Focusing on just one task at a time can really transform your craft business.  In this episode of The Thriving Maker podcast, I share how the power of sustained focus can dramatically elevate your productivity and creative output. I know because I've been susceptible to chasing all the shiny new and exciting things in the past and fallen into the trap of multitasking. I'll debunk the multitasking myth and introduce the concept of deep work, which can be a game changer for achieving your goals, finishing those projects and moving your business forward. 

This episode is all about staying motivated and focused on one specific goal, and ensuring steady progress in your creative journey. 

 Follow along and join our community as we build thriving creative businesses together.

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Transcript:

Sarah: 0:00

Hello, welcome to this episode of the Thriving Maker. Today I want to talk about a topic that I believe is so important to anyone looking to grow their craft business, and this is the topic of focus and the power of focus and how we can harness it to help us grow our businesses. So, wherever you're listening and however you're listening, I hope you enjoy. Welcome to the Thriving Maker podcast. My name is Sarah Kavanagh, your host and I started the Thriving Maker to support makers, crafters and artists just like you to grow your creative passions into flourishing businesses on your terms and give you the life that you want. I'm a jewellery designer maker and started my own handmade fine jewellery business over 15 years ago. I now also help other artisans and makers build their own craft and handmade businesses through marketing and branding and techniques and strategies I've studied, learned and put into practice along my journey. Right now, I want to help you to establish and grow your own designer business so it can help support the lifestyle that you want. Think of this as your go-to resource and check in for all things strategy and marketing for your business, along with stories and anecdotes from my life as a handmade entrepreneur. Thank you for tuning in and welcome to the Thriving Maker podcast, along with stories and anecdotes from my life as a handmade entrepreneur. Thank you for tuning in and welcome to the Thriving Maker podcast.

Sarah: 1:31

Hello, in today's episode we're talking all about the power of focus. So we've all been there, we've all been distracted at some point or another as we've been working on our craft, working on a business. You've got that new design, you're working on it and then suddenly, out of nowhere, inspiration strikes you for something completely different, for a completely different project. Maybe you're halfway through photographing your work for your website and then you see something in one of your photos and think, oh yeah, I want to, I want to make that piece in this particular style. Or, oh, I know I've got, I want to set up, try this new technique and set up this other element in my work. And you get distracted and it's so tempting to jump from, jump from one exciting thing to the next, and it can really affect the flow of your business and how you're working. So here's the thing whilst creative energy is wonderful and we love it, it can also be our downfall if we're not careful. So today I want to talk through and talk about why staying focused on one project or idea at a time is so important and how it can be the key to steady progress and success in your craft business.

Sarah: 2:43

So I want to start by breaking down one of the common myths, and I've grown up with this myth. I'm in my late 40s and I've always been told that multitasking is a good thing and especially if you're women women can multitask. It's great. But the reality is it's not and we shouldn't multitask.

Sarah: 3:05

Studies have shown that when we try to juggle multiple tasks at once, our productivity can drop by as much as 40%. So that's quite a lot. 40%. That's a big chunk of productivity that is falling by because we're trying to do too many things. We're constantly switching between tasks and our brains need time to refocus each time, and this is called context switching, and it is the downfall of your productivity as makers and crafters. This, for us, might look like you're starting to update your product listings for your website or for your online listing and then switching to designing a new item and then jumping into your emails because you remember that you've got to email a customer back, and all this could all happen in the span of an hour. This is sounds really familiar to me just saying this out loud. I know I've been there in the past and jumped around from job to job, never really concentrating on one thing, but if you can start to focus on one task at a time, we allow our brains to fully engage with what we're doing. This not only improves the quality of the work that we're doing, but it also helps us to complete the tasks more quickly and efficiently, and that's ultimately what we want. We want to produce good work, we want to be making the most of our precious time that we spend on our business, on our craft, and we want to make sure that we are working efficiently, and so if you can focus on one task at a time, you're going to be maximising the possibility for this.

Sarah: 4:44

There's a concept in productivity called deep work, and this phrase was coined by the author Cal Newport, who's a computer science professor at Georgetown University. In 2016, he wrote the book called Deep Work Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. So deep work refers to the ability to focus without distraction on a mentally demanding task and allowing our brains to work to their maximum potential. So for us, as crafters and makers, this would look like designing a new collection. Perfecting a challenging technique is going to take time and focus to perfect that technique, or it might be working out the kinks that you need to move your business forward. And this takes time and it takes focus, and you don't want to be distracted by answering the ping of a message coming in on an email. And when we engage in deep work, we're able to push our creative and problem solving abilities right to their limits. And this is where real progress starts to happen, where we come up with those beautiful designs that we know are just right, or we come up with an innovative solution for our businesses, or we simply just get to finish that piece that we're working on. And I have been there so many times where I've had a piece of work and then get distracted by another piece and you just need that focus to finish it. You need that focus to finish the work, whatever it might be. But here's the thing deep work does require sustained focus, and it's nearly impossible to achieve when we're constantly jumping between projects and ideas. So sticking to one project, sticking to one goal or one idea, is crucial, and so by committing to that one project at a time, we can create the conditions which are necessary for that deep work, that deep mental work, to occur and to happen.

