Far-Sighted? Don’t Lose Focus on the Short-Term
Most of us in the ad world would describe ourselves as visionary. We think long-term. We find the solution and let someone else execute it. Sound familiar?
We oftentimes set up brainstorms or retreats in the woods to generate a series of project concepts for a client or the next big thing our agency is going to do to stay edgy. But how do you stay focused on what’s right in front of your face? This is where I struggle. To a big visionary, the to-do list on your iPhone or the piece of paper on your desk may get the brush-off quite often. After all, you’re dealing with the big picture, right? That takes precendence.
I’m bringing you into my dilemma here, so welcome. The long-term is key. We have to stay in line with our clients’ and our own agency’s purposes while adapting with the changing landscape. But many of us in the creative business can tend to lose production in our day-to-day. I know I do. Sometimes it’s focus on the bigger picture that’s taking me out of the day-to-day, but if I’m honest, sometimes it’s useless distraction. Confession time: name the websites you check on a daily basis. Now how many of those add any value to what you’re trying to accomplish? Yeah, that’s probably a stretch. [end two-way conversation]
I’ve been experimenting with some life-changes that help me maintain that day-to-day focus I need to be successful. Let me know what you think:
1) Change location. You may have seen me tweeting a lot lately from a coffee shop. There’s people, there’s noise, but it’s white noise. I can see my hand in front of my face so much clearer when I get into a “focus place”. For me, it’s a coffee shop. For you, it may be at home, a park or just a conference room. I’m inspired and focused when I have the opportunity to be where normal people are (I’m defining “normal” as those with whom I do not work). My production level sky-rockets when I make this simple change. After all, we’re mobile now. Grab your notebook and take advantage of it.
2) Listen to music. This keeps me energized. Our short-sited focus can often become blurry because what we see just isn’t as exciting – it’s just the stuff that has to get done. Grab a streaming station with a genre that inspires but doesn’t distract (my recommendation: last.fm, William Fitzsimmons station).
3) Buy a leatherbound notebook and use it. Okay this one needs some narrative support. I’ve tried keeping checklists on my computer. It’s where we keep everything now. Our lives are on our hard drives. Do yourself the service of reverting a little bit. Not all technology makes our lives easier; sometimes it makes them more confusing. Use it for your checklists, mindmapping and other forms of visual thinking. Never diverting your eyes from your laptop is what causes you to end up back on those useless sites you check everyday during your mental breaks. Use that time to sit and to think. Your mental breaks will be much shorter and much more productive.
We’re far-sighted people (if you’re reading this blog, I’m guessing you probably are). These disciplines have been helpful for me to maintain my focus on the distant while, for production’s sake, shifting my focus to the short-term on call.
What works for you?
