I’m not writing this as a ‘you should do this’ post. As a coach that’s very much what I try NOT to do with my clients; you getting to your own solutions is MUCH more powerful and long lasting.

This is written from the perspective of a woman in her early forties trying to start and run a new business in the tech-saturated, time-pressured world we live in now. I also have two kids...

Putting the blinkers on

I’m trying to avoid shrinking my attention span down to the size of a pea, but some days my attention feels so split and scattered between 10 different things, I wonder if this is a battle I am always going to lose.

I feel like, in order to get anything done - to write this blog post, to do some social media content, to craft a lead magnet to land new email leads -  I have to put my blinkers on like a horse in a race and attempt to run the attention gauntlet.

What I mean.

I’ll go on Whatsapp to retrieve a link or a recommendation to put in a blog post, then 15 minutes later I realise I’ve got sucked into listening to new voicenotes from pals.

I’ll go to draft some IG content then I realise I’ve gone onto Claude and got sucked into setting up a content planning system instead.

Or instead of making a lead magnet, I’ll have a thought for a client and bosh out a quick Loom video for them.

The Working from home distraction layer

The draw and pull of different platforms and tech can drive you literally to distraction. And if you’re working from home, possibly with family life in the mix, there can be another layer of distraction which I call the ‘I’ll just...’ layer.

I’ll just...put a load of clothes in the washing machine.

I’ll just...put away all these kids’ toys.

I’ll just...do the meal plan and possibly the food order (probably after an intrusive text from the supermarket, pulling focus from whatever I was doing).

Add in your massive to-do list

The final layer might come from ourselves and our to-do-listing. Don't get me wrong, I’m a big fan of a list to help prioritise what to do that week or day...

BUT sometimes that to-do list can creep into a War and Peace-sized list to beat yourself with.

Your attention becomes scattered because you are rushing, trying to tick off five massive tasks a day - when often, the time you have available is shaved at either end by real life commitments. Yes 3.15pm school pick up, I’m looking at you.

So what’s the answer? I’m still playing with it

What is starting to help me is being super intentional about my attention. You have to shut your eyes, get your gas mask on and just run through the burning building. Ok, maybe I"m being a touch dramatic but hopefully you understand what I’m getting at!

In practice - I'm using these time blocking and focus habits. They're so incredibly obvious, but I have to keep reminding myself:

• One tab open on my browser, not 15
• I open up my calendar on week view and Time block the task I’m doing that day (which gives my brain another reminder of what the goal is for that time)
• Phone out of my reach (with that Spam Call divert setting on) so I can still get calls from school/nursery in an emergency.
• Time block ‘domestic shit’ into my calendar - AFTER the tasks I believe are going to move me forward in my business. So the tidying gets done AFTER I’ve written the blog post, sent some networking messages, or drafted the Google ad. Better yet, it gets done WITH my child, after school so I can teach them that tidying up is their responsibility too.

Getting aware of attention leaks

I’m not a massive fan of inspirational quotes (I’ve got a strong gag reflex) but the saying ‘what you put your attention on, grows’ (is it as basic as that?) is one that I keep coming back to at the moment.

We have to fight harder than ever to give something our pure attention and not be pulled off course. We need weapons to fight the whatsapp messages, domestic tasks, emails and our own to-do list overwhelm.

Here's one final suggestion list for how you can combat the to-do list overwhelm:

• Brain dump at the start of the week. On a Monday morning I write out everything I’d love to achieve that week (normally it falls under Work, House/family, Me) and there can’t be more than 10 things on that list.
• Each day look at the list and see what your energy feels most aligned to that day. If you need to exercise/meditate/do some yoga to get into the right headspace for something, follow your instinct.
• Try and align your business tasks to your goals. Ask yourself ‘does this align with where I’m trying to get to’ before each task
• Pick one thing for each day, then slot in more when you’ve got that done. You’ll feel good about ticking something off, then everything else is a bonus.

Even just acknowledging you’re in an attention gauntlet situation when you’re a creative business owner can help. It feels strongly connected to mindfulness: every time you notice you’ve been pulled into a total bloody random activity - take a breath, bring it back and re-focus... Again and again and again.

Work with me

If you’d like to get serious about making your business the best it can be (or pivoting your business) I’m here to help. I love taking a holistic view when it comes to business. Yes we can look at marketing, visibility, sales and strategy - but without mindset, energy and the day to day habits, it can very quickly fall by the wayside.

You can read more about my Coaching packages here