The power of concentration is a beautiful thing.
You probably learned that in school, when book reports, math problems and history lessons called on you to sit still for a minute and focus your attention. But little did you know then that the ability to do that is probably more important than any factoid you picked up in those school years — that’s especially true for entrepreneurs, where being a self-starter is a must.
Luckily, there are different ways we can improve our power of focus: Experts recommend keeping a tidy workspace, staying well-rested and well-hydrated, and breaking your workload into smaller, more digestible pieces that are easy to knock out. There’s also the practice of working relaxation techniques into your day (think meditation or deep, deliberate breathing) and eliminating distractions, which means no compulsive Facebook-checking or Netflix streaming.
Through these tips and others, building that concentration muscle should be your first step. Once you have it bulked up, you can then use it strategically to pull as much weight possible toward your goals. Business research suggests people typically focus on tasks that, while urgent, aren’t necessarily important. But while deadlines can be terrifying in a ticking-time-bomb kind of way, they don’t always align with what actually matters to you and your organization.
So how to prioritize? You might want to drill down into your values, look to build up vital skills or head off big problems before they crop up. If you don’t know what these areas entail, you might first want to focus your attention on figuring it out!
Our process at Prepare 4 VC involves walking through these big-ticket items to see where your focus can take you. Let’s put our heads together today!