Setting Your Default

What do you want your work-space default to be? What do you want to refocus your energy on when restarting?

When I'm working, I get distracted all the time. Pulled off task by an idea that popped into my head, or something catches my attention like Facebook, or in an online forum (darn you biggerpockets!!). But eventually I finish my distraction, and realize I forgot what I was doing. So I hit the reset button on my brain.

For most, the reset button takes you to your email, or even worse, social media. But what should it be? Where should your attention spring back to when you look to be productive?

Your email? Your calendar? Your CRM? Or maybe your project management system? Your to-do list? Maybe it's an educational site?

If it's your email, you're focusing on being re-active in your business, not pro-active. And if you hit "inbox zero," you'll find you have no idea what to do to move forward. Your calendar lets you be future oriented, but omits the projects you might be working on. If you've built it to properly funnel your attention, a CRM might have a pending task list for you, otherwise you might randomly sort through your pending projects. An education site keeps you learning, but this is probably short term.

I personally like to center on my to-do list in Evernote. I return to my prioritized projects list, and get to see my "next action required" associated with each (thank you David Allen). I let my calendar interrupt me with updates and reminders. At 1pm I am prompted to check my email, or review my CRM tasks at 3pm, but I always return to Evernote to see what needs my attention next.

Set up your workshop so that your focus is where you want it to be.  Reset your home page.  Put a post it reminder up of where to reset to.  Do what you need to so that you don't waste a second of your useful time.