Focus is a skill, not a vibe.
We all have days we don’t feel like showing up. It’s inevitable as human beings. Sometimes, things simply feel hard.
Some days, that’s truly an invitation to rest, replenish and reset. And some days, the most loving and regulating thing we can do, is to act—it’s do the thing. We sometimes confuse effort with action. They are not the same.
We hear all over the self-development space that it shouldn’t feel like effort. We shouldn’t swim upstream. If it feels like we’re going against the grain, then we are.
But here’s where I want to challenge that. And I’ve said it before: you can be uncomfortable and still aligned. You can be uncomfortable and right on track. As shared in this previous piece, The Training Room Isn’t Glamorous.
But movement, even the slightest, most subtle action, tells your body you’re present. It’s an indication to your system that you’re choosing to stay in your body and nourish it with what it needs. The stagnancy isn’t here to stay.
When I say action can be subtle, I mean it. “Action” could look like…
5 minute meditation
prayer
washing the dishes
a short walk (yes, even in the rain, take a big inhale and feel how refreshing that is)
that text you’ve been avoiding
20 squats
drafting that email
It can look so many ways. Let’s not confuse effort with action. And let’s remember that focus is a skill, not a vibe.
So I want to share with you, on the days that I don’t feel like showing up either, a few things that help me to keep things moving along. Because choosing peace on purpose, moves mountains.
Sip more slowly. Mix up your routine. Go for a walk first thing instead of a sit. Or take a sit instead of a walk first thing.
Inhale all the way down to your root. Turn your phone off for an entire day.
Leave that text on read, and shift your state before you reply. Feel the sun on your face. Smile for seemingly no reason (because actually, there are many).
Drop your shoulders on that next exhale. Stop and smell the flowers. Chew your food longer.
Pick up a novel for 15 minutes in the middle of the afternoon. Go to bed an hour earlier.
Choose peace on purpose.
And when you are wanting to focus on a task, these are 3 time management techniques I love:
Pomodoro Technique: 25 mins work, 5 mins break. Repeat. (For a printable sheet helping you to organize core priorities and ideas on how to enjoy your 5 minute breaks and maintain momentum, download this free PDF I made for you here).
Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize tasks by importance & urgency. (I find when I map this grid out, my sacral response also helps me to determine which ones I can easily and quickly check off the list; a little bit of #2 and #3 combined).
Eat The Frog First: Do your hardest task early—gain momentum for the day. (It’s wild what organic momentum we can create for ourselves by keeping the seemingly most difficult thing moving along. It’s like a breath of fresh air.)
Feeling resonance with some of these suggestions? Ready to simplify your task list & create with more presence?
Download this free copy of the complete Pomodoro Planning Sheets PDF here or below.
