How to Focus When Everything Feels Urgent

Large projects don’t fail because we can’t complete them; they usually stall because smaller tasks keep getting in the way.

Emails in our inbox require replies. Meetings fill our calendar. Someone needs your assistance. Many small tasks must be handled before we can focus on anything important.

Soon the major project is postponed to tomorrow. Then the following week.

One way to break that pattern is to concentrate on a single important project for a set period. I think it’s a good idea to select one project to focus on each week.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore everything else. Your usual work still requires your attention. The only difference is that you make a point of allocating dedicated time to one major project.

Start by asking yourself a simple question: which project would benefit most from concentrated attention right now?

You might need to put together a major presentation. For example, you could be writing a book, redesigning a website, or getting ready for an important meeting.

Once you choose the project, don’t worry about finishing it in a week. Your goal is to make meaningful progress.

Big projects often feel overwhelming because the next step isn’t clear. When you don’t know where to start, delaying the project feels easier. Putting the project off feels easier.

First, work out what needs to be done.

Allocate some time to that task and put it on your calendar. Turn off your email and silence your phone. Pay full attention to the project until the time has elapsed.

You could take an hour to draw up an outline. You could collect the information that you need. You could make a list of the people you should contact. You could set out the first three steps.

Any of those actions can create momentum.

After you’ve finished the first step, the next one usually becomes clearer, and then you can deal with it; soon, something that seemed difficult becomes a sequence of achievable tasks.

That’s the reason why it is so important to start.

You don’t have to find a long stretch of continuous time each day. A few concentrated sessions are enough to change how you feel about a project. Instead of keeping an incomplete task constantly in your mind, you’re now getting on with it.

When you do your weekly planning, choose one important project that needs extra attention. Work out the next few actions that will make a real difference, then schedule time on your calendar to carry them out.

Don’t wait until you have plenty of time; make the time instead.

You don’t have to complete the project this week.

What we should do is substitute delay with action; once you start, the project becomes much simpler to manage.

More Ideas:

What Should I Do First?

A Scheduling Trick To Boost Productivity

A Smarter Way To Prioritize Tasks