Sarah: 6:53

In the craft world, we're surrounded by unlimited inspiration. There are so many things that inspire us day to day. There's new techniques, there's our new surroundings, there's new materials, new trends, and they're all constantly emerging and evolving and shouting at us to pay attention. And it's really easy to fall for that next new, exciting thing and become the victim to what we call a shiny object syndrome and it's the tendency to chase after every new idea that catches our eye. And whilst it's great to stay inspired and to be open to all these new possibilities, constantly chasing the next big thing or the next new shiny object can actually prevent us from ever fully realising our current projects and ideas. So if you think of it like you're planting a garden full of seeds, you've got your vegetable bed laid out, you've planted the seeds, but you're never caring for them long enough to see them grow, you're not giving them the focus and attention that they need to grow and flourish.

Sarah: 7:58

And the key is to find a balance. You don't want to ignore the ideas that you have, because inspiration, as much as we're surrounded by all these new exciting ideas and inspirations, they can be fleeting and there can be a time when when you just haven't got the ideas. So you need to keep an idea notebook, and you know that I love a notebook. So this is your ideas notebook, or a digital file or the notes app on your smartphone, and this is a really great place and it's often underused. You can do voice recordings into it and you can take a quick photo and add it to the notes in the app, so it's a really useful tool actually if you want to save your ideas and your thoughts digitally. So it just needs to be a place where you can jot down all those new ideas that come to you so they're not lost. And this way you can keep those sparks of inspiration, but you're just keeping hold of them for another time, a time when you're not trying to focus on a particular project and a time when you can look through your ideas and then reassess what next new project you want to take on, what next new design or next new goal that you want to work on, and, by having this separate place for your ideas and your thoughts as they're coming to you, you can then commit to seeing your current project through to its completion before you move on to the next new, exciting, shiny object thing that you want to, desperately want to start right now.

Sarah: 9:28

I also want to talk about the compounding effect of focus, and it's one of the most powerful benefits of staying focused on a project at any one time is the compound effect and it's the idea that all the small, consistent actions, all those 30 minutes, all those 10 minutes when you're working focus on a on a particular project or idea and you maintain that over a period of time, those periods of focus action can lead to really big results. And I talk more about this and building on small habits and routines in episode three of the podcast, if you want to go back and listen to that. In the context of your craft business, these moments of focus might be things like consistently working on perfecting one piece in your collection, one idea, instead of starting multiple different styles at once, so you'd be really developing your signature style and building on that rather than flitting around from one style to another. It could be focusing on mastering one social media platform, for before you kind of launch into showing up on other platforms, do one consistently before spreading yourself and your time too thinly over multiple different platforms. So if you love Instagram, just focus on that. It could mean dedicating time each week to improving one aspect of your business skills, and these focused efforts might not seem much day to day, but over the weeks, the months and the years they compound to create significant progress and growth in your business. So you know, I love a strategy for making life easier and I'm all about strategies and techniques and tips for growing your craft business and making it thrive, so it will give you the life that you want.

Sarah: 11:16

So how can you practically apply the idea of focus into your craft business, other than me saying, oh, we must all focus more on what we're doing? We've probably been told that since we were at school, but there are strategies and techniques that I've used and I still use and I want to share with you. So the first one is to set clear goals Before starting a new project or a new idea. Clearly outline what the outcome is, what is success for this particular goal going to look like, and this gives you a target to aim for and it helps you to know when it's time to move on to the next thing and when you're able to close the book on that idea. Technique is to break projects down into manageable tasks.

Sarah: 12:07

So large projects, something like developing your website this can seem overwhelming to start with. That's a huge project, a huge undertaking, so you want to break it down into smaller, actionable steps, and this makes it easier to maintain focus and see the progress at each stage. So each of these steps should have their own goal associated with them as well. So if we're looking at developing your website, some of the steps might include collating all the photos that you're going to use, so all the product photos and hero photos and images that you're going to use on your website. That in itself is a big undertaking. So before you go any further, you may want to set aside and plan out how you're going to capture all the photographs that you're going to use for your website, or at least the bulk of them, at least the products that you're going to put on your website. So that could be one step and it will have its own goals. The next step may be wireframing what your website is going to look like and writing that homepage copy, that important copy that people are going to see straight away, or maybe writing your about page, and all of these little things are part of that overall project, but you need to break it down into smaller steps so that you can achieve them and so that you can focus on just one element at a time and not be overwhelmed by the the whole task at hand.

