How focused are you?

By Jamie MorleyJanuary 9, 2023

As we all start 2023, many of us have a renewed sense of energy following a good break and a time to reflect on 2022. We begin to look forward to the year ahead. I know this certainly excites me when I look across all the different areas of my life and what I would like to achieve in the coming year.

Before doing that I was reflecting on 2022 and how I got on in terms of the plans I laid out and what I wanted to achieve. It is true that I achieved many of the things I set out to achieve and I also didn’t achieve some of the things I wanted to achieve. When I look at why that is, it wasn’t because there was an insurmountable hurdle that I couldn’t get around, but it was more around the fact that I simply didn’t find the time and energy to focus on it and make it happen. I could also name some additional things I did which distracted me and took up my time and energy. Indeed several of these things have been going along in the background for a while, taking up my time, energy and focus. They are things that I kind of think are interesting and/or I enjoy doing so I keep dipping into them from time to time only to see the same challenges with them and that I don’t enjoy doing them enough for me to overcome the hurdles in doing them. They are also not as important and enjoyable as the other things I have on my plan. I think this is true for personal things I want to achieve and also for things I want to do with regards to the business. It is absolutely true for leading a dental practice, only the consequences of not doing this are amplified across all the people you are leading. Those people will not be 100% clear on the priorities if they are asked to do something different. Delegating one of these things to somebody takes the overall focus and attention of the practice in a different direction. At the end of the day you just have to stop and say we are not doing that thing any more. It may not be to everyone's liking, but there has to be clarity so that people can proactively focus on what is most important.

2023 is the year when I am binning those things for the year. I am not going to pay them any attention until the end of next year when I review my plans for 2024. They are out. I have written down what those things are, so it is clear to myself and I am committed to not doing anything around them. I am mentally and physically clearing these things out to make fresh energy to fully focus on what is most important.

Ok, I get that Jamie, but what about any new ideas that come up during the year? 

The following matrix may be helpful in thinking about how to deal with these.

In Area of Focus & High Impact - DO

There will hopefully be lots of new ideas and suggestions that are aligned with your key focus that you can focus on putting in place. If a new idea comes up that is aligned with your focus and you think it will impact it significantly, then do it. If you say, but nobody has any capacity to do it, well I would validate that everything else they are doing is aligned with the key focus areas. If it is, and you think this idea is going to have real impact, you will need to invest in somebody else to do it. It could be an outside contractor, a new employee or a business who provides that service. In short find a way of getting it done.

In Area of Focus & Low Impact - WEIGH

These suggestions you will have to weigh up against other activities you are doing that are within an Area of Focus. Is the suggestion more impactful than something else you are doing? In which case consider stopping the other idea and starting the new one.

Not in Area of Focus & Low Impact - BIN

There will be ideas and suggestions that are not aligned behind your key focus and you may evaluate as not being that important or having much of an impact. These ideas you have to say no to and put firmly in the bin.

Not In Area of Focus & High Impact - PARK

Ideas and suggestions that you evaluate as having an impact but that are not aligned to your current key focus area. These are the most difficult to deal with. You have to say NO to these and park them in the good idea bucket for the moment. Create a folder where you keep these. Put a time frame next to them as to when you will reflect on them further, but let them go mentally for now. Ensure you have time put aside to then evaluate these at a later time.

A typical example of this for a Dental Practice may be a new technology that comes along and looks all shiny, new and exciting. Does this fit with a broader Area of Focus? As an example, if your drive is to provide the best patient experience possible does this new technology do that? What is the level of impact? If the answer is Yes and High then DO it! Find a way. Be really honest in your evaluation. Don’t make it fit into the strategy because it looks all new and exciting. Does it really fit? If it doesn’t fit but the impact is high, then make a note of it on a good ideas sheet and agree a time to revisit the idea. Perhaps towards the end of 2023 when reflecting on plans for 2024.

In summary make sure you have a proper clear out to create the space and energy to really focus on what you believe to be most important. Give those things everything to give them the best chance of succeeding. Recognise the moment when new ideas and suggestions come along. Use the matrix to deal with them consciously and prevent yourself from unconsciously losing your focus.