default.focus

For many companies July 1st is the start of Business Quarter 3; half the year has now swept by and considerations for the remainder of the year are well underway. I have seen retailers and education-based bloggers begin Q3 with ‘Christmas in July’ discount offerings to help jumpstart the second half of the year. If you are one of the “lucky ones” (note the sarcasm) who are working through a Quarterly Business Review for Q2, they are more about what is coming next than a post-mortem of the past 3 months…make and work the plan!

We can gift ourselves with our own ‘Christmas in July’ and re-organize, re-focus, and settle in on what matters for your particular work or business by evaluating the last six months and imagining what the next six months should be. If you haven’t gotten organized, get there (see my default.organize blog). If you planned and organized at the beginning of the year this a perfect time for reflection and verification that your strategy is working for you. If not - change it! Cal Newport promotes what he calls Multi-Scale Planning, recently discussed on Andrew Huberman, on how to create a long, medium, and immediate action plan. I highly recommend this method as I feel it’s a great way to bounce between strategic and tactical (method) thinking. This shift is very difficult if not planned for! The best part is you don’t need a fancy planner or anything specific; Excel, Google Docs, Pen/Paper will all work. Reflection and verification is key!

Lastly, when you get to work - be there. When you get home - be there. Focus. And don’t forget to smile. Your smile might be the only one someone sees that day…

What’s your default?