Two Questions to Increase Your Focus

Nothing excites me like an ‘end of year’ reflection. I love a good beefy document with multiple pages and prompts and questions to get me thinking about the last year and what I want to create for the upcoming year. Hell, I even created my own Five-Step Reflection Guide that requires some good time set aside to get through it.

And yet, for me, doing this once/year can feel:

a)     Daunting, because I have to remember details from the last 12 months,

b)    Incomplete, because I know I’m missing out on things that I said ‘remember this next time’, or

c)    Too little, too late, because I waited until this momentous occasion instead of doing more ‘on the fly’ reflection that may have helped me earlier in the year.

Behold! There is another way!

I’ve simplified my reflection process into two questions that do NOT demand two hours, do NOT require you to have a printer and print pages of notes (even though I LOVE my printer and do not care how old I sound saying that), and can be done more regularly. I’m talking monthly if you choose, or at a cadence that suits you (maybe after wrapping up a big project? Or before taking on a new client?)

Two questions sounds MUCH more doable, and something that you can incorporate into your life without much adjustment needed.

These two magic questions: 

1.     What do I want more of?

2.     What do I want less of?

When I list what I want more of:

·      I get really clear on my goals.

·      I can take my list of priorities down from ‘oodles’ to ‘one or some’.

·      I let myself get creative again and think “if I want more of this, now I get to exercise my brain and find out how to do that”.

When I list of what I want less of:

·      I can make changes more quickly.

·      I create self-accountability (I said I want less of this, and if I have control over it, giddy up! Time to make it reality!)

·      I don’t get stuck doing the same things/acting the same way for another X number of months until I take time to reflect.

And in true AW fashion, living by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Get”, this two-question-reflection helps me figure out what to ask for! If I want more of something, who can I ask for support? (ie. I want more clients, how can I ask my peers and community for the right referrals?”) If I want less of something (less time slogging through my inbox!) it might be time to ask about a Virtual Assistant or team member who can help you sort through the mess and give you the time and freedom to pay attention to other tasks.

 BONUS: These questions don’t just have to be work focused. I also use these to think about my personal life.

For example, when I did this exercise in January with my partner, we agreed that we wanted MORE meals at the dining room table and MORE weekend days without any plans. We also agreed we wanted LESS visits out of obligation or tradition, and LESS apologizing for wanting recovery time after a full day/week.

I’d love for you to take these two questions, scribble them on a piece of paper or in a note on your phone and see if you (like me!) feel some instant clarity, a weight off your shoulders, and a refresh of that ‘new year energy’ where you know where to focus!

There you have it - two questions, one piece of paper/note, and some MAJOR opportunities to focus. Fingers crossed this is a tool in your toolbox to pull out anytime you need to focus your time, energy, and get more of the good stuff.

Bonus points: Share your list on Instagram and tag me @theamandawagner so that I can celebrate you!