Help! Each day I am bombarded by tweets, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Klout (thanks to all those who have added me), emails, text and instant messages and I tend to lose my focus on what I should be doing.  It is a good thing I am a pretty good at multitasking.

Do you notice that when you attend a performance or a lecture they start by asking you to turn off your cell phones?  This allows you to concentrate on the performance or speaker.  (My only problem is that they do not remind you to turn your cell phone back on.  If I am tardy in responding to any one this is the main reason!)  Since we are surrounded by so many competing things in our lives it is important that we learn to focus in on what we are doing. I feel that we also have to work with our children/students on focusing on whatever they are doing.

During the time I coached I worked with my team on focusing in on what they were doing. I remember gathering my relay team together in the final race in the city championships.  I told them that whether they lost or won I would still be extremely proud of them for their hard work and commitment to the team.  I reminded them to focus on the handoff and try to block out everything else around them.

When I taught I spent a fair amount of time in the beginning of the school term getting my students to learn to listen.  This required them to focus on whoever was talking and not to fidget or play with their pen, pencil, paper, etc.  It is also extremely important that we as teachers and administrators listen to our students. In addition, we as educators need to focus on what we are doing with our students.  It is a good idea to set goals and have a mission statement.  Of course, it is important to review and amend those during the course of the school year.  I just wish the educational policy makers would focus on the real needs of the teachers and students in the classrooms as well as their parents and listen to what they need.

When I had writing assignments for my publisher I would have a sign on my desk with the word “Focus” on it.   Before my educational booklets were published they were reviewed by children, teachers and utility representatives.  I can remember when just about everyone would love a page except for one person. At first I could not understand why that person did not approve it.  When I focused in on that person’s comments in many cases I saw their point and then made the appropriate changes.

Of course, I should practice what I preach but that is very hard to do when I moderate a chat on Twitter.  The pace is so frenetic and it is hard to focus in on all the tweets and what they bring up.  I also have to focus on what I tweet.  There are times I inadvertently use the wrong word because I am rushed or leave out things as a result of the 140 character constraint.

We have to remind ourselves in our busy lives to focus on the things that really matter in our lives.