end up in the doghouse. What's missing?

Focus! (Okay, that was an easy one.)

If you'd like to develop the ability to focus in your own life, consider adding a few key ingredients:

• Clarity. If you aren't certain what you want to accomplish in life, what you value, or how you'd like to make a constructive change, focus will be impossible. Develop a simple but clear set of objectives or key activities. Nothing elaborate here, but enough to give your efforts some structure.
• Priorities. If you're like most people, you'll have a laundry list of things you've been meaning to do. (Like fold the laundry.) Still, when you have limited resources, you're going to have to make some tough choices. Consistently ask yourself if the things you're working on are truly the most important and not just those that are good at grabbing your attention.
• Shrinkage. Make sure you break big projects into manageable chunks. If you don't have time to fully clean out the garage, for example, focus on a smaller part like that shelf full of old books. (The Gilligan's Island Cookbook? See 'ya.) Any constructive progress is better than the alternative.
• Discipline. Once you've set your mind to do something, do it! Make sure that you get into the habit of fully completing those things you put on your list. If you find yourself frequently being pulled off of projects, review items 1-3 above.

If you take the time to do some careful planning and to monitor your efforts daily, you can make a lot more progress toward your goals. You'll have a lot more to show for your efforts, and you'll feel better in the process.

Yep - focus just may be a goal achiever's best friend. (Sorry, boy.)

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