I almost lost my focus

Hey there, and Happy Sunday!

We’re a little over two months into the year, which is about the time that I start drifting from my north star intentions I set at the beginning of the year.

I don’t know about you, but rarely do I decide to aggressively veer off course. It’s usually a slow, barely noticeable drift, and before I know it I have no idea where I am anymore.

That’s why this year, I set an intention of focus, to remind me to stay on course.

When I noticed myself getting distracted by all the shiny objects, I asked myself a few questions:

1. What thoughts are going through my head right now that are leading to distraction?
2. How can I address these thoughts so I stay on course?
3. Are these thoughts trying to tell me something and how can I satisfy them?

These questions bring me back to my focus, but they also allow me to notice if there’s an area in my life or business that I’ve been neglecting. For me, distraction usually pops up when I’m neglecting a need or a desire I have.

In the past, I would have wanted to give 100% of my attention to the focus I set at the beginning of the year and absolutely nothing else.

But lately I’ve been learning that all-or-nothing thinking isn’t very helpful. The reality is that my brain is getting distracted for a good reason, and it’s probably healthy to allocate some of my time to playing around with new ideas and working towards a longer-term vision.

I sat down and reset my focus on my primary goal, but I also created a system for myself that will allow me to spend 20-30% of my time working on other projects and ideas.

So this is just a little reminder for you to check in on your intentions! Have you drifted off? How can you bring yourself back to focus while still allowing yourself some time to play in other areas?

New from my studio

Spoonflower has a design challenge happening right now for “novelty paisley” designs. I entered this funky cat paisley into the challenge, but it also inspired me to create an entire collection of paisley designs. Here’s a little peek at how those turned out—

Paisley isn’t really my jam personally but I love designing them because they’re pretty abstract. I get to just turn on some music and doodle mindlessly without thinking too much about what I’m doing, the perfect art therapy!

If you or someone you know is a paisley lover and are interested in purchasing these on fabric, wallpaper, or home decor, you can check out the full collection below!

Thanks for hanging out with me!

Until next week,

~Rachel

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