What Time Is It?!
“I always have trouble remembering three things: faces, names, and - I can’t remember what the third thing is.”
Are there daily tasks that you tend to forget when you get busy on other things? In the day and age of information overwhelm, this is happening to a lot of us on a daily basis. The crux of achieving success as you define it lies in your ability to focus on the tasks that support your goals. Yet, we expect ourselves to work longer hours, accomplish more, have it all, more than ever before. There’s so much to keep track of, and there are so many voices vying for our attention. It can be a struggle to stay focused on what’s important, because there’s always something else pulling at your consciousness. One of the ways we can fight overwhelm is to share, outsource, trade, or automate tasks that can be done by others. We all have those chores we just hate doing for no logical reason, but just because we hate them! And we all have tasks that seem to rarely get done because, while they’re important, they consistently end up low on the priority list—sometimes for good reasons, but at some point, it becomes a real problem. Sometimes finding a way to let go entirely of a task we loathe, or are specifically not good at, can be a big relief, and can really open up valuable mental and emotional space. On the other hand, what’s needed may be mechanisms for consistently reminding ourselves where to focus, Sometimes these relatively small changes can make a huge difference in how we feel and function.
For instance, I often work with clients on setting reminders on their phones that can prevent them from spacing out on the little time-sensitive things that keep life humming, like eating meals and snacks on time. Forgetting to eat means that we start to lose mental clarity, physical energy, and our moods may plummet, but if we tend to get hyper-focused, it can happen! How about remembering to pick out clothes or make lunches the night before? Pick up the kids from school? Meditate or pray? Exercise? For some people, once reminders are in place, the things they’re working on will eventually become habit, and the reminders won’t be necessary anymore. For others, the reminders will always be helpful, and that’s ok. Reaching your goals is always a process of finding the right path for you.
Even if you’re nodding, this may seem like such a small thing that it’s not worth actually doing. Or some people may prefer not to admit that they can’t keep everything in their heads, but we live in a world more choked with distractions than at any other time in human history! To me, there’s no shame in realizing that keeping up with the breakneck pace of life is less stressful when we incorporate some smart hacks into daily routines. If you want be your happiest and most successful self, being on the lookout for where you can eke out small gains in every area of your existence is a wise move!
So take a moment and think about this. Maybe admitting that you need a few little reminders would increase the strength of your ability to focus. What would you be better off in doing more often or more regularly? Don’t overdo it and make your day a sea of blaring alarms, but choose the things that would most boost your basic functioning or your progress to your most important goals. Focus on one to three areas only, and set up ways to remind yourself of important tasks, whether phone or calendar reminders, or sticky notes, or whatever works for you. I bet you’ll find that you have a little more room to breathe and enjoy your day, and that your progress across the board becomes easier.