Unwavering Focus on Goals

In this blog  we will discuss the gist of a webinar on the important subject of 'Focus' organized in January 2021 by  Bija Training under their Mask Leadership series featuring Mr Diwakar Subramamanian, Director Cognizant Technology Solutions. The speaker started off by saying that human beings  are amazing 'goal setters' but poor 'goal geters'. We are not sufficiently paying attention to, or rather are not focused on  achieving the goals set. In the times that we presently live, there is a lot of information overload unlike in the time of our ancestors. A good amount of time is spent on What's app and other social media channels. So much so, we have no time to read books or to chat with a neighbour. we are not aware of the nature and quantity of information consumed by us everyday. 

The speaker said that according to roberts.edu( Roberts Wesleyan College),  a person has 75,000 thoughts and makes 35,000 decisions every day, right from what clothes to wear for the day. The first step is to become aware of the decisions you are taking and what has been its efficacy- To what extent the intended result happened. It means you are being distracted if you are not aware of what you are thinking. The first 10 minutes of the day and how well you utilized it, will determine how your whole day is going to go. Therefore be sure to use the beginning of the day positively and productively. 

Mr Diwakar said NLP provides information on the working of the subconscious mind. It helps to be aware of the number of times you are checking your what's app. 'Journaling' ( recording daily experiences, thoughts and activities) is a good way of keeping track; it provides clues as to whether you have achieved anything during the day. The speaker said that if something was not happening as per plan, he had a developed a tool of setting "Worrying time" from 2 to 3 PM on Sundays. With this done, he could tell the mind "No more distracting thoughts or wasting time now. Your concerns will be addressed at the worrying time on Sunday. Now get on with the work!" 

 We all have mood swings. In the book "The Mood Elevator: Take charge of your feelings, Become a better you", the author Larry. E. Senn , a culture consultant, discusses a tool he has created to monitor mood shifts. By using the Mood Elevator, you become aware of your state of mind and use your feelings as guide to the quality of your thinking. Don't let unhealthy thoughts become so normal that you don't notice them. Gratefulness, which Senn calls "the overriding emotion" is at the top of the mood elevator as "it is almost impossible to be grateful and at the same time be angry, depressed, irritated or self righteous".  Once we accept the fact that moods aren't something that happens to us but are results of our thinking, we can do something to control them or at least manage them better. Diwakar said that it took him two years to get insights in this regard. 

The speaker gave a tip to have clarity and focus on your top 3 goals. If there are too many goals, focus tends to be diffused and tests our will power. Focus on the top 3 goals- Top 3 goals for the day, the week, month and year. He said that having a daily score card to monitor what you have achieved as against the goals is a good method advocated by Marshall Goldsmith. Measuring what you are doing in all areas be it zero mails to be attended in the inbox, visit to Gym,  the daily meditation. Your spouse can be an ally helping you to monitor progress. 

To a question from the audience, as to whether meditation helps in focusing on the goals, speaker replied in the affirmative and quipped"Just as Gym attends to the body, meditation attends to the mind". It helps to clear the clutter and improves concentration. Various types of meditation are available . Focus on one thing at a time for 10 minutes. Block your calendar and shut off all distractions. Start small, even with 5 minutes daily it works out to 150 minutes in a month. 

For the measurement of goals, have a short term (Lead measure)  to a longer term (Lag measure) measurement plan. Going to Gym would be your lead measure and your monthly achievement is your lag measure.  Split you annual goals into monthly goals and then arrive at the daily goals. Now focus on the present, on your daily goals. 

To another question from the audience as to "How to say 'No' to oneself and to others" in order to be able to focus on the essentials, the speaker recommended reading the book " The Art of Saying No" by Damon Zahariades. Being able to say 'No' to frequently checking the mobile, not giving in to spouse's request or boss's demand every time, can all save valuable time that can be used to accomplish unwavering focus on the goals!