Where do You Spend Your Time - Step 13 of 21 Days of Focus

To stay focused and reach your goals and dreams, it’s important to ask yourself, where do you spend your time? Growing up as a child of the 50’s, there were only three major television networks. Now with streaming services, cable, and satellite, there are thousands of programming options available.

While I’ve had my moments of binge watching The Crown, A Typical (I have an Aspie son – a son with Aspergers), Love it or List It, or Chopped, I would much rather be writing, traveling, or being active outdoors.

I am amazed at the number of reality shows there are. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and watch other people fulfill their dreams whether it’s losing weight; becoming a singer or famous chef…the list goes on. Many of these programs can be inspirational but too much television watching or video games can rob us of our most precious commodity – time.

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). If they live to be 65, that person would have spent 9 years in front of their television. Wow, can you believe that?

If you are struggling with focus and making progress on a project, dream or goal, take an inventory of the time you spend on entertainment. In Step 6 we talked about eliminating distractions during typical workday activities, but what can you eliminate outside of 9-5 hours that will help you achieve a goal or dream?

Work after 5PM, are you kidding? Well, no, not if you are where you want to be. But my guess is that if you work for someone else during normal Monday through Friday business hours or if you need to prioritize your time to bring in immediate income, the only time left to go after your goals and dreams are mornings, evenings and weekends.

You’ll find that when you focus on something that you really want, and if you feel a calling towards a dream, it will pull you. You will enjoy the flow and you will want to work to finish the project that you are working on. I know I felt that way about finishing this series. I was on a mission and was focused to get it done.

Wanting to be entertained is not bad. It can be very good to unwind and enjoy a good movie or television program. I’m a foodie and I love Food Network. However, if I’m in a procrastinating mood, I can waste an entire evening watching back to back episodes of Cup Cake Wars or Chopped (my husband thinks I’m crazy, but he loves my cooking). Since I enjoy these programs, I’ll record several and watch them during dinner when Robert is out on his tennis night.

My friend and fellow writer, Bob Baker, wrote a lovely book for creatives called The Passion Principles – 101 Ways to Express Your Creativity and Share It With the World. Nugget number 34 is: Create more than you consume. When I read that, I said, “Busted!” I read A LOT and consume a lot of information. It was a great reminder to focus on my writing dreams and, well, write!

When you focus on your goals and dreams, you will feel expansive. You won’t feel the need to sit and watch other people live out their dreams.

So, where do you spend your time? How many more distractions can you whittle down to focus on your dreams?

That brings us to Step 14 – Keep a Balance

Step 1 – You Have to Have a Plan

Step 2 – Take Action on your Plan in Small Steps Every Day

Step 3 – Don’t have an All or Nothing Attitude

Step 4 – Focus on Your Strengths

Step 5 – Meditate or Think on your Plan

Step 6 – Get rid of Distractions

Step 7 – Review your Plan at the End of the Day

Step 8 – Lock Out Doubts and Fears

Step 9 – Stop Comparing Yourself to Others