Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 12, Issue 06: Plan Ahead And Focus

What is planned and given focus gets accomplished. Doing this last year I found that it's not that hard to get things done if I plan ahead and focus on the details. I started with planning ahead a day at a time, but progressed to planning a week at a time. At the end of the week, I make a mental and digital note of what I want to do the next week to nail the day, including all the details.

I then consider what I am doing the next day before going to bed. For my workout, I remind myself the workout I am going to do the next morning so that when the time comes I don't waste time choosing. I also select the podcast or Bible plan I would be listening to while I work out. For my lunch break, I decide what I am going to read or write so I don't beat about the bush. How about you? What strategies do you apply to keep you focused on the goals you are going after?

When some of your goals are hard to tackle because they involve doing things you don't necessarily enjoy doing yet, you are just getting started at them. You will be prone to procrastinate taking action or bail altogether. If this is your situation, you are better off starting with those activities first thing in the morning.

If you want to win at getting a workout done for your health goal but you are not very fond of exercising, start your day with it. Get it over and done with at the onset of your day. Don't let something you dislike doing torture you all day and keep you from winning the day.

How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of it. Make the most of the early part of your day and it will motivate you to keep showing up well for the rest of the day. This proves true for me every time. If I am on time for my activities from the start of the day, I feel unstoppable and fulfilled.

In his book, Win the Day: 7 Habits to Stress Less and Accomplish More, Mark Batterson wrote, "what's the one thing you least like to do, but feel best about afterwards. That's your frog. It's often the hardest habit to establish but it pays the biggest dividends. Whatever it is, you've got to figure out a morning routine that works for you. If you want to win the day, you've got to attack the day. It's time to eat the frog." For me, this is getting out of bed as soon as my body is awake. Once I win at this, I can tackle following my calendar.

Even if you are just getting started at some of your goals, don't be intimidated. Tackling the activities will soon become second nature if you diligently put yourself out there every day. How do you do that? By planning ahead each day and keeping the activities before you throughout the day. Start the day with the activities you are most likely to procrastinate on and use that sense of accomplishment to motivate you to tackle the rest.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi