Synonymous, or Not Synonymous?

This is the time of the year when I start looking at paper planners.  While I have some favorites, I’m open to new possibilities that I didn’t see last year.  Sometimes I’ll come across new layouts that I’ve never seen before, while others are just . . . more of the same with an updated cover.

I do have some non-negotiable features: vertical columns for the time of day, weeks that start on Sunday, and generous margins or space for notes.  These are personal preferences, and if you’re a paper planner, you should decide on yours.  Non-negotiables, a category of heuristics, simplify the planner-vetting process and conserve your mental energy.

Does this sound like you?

Through my work as a Concentration Coach, I hear from people who have given up.  They have stacks of paper planners from years past.  They’ve tried every time hack on Instagram.  They’ve turned off notifications, closed their email, and deleted all the social media apps from their phones.

And they still feel like they’re falling further and further behind.  They fall into bed at night, exhausted and wondering, “What did I even do today?  What is the point in planning for anything?”  Do you ever feel like this?

Are these synonyms?

When I entered the word “focus” into a popular online thesaurus, the top synonym offered was “concentration”.  It seems that it’s common opinion that focus and concentration are synonyms, but this is one opinion that I don’t hold.

Focus is about fending off outside distractions.

Concentration is about turning off the noise
inside your own head.

While taking steps to focus is an important first step, you can’t stop here if you have big goals.  It’s critical to plan when you’ll seclude yourself to work on big goals.  But it’s not enough because planning is only a time management technique, and your time is limited.

Some people like to wake up at 4 AM to work on their big goals . . . after they’ve gone to sleep after midnight.  I suppose you could consider that as squeezing more time out of your day for work.  But you can only keep up this practice for so long before your body protests, and rightfully so. You CAN make progress on your big goals and still get a decent night’s sleep.

Concentration amplifies your time.

Though your time is limited, your concentration is not.