We all know the importance of focus in moving forward in our businesses. Without focus, you end up randomly wandering through you day getting things done but nothing completed. But there is one ingredient that needs to be present in order to see the true benefits of focus - boundaries.

We often neglect to set up boundaries around our time and commitments. Boundaries allow you to focus on something to completion and that is how you are able to move forward. Interruptions are a huge hindrance to maintaining focus. You've all felt that frustration of getting into something only to be interrupted by a phone call or someone asking you a question. It takes the average person at least 20 minutes to completely immerse oneself into something so imagine what happens to your day when you allow constant interruptions. It's time to draw that proverbial line in the sand when it comes to managing your time.

Be fully committed and disciplined with your time. This may sound easy but in practice is so hard to do because it requires breaking bad habits and creating new productive habits. Habits take at least 30 days to break so give yourself time to allow that bad habits to go away and the new ones to take over.

Start your day knowing exactly what you need to do. Create a list at the end of your workday of what needs to be accomplished the following day. Prioritize these tasks and then estimate how much time you'll need to complete each task. Here's the key, now schedule those tasks into your calendar.

Schedule the normal interruptions into your workday. That's right, you can schedule interruptions. You all know what those common interruptions are - phone calls, emails, texts, Facebook. Don't allow them to randomly set the tone for your day. Interruptions can especially be stressful when you're under a deadline. Rather, schedule a time to handle these most common interruptions.Unless it is a true emergency, there is no reason why you have to immediately respond to someone. By scheduling your response time, you can then check the messages, collect your thoughts and be fully present when responding to them. Nothing is worse then only being half present when talking to someone. We've all been on the giving and receiving end of that I'm sure.It doesn't work and truly makes the other person feel like they are not worthy of your time. Imagine conveying that to a client?!!

Creating boundaries is critical to establishing focus to your day. By anticipating the common things that interrupt our day and throw us off track, we can move forward in a much more productive and relaxed manner. You do have control over your time and how it's spent each day. Take ownership of that and start being disciplined in how you use your time.  

Action Steps:
At the end of today, I want you to sit down and plan out your "to do's" for tomorrow. I personally do a mental dump and then organize and prioritize that into the top three things I need to complete first. Next, schedule time to complete each one of those tasks. Keep your task list to no more than 3-4 items. You can always add to once things are completed. Psychologically, it's a much better feeling to add to your list because you are completing things than to end the day not completing things and carrying that task over to the next day. Mindset is everything!

Then schedule time to check your email and phone messages, update Facebook ,etc. I typically first check my email around 11am. This allows me to get my day going without being emotionally influenced by any email correspondence. You know how that frustrating email has a way of staying with you. I start my day completely focused on my tasks without any interruptions. By lunchtime, I've accomplished at least one if not all three tasks. I take lunchtime to return calls and respond to emails. I then schedule my afternoon in the same manner - checking emails two more times before the end of the day. By planning your time in this way, you'll find you'll get so much more done and actually be more energized in the process because you are eliminating the stress that interruptions can often bring.

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