Sarah: 13:41

Another technique and I use this all the time is time blocking, and it's where you dedicate specific blocks of time to different aspects of your project or your business, and it helps to create structure and prevents constantly switching tasks. So, for example, I have specific days of the week for specific areas of my business and then, within those days, I'll time block even further. So, for with this podcast, I only record podcasts or any videos that need recording on a Wednesday, so I know that I'm not going to be distracted by anything else that comes up. I don't schedule anything else other than podcast recording or video recording on Wednesdays, and then I have other days, such as Tuesdays and Thursdays, which would just be for design and production work. So in this way, I'm not going to. I'm not distracted by thinking, oh, on a Tuesday I really need to work on my website, but I'm not going to do it on a Tuesday because that's one of my production days. So just time block when you're going to do certain things, and it really helps to avoid being distracted. And it doesn't have to be on a weekly basis, it could be over two weeks depending on what activities you're undertaking.

Sarah: 14:54

And I also use a timing cube which I can set to five or 25 minutes, and for me this really helps me to get started and focused on a particular task. So I tend to set it for 25 minutes just on one particular activity. So if I'm doing some design, production work and I'm struggling to get started and know where exactly I want to start, then I'll tend to set it for 25 minutes and what that does is just get me into a focus state where I can sit and plan in my head what I'm going to do and not be distracted. I don't allow any distractions in that 25 minutes and during that time, by the end of that 25 minutes, I'm usually ready and I'm deep into that deep focus work where I'm uninterrupted, and so I'll just continue. But sometimes you just need that extra focus, that extra uninterrupted focus to get you started, and that's what I use this timing cue for. It Essentially it's like a stopwatch, I suppose, so there's lots of different devices that you can use to just keep your focus, even if it is for a small amount of time, so that you can start some deep work after that.

Sarah: 16:05

You want to minimise your distractions. This sounds obvious, but quite often we start doing something and we're surrounded by work. We're halfway through, or paperwork, or we're sat in front of a computer with our emails open, and so you want to minimise all these distractions and be conscious about minimising the distractions. Create a workspace that supports focus and calmness, and this might mean turning off notifications on your phone, setting it to the sleep mode. If you're sat in front of a computer, close down your email app so that you don't get notifications of it, if you haven't already see if you can set up a dedicated craft space which is free from distractions. You might also want to practice mindfulness, and this could just be a few minutes of meditation or quiet thought each day to help improve your ability to focus. And again, there's various apps that can help you get started with mindfulness and meditation. So make use of the technologies that are out there if that's something that you want to do. Establish a pre-work routine, and this could be things as simple as making a coffee, setting up your workspace, switching your phone off. Those three simple things could help get you in the right frame of mind for starting a period of deep work and deep focus.

Sarah: 17:24

Now don't get me wrong from time to time things won't go to plan. You might get stuck, maybe the project isn't working out, and these are all totally valid concerns. But staying focused doesn't mean just continually pushing forward. When it's pretty clear it's something's not working, it's okay to reassess and to make changes, to pivot and be open-minded to problem solving. Maybe it means changing a design. You've been working on it and something is just not right with it. So maybe it's time to slightly change that design or move a deadline that you've set yourself. Now I've had to do this recently myself. I fell ill the other week and I've had to push a project I was working on back a week because when I was ill I just wasn't able to do the tasks that needed to be done on time. So it's okay to reassess and to make changes and to pivot. The key is to do it thoughtfully and not reactively.

Sarah: 18:29

If you hit a roadblock, take a moment, take a step back, evaluate what's not working and why it's not working, and then look at problem solving your way through it? Is there someone that you can ask for help or advice? Is there something that you need to do to change it, to make it different? Sometimes, what feels like a failure or that something's gone wrong is actually just an opportunity for learning and for innovation and for that problem solving that makes us who we are as creatives.

Sarah: 18:58

So, as we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with the thought that in our world as crafters and makers and creatives and in general, we are surrounded by endless possibilities and constant distractions. So the ability to focus is a superpower that we can use to grow our businesses. So by committing to one project, one idea and one goal at a time and seeing it through to completion completion, not getting distracted and then moving on to the next then we're really setting ourselves up for steady and sustainable growth in our craft businesses. So don't forget, remember, that every successful crafter and maker that you see started with just that single brush stroke, that single stitch or that single design, and it's the constant focused effort over time, all those small actions that help turn that single idea into a thriving business and a life that you will love.

Sarah: 20:04

So that's it for today. I hope that you found this useful and encouraging. Maybe take a moment later today to think about what goal you're actually, what idea you're actually working on at the moment, and you need to focus on not five, just one. And if you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would leave a review or a rating, because that always helps to share the podcast to other crafters and makers out there. So remember, stay focused, keep creating and I'll speak to you in the next episode. Thank you for listening.