I was on a roll with work. And then... I wasn't.
My focus and concentration had been fraying at the edges, slowly but surely, slipping a little bit week after week. It probably started about a year ago when the Covid Delta variant hit hard and we went into lock down again, but I didn't notice it at the time. I thought I was just over-committed and a little tired. I seemed to always be behind but nothing a few extra hours on the weekend might fix. But my drive, my ability to get things done, was waning and I didn't realize it. Something was wrong and I didn't notice. I continued to limp along as if everything was normal but it wasn't.
And then I got Covid. From a symptoms perspective, it was mostly a bad head cold, but it destroyed what was left of my focus and drive. The brain fog and exhaustion wiped out my motivation and ability to concentrate. It was taking me longer and longer to do tasks that, normally, I could knock out in a matter of a few minutes. Now it was taking me an hour or more per task. I was forgetting things here, there, everywhere. And when the last of my symptoms faded away, I was left tired, really tired, the kind of bone-weary tired that a little extra sleep just wasn't going to help.
And then, one day, when I was sitting in front of my computer, typing an email, I completely lost my train of thought in the middle of a sentence. My brain just stopped. I stopped because I had no idea what the heck the rest of the sentence was supposed to be. I re-read what I'd already written and had no idea where that sentence was supposed to go. My focus, my concentration was gone. Completely. And I not only could I not get it back, I had no idea how to get it back. (You might have noticed I haven't published any blogs recently... um... yeah.)
I lost my mojo. My drive, my focus, my motivation. Whatever you want to call it, it was gone.
Worse.... I didn't know how to get it back.
First, ya gotta figure out what the contributing factors are. Stress? Work? Family? Over-scheduling? Illness? Burned out? Anxiety? Money issues? Worried about the direction the country is going in? Feeling powerless? Climate? Covid? Too much time at the desk? Not getting out as much as in pre-pandemic days? Unable to truly unwind? I think in my case it was a little of all of the above.
Most experts agree that "slowing down" and learning to take time for yourself is crucial for regaining focus and motivation and that is great advice. But suddenly setting everything aside for a few days or a week or longer just isn't possible for everyone. I'm a sole proprietor, it's just me. Any time I take off is time that I don't get paid and to be clear, I'm specifically referring to additional time off because I do have vacation time built into my schedule. But vacation is a few months away. Limping along until vacation doesn't make the concentration come back. It's not like your focus says, "oh, pardon me, I'll come back until a few days before your vacay". So, what's a girl to do?
Start small by taking a long hard look at your calendar and list of tasks. What are the things on your list(s) that you can delegate? Or otherwise give up? Do you really "need" to be at that homeowners meeting? What about that lunchtime free seminar you scheduled yourself to watch?
Stay small by making smaller goals. Take a 10 minute break. Walk around the block. Hit the gym. Make your bed. Play with your cat(s)/dog(s). Have a cup of tea. Call and have a chat with a friend or colleague (or just reach out with a quick video chat). Break the multitasking addiction. Reduce the distractions (. Practice being mindful. Find something that motivates you and be willing to try different things (a simple Google search provides a very long list!).
Then build on that. In my case, I'm working on it but it's not easy. I've found some great ideas from various blogs (www.positivityblog.com is one of many) and I'm starting to get some of my focus back but it's not a simple fix - it has to be something you build into your day, every day. And for me, that's the hard part. I assumed that, as an adult, I was already disciplined enough to be motivated, focused, able to concentrate on demand and stay that way.
So, here I am, not as motivated as I once was, not as focused, still having issues with concentration but now? Now I have a plan!
Onward & upward my friends!
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