What happens when you lose your focus? If you focus too much on the wrong things or if unexpected life events rob you of your energy and time, you will find that your other responsibilities get neglected. When that happens, everything can become very chaotic.

Sometimes losing focus cannot be helped. For example, when my aunt became sick I had to put some things on the back burner, but she was my mom’s only living immediate family member so I thought it was important to take my mom to visit as much as possible. My aunt lived out of town so we took time every weekend to visit her, including one weekend that we stayed for four days because she was not expected to live through the weekend. She did make it through and actually lived another couple of months. What a fighter she was!  It was worth neglecting things on the home front.  Since then, both she and my mom have passed and I can look back without regret.  Imagine if I had decided that housework and yard work were more important!  Yes, during that time some things were ignored. Laundry piled up, the dust gathered, and the yard work did not get done, but I had my priorities straight. It was important to spend the time with my aunt and meet my moms needs, too.  I knew that the chores could get done later. No big deal.  Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.

What about times when you lose focus on what is important and then the important things get ignored? For example, I have a friend who obsesses over what her ex is or is not doing. She needs to clean up certain aspects of her life that are causing her grief, but she never gets around to cleaning those things up. She has a boyfriend, who thinks she is fabulous, but instead she alienates him by talking about how much she hates her ex husband. Wouldn’t it be better to focus on building this new relationship rather than lamenting the past?  Consider where it is you want to put your energy and who you want to put your energy into.  Exes are exes for a reason.  The past is the past.  Leave it there and live in the here and now while you plan for the future you dream about.

I know a man who has a wonderful family, but he is a workaholic. His employer could live without him there 60-80 hours per week, but he thinks he must work that hard to get rewarded. Truthfully, companies rarely reward you with more than your salary. Ask anyone who has been laid off. Companies will always act in their own best interest when push comes to shove, and to hell with the employees. Especially when the economy is bad! The workaholic is missing out on his children growing up and being the kind of man that his children can count on to be there when they need him.  As it is now, when his wife needs him or his children need him, he is never available. He is always at work. I don’t know what his future holds, but what I do know is that if his life were to end, his wife and children would most likely wish that he had given more to himself than to the company, or maybe, this is sad to say, but maybe they wouldn’t miss him much.  If they are not used to having him around, the days after his death may be just a return to business as usual.  When it comes to your family, don’t take them for granted.  Be the kind of person who leaves a huge void when you are gone.  Nothing is more important than family.  Trust me, I work with people who have taken things for granted and lost them.  It is a hard thing to watch someone go through and even harder to be the one going through it.

When not focused on the right things, your life can spin out of control. You can also miss opportunities and events in your child’s life.  You may miss important moments that you can never get back.  To make sure you don’t, here are some tips:

1. Make a priorities list
Take some time, whether an afternoon, a day, a week or whatever time frame you need to figure out what parts of your life are most important to you.  Once you have set realistic priorities, live it.  Short of a temporary emergency or out of the ordinary situation, stick to your priorities.  You will be glad you did.

2. Put yourself at the top of your priorities
Put yourself at the top of your priorities list.  If your love or energy banks are depleted you don’t have much to offer others.  Eat, get plenty of sleep, and put together a good support system.  Most importantly, do not be afraid to ask for help when you are struggling with something.

3. Set realistic goals.
Whether you have big dreams or just daily life expectations, be conscious of what it will take to meet those goals.  Remember that some things are accomplished by taking small steps and that is okay.  Meeting the goal is the important thing, but you have to make sure that it is an attainable goal.  When goals are too lofty, you can end up disappointed.  At the end of each day, think about the progress you made and recognize even the smallest advances.  If you did not make progress toward your goals, forgive yourself when unforeseen circumstances or emergencies get in the way and then get right back to it tomorrow.  If you need to, break big goals into smaller goals that will lead to the same thing.

4. Take time to relax and have fun. 
This is something you really have to allow yourself to do.  Many people deny themselves and believe they are not worthy of a break.  It is not true.  Life is about balancing what you need to do with what you want to do.  The world will not fall apart because you took your eyes off from its desires for you for a short while and remember, you are not in control of the world.  Worry about what is your responsibility and don’t take on something that is not your concern.

5. Don’t feel guilty!
There really is nothing to feel guilty about.  People who learn to say no usually get much more joy and fulfillment out of life than those who do not.  If you don’t want to help your friend move, say no.  However, if you want to help your friend and maintain the friendship, be confident explaining to them that you cannot do it that particular day, but maybe you could help in a different way.  Maybe you help for a couple of hours or maybe on a different day (if they can arrange it).  Maybe you offer to help unpack things and arrange things after the move.  When you say no to people you care about, make sure they know that you are not saying no because you don’t want to help, you are saying no because you are not available at that particular time.  If they are a good friend, they will understand.  Try not to say no to your spouse or children though, unless it is an absolute must!

6. Use To-Do lists!
It helps to write down the things you need to do and have a plan of action.  It also helps to cross each item off the list when done.  That way, you see that you have accomplished things and it keeps you motivated to do more!

7. Separate work from home life.  Bringing work home with you, even if it is only the bad mood the boss put you in, puts your focus on the wrong things.  You are likely not getting paid when you are not at work so why put your energy into that?  Get rewards at home, such as the smile on your family’s face from receiving your full attention on them.  Work is for work and earning an income to support your family, but home is where the heart is!

8. Schedule tasks that you don’t like to do, but know you have to do.  Does the garage need a good cleaning?  Pick a day and stick with that.  However, the garage is part of the house so enlist family to help.  You get to spend time together, sharing, while doing something that is a benefit to the family.  It is also teaching your kids how to cooperate and share, even when it may not be the most fun thing in the world!

9. Balance together time and alone time
We all should be making time for the important people in our lives, but we all need some time to ourselves, too.  You may also want to spend time with friends and family as a group, to best utilize your time, but also, connect with each person individually as well.  People need to know that you are interested in them as a person and if you only spend time with them in groups, it can create a wedge.  Make time for you, for individuals and for group activities also, and do not forget how important couple time is for a couple who has children.  Mommies and daddies need to connect without kids to keep their connection strong for sharing the kids.

10. Make it more about positives than negatives.  Focus on what you have done, not what you were unable to get done.  Focus on the few minutes you spent with your kids today, rather than the hours you did not get to spend with your kids today.  Remember, tomorrow is another day and we never get to have every day go exactly as we plan or as we’d like!  Before you go to sleep each night, reflect on what went right and what made you feel good.  You will sleep so much better when you think in the positive!