The power of centered focus. When you start a project, it’s often hard to know where you need to focus. There are often multiple sections/objects that you need to take into consideration. I often question what item I should start with? This often requires that I set priorities for each item.
Selection by priority is hard to do. I ask myself; what is important and what isn’t? Often I just start with one thing and take action. Over time, I’ve found that it’s better to take action on one item than spending extended time trying to reach a conclusion.
Centered Focus
However, if I have a center focus, I can quickly make a decision. I just simply run my idea through the lens of the center item. I find the easiest way to explain this is a visual illustration. For a five category project, the X pattern is very helpful.
Matrix Five Pattern
This is best illustrated by the number five on a pair of dice. The X pattern allows us to set a bullseye category in the middle, with four other categories surrounding it. I call this a Matrix Five Pattern.
For example, if you take the four burner idea that we had in our last post where we include family, friends, health, and work; each one of those requires a decision. But if we center our focus on our purpose, our goal helps us decide how much time we spend on each quadrant. Our defined purpose is what helps us come to a resolution. Here is a graphic illustrating the concept.
Five Burner Theory Graphic
By figuring out our purpose, we can more readily manage our time and resources for each quadrant.
LIGHT Matrix Diagram
In describing my primary life goals, I usually use the acronym LIGHT. It stands for Legacy, Impact, Goals, Habits and Time. By centering our top category Legacy in the middle, we can see that our legacy is determined by the impact we have, the goals we set, the habits we follow, and the time we spend on productive projects. The flow is reversed in this diagram. The four outer items determine the outcome of the center category, in this case, our legacy.
Creativity Matrix Diagram
I have a number of creative pursuits, but one thing they have in common is my need to share them with others to be effective. This can be illustrated with this matrix five diagram.
Whether I write a blog post, give a speech, create a graphic or learn a new skill, sharing them with my tribe is essential. By printing and referring to this simple centered focus diagram, I am reminded that nothing happens until they are shared.
Overall.
By quickly constructing an X diagram, it’s easy to visualize the centered focus of our project or process.
