At my clients, I noticed a tendency to feel exhausted, lose focus, and try to accomplish multiple goals before the holidays. Some of them got extra business trips planned right before Christmas on top of an intense workload, some of them noticed the warming signs of burnout after a year of intense job search, some have seen layoffs (even if they are not being impacted directly, the effect on the organization is there), and some of them are dealing with an organizational restructure as a leader in the last month of the year.
In these heated periods when prolonged stress is present, you may feel that you've lost your focus and your skills to prioritize, see the light, and move out of feeling (mentally) stuck.
When your attention is constantly used by others, your team, your boss, your clients, or job applications, you barely have time and energy left for yourself.
James Williams, an ex-google strategist, in his book “Stand out of our light: Freedom and resistance in the attention economy” writes about the three types of focus. By examining them one by one, you can gain fresh perspectives to look at your situation with fresh eyes:
💫 Daylight
Your ability to figure out what you want
How do you know that you’ve gotten where you want to go? What will other people notice about you?
💫 Starlight
An image for your longer-term goals
What do you want vs. you don’t want?
Where do you want to go vs. you’re trying to avoid?
💫 Spotlight
A metaphor for your immediate attention
What do you pay attention to?
What are you noticing when you’re shifting your attention?
Reflect on the questions, find your light and regain your focus!
Comments