A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with a good friend. She is a project manager for an application developer and has to make sure that the programmers are staying focused in order to meet their objectives and milestones. I asked how her week was going.
“It’s like herding butterflies,” she said.
Butterflies are beautiful to watch but their flight paths are anything but straight. 
As the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, herding butterflies would be a very difficult task indeed! The thing is; we all behave like butterflies from time to time. When we are working efficiently, we are moving in straight lines. When we get sidetracked, we are flying about like butterflies. A simple example is going to the grocery store to get something you need. You get back home with 2 bags of groceries only to realize the one thing you really needed is not in either bag.
It’s so easy to lose focus. For instance, while writing this article, I have been sidetracked several times. As I was writing the first paragraph, I began to wonder what type of pictures I could use. Butterflies? Sine waves vs. straight lines? I opened my browser and started surfing. As I did this, I came across another blog that had a nice look, the type of look I am after for my guitar instruction web site. The theme they were using was something that would work for me so I spent an hour investigating it. Then, an e-mail came which reminded me I need to spend time on a monetization strategy for synaptici.com. In order to monetize, the site needs to attract many visitors so I spent time delving deeper into which Virtual Social Networking mechanisms would be most effective to draw readers to the site. Several hours later, I went back to writing this article but I was drawing blanks. I had totally lost my train of thought. Moreover, I had not found any pictures, was nowhere closer to a monetization strategy, had not increased my readership and now had 30 e-mails that needed to be read and replied to. My goals for the day were derailed!
This doesn’t always happen to me. In fact, it only happens when I don’t follow a strategy that I have employed for many years. It’s a strategy I developed for myself primarily because I recognized in my twenties that discipline and focus did not come naturally to me. If I had stuck to my plan, I likely would have finished this article the day I started it. It’s ironic that an article about focus has been the hardest one I have yet written simply because I didn’t follow my plan and got sidetracked.
So what’s the strategy? A ‘categorized’ to-do list. The word categorized is essential. To make such a list, I first do the following:
IDENTIFY the main objectives or the goals.
DETERMINE everything required to achieve the goal.
ORGANIZE these requirements into their appropriate categories.
PRIORITIZE the most important categories / requirements.
The following is a snapshot of my categorized to-do list for synaptici.com. While the actual list is much deeper than I am presenting here, it should serve to get the point across. Besides, I can’t tell you ALL my secrets … yet 😉
Content Development:
- Write articles that are relevant to the topics covered at synaptici.com
- Create or source pictures and media that will enhance the articles.
- Develop e-books.
- Find interesting video clips that stimulate the imagination and thought processes.
Site Development and Administration:
- Look and feel of the site – the site needs to look great and be easy to navigate.
- Update WordPress to its latest version.
- Update all widgets to their latest versions.
- Optimize the site for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Business Strategy:
- Develop a monetization strategy.
- Develop an affiliates program.
- Attract contributing authors.
Marketing Strategy:
- Leverage Virtual Social Networking mechanisms (Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon)
- Attract readers.
- Attract advertisers.
Once you have established your categorized to-do list, time management becomes an important aspect. Dedicate blocks of time to each item on your list. During those times, focus on that item until it is complete then move on to your next priority.
In my case, content development has the highest priority. Look and feel of the site is number two. I can always change my business and marketing strategies. Without content and a good-looking site, I would not attract readers. Without readers, synaptici.com would not need business and marketing strategies.
Another helpful idea is to pick a theme for the week. For example, I have decided that next week’s theme is to attract contributing authors. When I am not developing content, it will be my primary focus.
If you want to stay on track, you need to follow a plan and you need to focus on your highest priority items. If you are having a day or a week where you just don’t have the energy to delve into the big things, pick a smaller one, look after the little things. If you are sidetracked, don’t beat yourself up about it and get frustrated. Go back to your plan and get back on track. Without a plan, well, you will become a butterfly!
Photo Credits
Butterfly Midflight © Fir0002/Flagstaffotos
© Gil Namur, 2009
Great advice – I think most people in sales are like butterflies – a mild form of A.D.D. – we are always looking for some form of excitement or change. To follow an organized “To Do” list is tough – however – we should be adhering to it religiously every day in order to maximize our productivity.
What was I saying……LOL