Ever have one of those weeks where you really need to focus on something and realize you get busy multi-tasking (or maybe that’s a nice way of saying procrastinating)?
(raises hand) I have. Last week I really needed to spend some time focusing on studying for and preparing to take my Quickbooks Online Advanced Certification. And like you I’m pretty busy during the week, with client meetings, client work, home & family needs, a Netflix bing every now and then…you get the point.
I knew I really needed to block my time & my calendar so I could set myself up for success to study & take my exam (which in the past I have dragged out over weeks). This year, I was determined to drop the drama and stress over taking the exam.
Want to know what (and how) I passed the advanced certification on the first try? The first thing I did was to block out my calendar. Like really block out time. No taking any unexpected or unnecessary meetings. And then I went a bit further. I set time aside within each block to actually study for the exam. Then I blocked off Friday to take the exam.
Whew! Let me be honest here…actually blocking of the time to study and blocking off the actual time to take the exam made it feel real! And I felt a relief knowing I’d set aside real time I was going to need. Because I’d blocked out my time, I had enough time to gather all the materials I needed, time to actually do the studying, and when I sat down to take the exam, I felt confident.
And I passed the exam on the first try! I’ll pause here to say I’m super proud of myself and excited that I was able to know this giant, looming, scary task off my to-do list.
“Congratulations on passing your certification exam, Michelle! That’s great. But…how does that help me focus in my business?” I’m so glad you asked. The focus I needed to study and pass that exam is the same focus you need in your business. If there’s something you want to accomplish in your business (whether it be finishing a course, getting your content prepped for the month ahead, reaching out to those prospective leads), you need to block out that time.
Literally. Look at calendar for the week and block out time each day (or a whole day if that works better for you) to get that task accomplished. Then set reminders for 15 mins before that schedule time. When the reminder pops up, finish up whatever you’re doing at the moment, gather whatever you need to complete the task, take a few deep breaths…and get your focus on!
