How (and Why) You Should Focus on One Thing Each Day

Take a moment to focus on what you need to get done tomorrow.

What comes to your mind? Picking up the dry cleaning? Getting groceries? Packing school lunches? Responding to client emails? Making client calls? Cleaning the bathroom? Going for an oil change?

Chances are, those are just a few of the dozens of tasks that cross your mind. The problem is, with so many things we think we need to do each day, it becomes incredibly difficult to focus on what's truly important.

Prioritizing tasks

And when I say "most important," what do I mean by that?

Well, what's most important for one person will be completely different than the next.

For me, it's always been about finding a balance between getting to be in the moment with my three kids, while still being present in my business, my marriage, my health, and every other part of my life. 

Many of us get so caught up in thinking about the million things we "need" to get done each day, that ultimately the most important things get pushed to the wayside.

What happens when we focus on too much at once?

While we might feel like we've mastered productivity by getting so many of these tasks done, without focusing on what's MOST important, does this productivity really serve us? 

Instead of accomplishing the tasks that truly propel us toward our goals and our highest vision of ourselves, focusing on too many things just means we live in overwhelm. When we try to get a million things done in a day, we ultimately get so little, or even nothing, done. 

Eventually, you'll become exhausted and frustrated by your lack of progress and productivity (sound familiar?). 

But today I'm going to share with you my favourite way to boost productivity and super-target your focus to GET. THINGS. DONE!

Focus on ONE THING Each Day

Focus on one, and only one, thing each day? Could it really be that simple?

It might seem counterintuitive to productivity, but once you start giving your full focus to one thing each day, you'll find you're suddenly more productive than you ever thought. 

So, pick one important thing, every day. Do that.

Close your tabs, stop multitasking, and making page long lists of to dos. It's simple. And life changing.

The great thing about this trick is it works for your personal and professional lives at once. Here's how it works. 

Do the One Thing Daily Practice

Each night, before you end your day, take out your journal, calendar, computer, or whatever tool you use to stay organized. Go to the next day, and write down ONE thing you will focus on for your professional life, and ONE thing you will focus on for your personal life.

These are things you are going to start/do/complete for your business and for yourself.

Here are some examples.

Tasks to focus on for ourselves

• Organize your shoe closet
• Get one hour of fresh air
• Make an appointment for your annual physical
• Meditate (even if only for five minutes!)

Tasks to focus on for our businesses 

• Start the new lead magnet you've been meaning to create
• Update your email list about your latest blog posts
• Clear out your email folders
• Create the financial spreadsheet you've been putting off

What's next?

What's really incredible about focusing on one personal and one business thing each day is often how quickly you can get that thing done. Sometimes we spend a lot more time agonizing over doing something than it actually takes to do it!

When you've got a plan for getting one important thing done each day, you'll often find that once that's out of the way, it opens up WAY MORE time for the rest of your day.

During that time, you can focus on other things that are important to you, like making a home cooked dinner for your family or diving into that book that's been sitting on your bedside table for a little too long! 

Speaking of time management, have you checked out my Four Decision Method to Make More Time? I break it down in this post – you won't want to miss it!

Now before I go, here's a gentle reminder:

You CAN do everything. Just not all at once. We both know that to make something happen, it needs our full focus. 

If you're compelled to share, please comment down below and let me know the one personal and one business thing you're going to focus on today.