Writers 
Why Focus is Crucial
What is focus and what can it do for you?
For the purposes of this report, focus can be defined as: centering attention on something (such as a goal or problem).
When you look at the benefits of focus, you can easily see why it affects everything you do:
• Focus helps you get clear about your objectives.
• Focus helps you cut a precise path to your goal(s).
• Focus keeps you on track with your plans.
• Focus helps you avoid distractions.
• Focus helps you work as efficiently as possible.
• Focus helps identify specific, productive action steps.
Clearly, if you want to be successful in less time with less effort, focus is a skill you need to have.
Stepping Back: Seeing the Big Picture
You may initially think of focus as the ability to narrow your attention to a very specific point, and you would be accurate with that assessment.
However, before you narrow your perspective you might find it beneficial to widen your focus- before you begin setting goals and plotting a course to reach them.
This is important because we are often short sighted and emotionally involved when it comes to our own dreams, goals and aspirations. It’s very easy to get blinded by inspiration and miss important information that would help us achieve our goal quickly and easily. If we’ are standing too close to our objective, we can’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak.
Stepping back and looking dispassionately at the big picture can help us gain a clearer idea of what we want and the best way to get it. Start by asking yourself these
questions:
• What do you want to accomplish?
• Why do you want to accomplish it?
• What will such a goal do for you, and for others?
• Is it challenging enough to be worth the effort?
• Is it grounded enough to be achievable?
• What possible obstacles might you encounter as you pursue this goal?
• What types of challenges might threaten your focus, and what can you do about
them?
• What steps can you take to ensure your determination stays strong?
Considering these scenarios beforehand can alert you to potential problems, and prepare you to handle the challenges you’ll face.
Narrowing In: One Thing at a Time
Once you’ve gotten a clear idea of the big picture and assessed the challenges and possibilities, it’s time to narrow your focus.
And when I say “narrow” I mean really NARROW. Any goal you have in mind will be comprised of dozens (or even hundreds) of smaller steps that must be completed first.
In order to reach the big goal at the end,
you need to start at the very beginning.
Probable first steps might include:
• Research and expand your knowledge.
• Form a clear, detailed plan of action.
• Identify small, achievable action steps you can take now.
• Create a plan to gradually increase the effort you exert.
Use your smaller victories to boost your confidence and encourage bolder actions.
The exact steps will vary widely depending upon your specific goal, of course.
The point is to look at the culmination of your goal and identify each specific step that will lead you there.
Once you have identified these smaller goals, you need to remove your attention from the larger goal temporarily so you can focus effectively on the smaller steps.
Refusing to do so is kind of like trying to drive a long distance by focusing only on the destination- it just won’t work. In order to reach your destination safely and in the least amount of time, you need to focus on the route that leads there, mile by mile.
Your goals are no different! Too many people try to tackle their entire goal in one fell swoop, quickly become exhausted or intimidated, and give up. They figure they must not have what it takes, so they quit.
The truth is, almost NO ONE has the level of focus needed to make huge, drastic changes like that. Most successful people have wisely learned to focus on one step at a time, and you can too. Narrow your focus to include ONLY the smaller steps and they will lead you easily to the larger goal.