Yesterday, I was on the phone with a potential client and I gave her the opportunity to ask me anything. About coaching, about pricing, whatever, anything.

Jacqueline* asked me, “How are you so efficient and focused?”

I had to laugh – because some days I can be so ADD that I feel like I get nothing done. I just spent an entire week like that last week. I was so flitty and crazed that on Thursday, I finally had to sit down and review what I had done for the week to double check whether I had finished anything.

Some days, I feel great, like I finished everything on my list. But most of the time I don’t feel that accomplished.

My favorite methods to stay on track are the 12-Week Year, David Allen’s Getting Things Done method, and 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done.

I also shared with Jacqueline the details of a structure I developed to keep me focused on a daily basis. And, while not perfect, this keeps me on track and focused enough, that I get things done, sometimes efficiently and in a focused manner, but mostly in a fashion that can best be described as sausage-making that no one needs to see.

The structure I developed includes these practices:

Gratitude Practice

I developed a gratitude practice after reading Brené Brown’s work in 2012. I try to do this in several ways – I try to list at least three things I am grateful for when I open my eyes in the morning OR as I close my eyes at night OR sometimes, I write them down in my journal or work notebook at the beginning of my workday. This gratitude practice keeps me in a positive frame of mind.

I also ask myself, “What would make today great?” The answer to this question usually guides me in the next part, setting priorities.

Priority Setting

I set 1-3 priorities for the day (and here is the important part) that are connected to reaching my overall goals for the year. These are priorities that I work on after servicing clients and potential clients.

Other to do items can and will come up (read: appear in my monkey mind while I am trying to meditate) and they may or may not be related to my goals or priorities so I put these items in the “Parking Lot,” which is a page I have designated in my work notebook or if urgent for the day, I put them on my white board which I can easily see but isn’t in my field of vision when looking at my computer. That way, I can get to these items if I have the time or attention.

Power Hours 

I use three power hours to work on each my priority items. I set a time for 50 minutes and work on that priority. Then I take a 10-minute break. Then rinse and repeat this process for a total of 3 times, one power hour for each priority.

Sometimes I have a shortened attention-span or I get distracted, in which case I do 25 minutes of work with a 5 minute break in between (the Pomodoro method). This usually helps me focus enough that I never get past timing the second one. I am so into my work that time doesn’t matter any longer.

Track Accomplishments

At the end of my workday, I try to write down the accomplishments, achievements, or wins for the day. These can be big or small and they can be personal or business-related. Whatever they are, I write them down. This helps with overwhelm and not remembering what I did. It also gives me a sense of accomplishment and the feeling of “yes, I did it!”

Remember I said last week I was so scattered that by Thursday, which is the end of my workweek, I felt like I hadn’t gotten anything done? The power hours went out the window and I had a bunch of calls and interruptions. Even the best laid plans can go awry.

I took a look back through my notes and here is what surfaced: I wrote two articles, finished a vision board, serviced all my clients, held two workshops and a get shit done day, helped a friend with a charter school advocacy matter, was a podcast guest, and booked two speaking events over the next three weeks (my goals is two a month) and I am excited to be speaking Jan 21st on Goal Setting with the San Diego Paralegals Association and Feb 3rd on Self-Promotion and Knowing Your Value for the Beverly Hills Bar Association).

The moral of the story is to reflect upon what you did finish and accomplish rather than focusing on what you didn’t get to! I felt so much better after reviewing the week’s accomplishments!!

Why do I keep italicizing feeling related words? Because I felt like I hadn’t accomplished anything when I actually had.

The tracking accomplishments part of my structure is actually the key to building confidence and staving off imposter syndrome.

It’s what I do with clients. It’s what I do with mentees. It’s what I do with friends. It’s what I do with random strangers I meet at networking events. It’s important to me to share what I do and be transparent about how it’s working. And adjust if it isn’t working as intended!

Let me know what’s keep you on track to be efficient and focused.

* Jacqueline is not her real name and she did become a client.