Focus is a superpower. And you can make it yours. Losers flit around being distracted by shiny objects and what the latest business influencer says you should do. Winners take their success by the metaphorical horns and develop a bulletproof focus that can fend off any infiltration. Which will you be? The one who made their plan and became unstoppable, or the one who couldn’t quite hold it in place when it really mattered?
Get your act together by knowing exactly what to focus on. Use these five prompts in ChatGPT, copying, pasting and editing the square brackets, and using the same chat window so the context pulls through.
Make focus your superpower with ChatGPT
Define your path to success
A struggle with focus is masking a bigger problem, and a lack of clarity could be it. No matter how defined your vision, how big your goals, if you can’t see a way to make them happen you’ll follow any path in the hope it takes you there. That leads to flitting around, dead ends and wasting time. Tunnel vision and consistent action is needed for most achievements, and your business success is one of them. Outline your goals and get the steps with this simple prompt.
“My ultimate business goal is [describe your goal] and within the next year I want to [describe a key milestone]. Act as a business consultant tasked with ensuring my business grows as planned. My current activity towards this milestone is [describe the work you’re doing right now]. Outline the steps that are essential for me to take to hit this milestone and my ultimate goal.”
Gain clarity on your most valuable resources
Your network, your huge brain, your dazzling smile. Your motivated team, your early-mover advantage, your mailing list. You have resources at your disposal that might not be deployed in the best way. Confusion on what your highest leverage resource might be leads to reduced focus, less progress and fewer positive feedback loops. It results in scattered and ineffective work. Ask ChatGPT to assess your resources and find the way forward that’s uniquely yours.
“Sometimes I struggle with focus. I have a lot of different things I could do, and I don’t always know what I should do. Act as a business analyst to assess my resources, and explain which are the most scarce or valuable, and therefore how I focus on maximizing the resources that are unique to me. These resources include: [describe yours here].”
Align your energy
Energy channeled in one direction moves the needle on that project. Energy dispersed creates mediocre results. And no one wants those. Align the energy of your goals and plans with what’s actually in your calendar. Remove what doesn’t fit. Clear the space to find the focused and dedicated time for meaningful actions. Remove the overwhelm that could be holding you back and see what you can do when you’re not so rushed.
“Within a normal week I spend time doing the following things: [outline your schedule and how many hours and minutes you spend doing each item in as much detail as possible.] I want to focus on my growth plan and achieving success in my business. Act as a productivity expert and tell me what I should cut out, in order that I align my energy with my goals and clear space to focus better. Include a plan of action for how I opt out of hand over responsibilities or commitments that don’t align.”
Optimize for fun
Your logical brain and emotional brain are often conflicted. Logically, you know you should focus. The task is clear, the brief is laid out, but your emotions are getting in the way. You’re taking yourself too seriously or questioning yourself. You’re not doing what’s required and you’re definitely not having a good time. The missing link might be enjoyment. It’s far easier to focus on the work that matters if you’re truly motivated to actually do it. That way, the effort brings the reward, not just the outcome. Get the fun back with this prompt and up the probability of you staying on track.
“I want to have more fun going after my goals. I want to have fun with focusing. You are tasked with making my work engaging and motivating, so that focusing on it feels effortless. Suggest 3 ways I could gamify my day, regarding my business, that will find the fun factor and keep me on track.”
Consider deadlines
Deadlines focus attention on a specific date and time. Ideally this date is a stretch target; not so close you panic, not so far away you lose interest. Having a deadline forces you to rally the troops and put the wheels in motion to get stuff done. Just its existence can make all else seem irrelevant. Just its existence can find the focus that went awry.
“Today is [today’s date]. At the moment I am working on [describe the tasks you’re working on], of which [one of them] is the most important in reaching my first milestone. In order to attract higher levels of focus, can you suggest a deadline that will stretch me to achieve and force me to focus? I think this particular task could take [how long it might take without a deadline] but I want to set a motivating deadline for completion. Suggest the deadline then outline my steps to complete the work faster.”
Find deeper focus with these ChatGPT prompts
Make focus your superpower and become someone who always delivers. Plan for the growth with full clarity on the next steps, assess your resources to play your ace cards, and align your calendar with your energy to make success inevitable. Find the game in the work so it doesn’t feel like labour, and set challenging deadlines you’ll feel motivated to fit.
Find focus to unlock a new level of your business. Remove the barriers with these five prompts.
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