Focus is key in getting things done. Be diligent at what you're good at and see what happens. Let other things go, unimportant things.
Distraction is the enemy of focus. Planning becomes procrastination and procrastination is the enemy of action.
What distracts us?

Distraction #1: Prep Work

Before I can write or exercise or go here or fix that, I need to... get my gear, do my research, find my tools, what-have-you.
Solution: set aside a designated prep time. Take 5 minutes and list what needs to be done to get ready, then do it as quickly as possible. Set a time limit and don't go over it.
And, once you're prepared, note what that looks like and change your habits a bit so you now keep all your gear in one accessible place.

Distraction #2: Opportunities

We love opportunity in America. It feels anti-American to hear opportunity knocking and not answer the door. I am telling you right now it's okay. Lock the door. Deadbolt it, turn off the lights, and hide under the kitchen table so Opportunity thinks you're not home.
We're blessed because we live in a world where anything is possible. With endless possibility though is endless distraction. If you don't focus on a few possibilities, then none of them will become reality.
Solution: Make a list (big) of your top goals, your priorities, your Absolute Yes list. Tape it up. Compare every single opportunity to it, and only consider the ones that get you closer to your goals.

Distraction #3: Details

Details matter, but there's a time to focus on them and a time to pretend they don't exist. As a writer, I can easily slip into detail-edit mode while I'm writing. I break my flow, my concentration, by nitpicking over a word choice. I have to make myself focus on the writing and ignore the "detail" monitor in my head. Once I get a piece written, it's time to go to edit mode.
If you're organizing your house, teaching your kids, or writing a book, you deal with the same tendency. You have to fight that perfectionist tendency (need matching containers and a labeler, need new crayons and stickers and better curriculum) in order to get the job done.
Solution: Break projects and steps toward your goal into two parts: 1) get it done and 2) fix the details. Set a time limit to complete the first part: get it done. Then, if you have time left over and you still really want to, you can go back and fix the details. Often I find that my attention to detail was really just a way of procrastinating. I might be overwhelmed or tired, and I'm looking for a way to avoid the work altogether. Quit letting yourself make excuses, set a short time limit, focus, and do all you can. Then quit!

Distraction #4: Side Issues

Rabbit trails tend to lead us on interesting journeys but at the end, we end up lost. "Where am I? Why am I here? What am I doing?" You know that dazed feeling? It comes from this common problem: letting a related side issue pull you so far off course you can't remember where you started.
I'm sweeping the kitchen when I find a toy on the floor, so I leave the broom and take it to the toy box, when I notice the toys are all mixed in a jumble and I've been meaning to sort them so I start sorting them, find a pencil, leave the toys to go put the pencil away, notice the dining room table looks awful, get out a new tablecloth, start looking for candles for the centerpiece, wander out, trip over the broom and wonder what it's doing there.
Ehhhh. Nobody wants a day like that, but we let it happen to ourselves all the time.
Solution: Keep a notebook handy, or a list on the fridge; keep a small basket handy too. When you're working, drop the random out-of-place stuff in the basket. Jot notes on the notepad to remind you of stuff to do later. Deal with it later, after you've finished your current task.

Another solution: Get in the habit of checking off each task as you complete it. This means you'll want to write it down first, of course, and if you're not already using a planner or list of some sort, you should because it will take a load off your brain. Finish a task, check it off. This reminds you to stick to it, gives you that little high from getting to mark it done, and shows you what's next on the list. It's a win-win-er...win situation.
Online solution: Since the Internet is basically just email with 10 trillion side issues attached, a click away, this is a big problem for, well, anyone who checks email. A few ideas for solving this:

• use a reader for your blog subscriptions (thus yr not distracted by the cute sidebar ads and buttons)
• use an email client which downloads your emails into a desktop interface
• keep a note of 'want to check out later' either on yr computer, in an email draft, or on a real piece of paper. have some designated 'computer free time' to check that stuff out later.
• have 'focused computer time' and free computer time. and OFF-SCREEN time. Too. Lots of it.
• employ the 5-second rule. you click, you're at a new site, you've got 5 seconds. Is it worth your time or not? There's so much good stuff that you don't need to waste time on the mediocre. If it's not great, let it go. Close the tab. If it is great, add it to your reader, book mark it, put it on your list.

The end.

Freedom from distraction is freedom to focus.

Freedom to focus is freedom to accomplish.

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. (1 Corinthians 10.23)

This post is part of Steady Mom's 30-Minute Blogging Challenge.

It is 8:30 on a Saturday night and I am about to gorge myself on good chocolate and books. I am full of resolution. I am full of cheer. I am alone with the hot running water, in a cocoon the color of the shower curtain. My library loot is stacked beside me on the handmade, colored "Mara HEARTS Daddy" step stool. A pile of Ghirardellis on the ledge of the tub, next to my bottle of cold water.

Joe's out snowboarding, the 3-under-3 are sleeping, and tonight I'm kicking it Mommy-style. Mommy after 3 days of no-routines, messy-house, movie-overload, good-times chaos. Mommy after 3 days of feeling slightly guilty that she has trouble going with the flow and that
she kind of resents the extra work that results from all this fun.

This is Mommy after 3 days of fun which were, somehow, more work than the non-holiday, normal routine days.
Oh, life, life, life.

Mommy pops the dark chocolate square in her mouth, grabs the book on top of the stack, sinks down into the hot water...
And thinks.
Holidays, birthdays, special days are a lot of work, but she loves them for some reason.
Building traditions seems pointless, sometimes, but she won't quit trying.

She reminds herself of a truth both promising and frightening: they grow up. Mommyhood at this level - this diaper-changing, baby-food-making, potty training, everything-training level - doesn't last.

No time off. No paid vacation. Heck, no unpaid vacation.
But life. Moments. Memories of Mara's face concentrating, of Robbie's sleepytime snuggles, of Zeke's insistent crawling delight.
Life is a mess, life is messy, life is exhausting, life takes everything she's got.
And this life, these moments are hers to savor, to tuck away, to ponder in her heart. Is this what Mary felt like, holding a baby Jesus, knowing, somehow, that the things to come would be more than she could understand or bear? Did she grab those peaceful moments, those "normal" Mommy moments, did she savor them, tuck them away, and hold on to them while pondering all the prophecies of what would come for her baby boy?

I am so glad the future is unwritten for my children, unknown by the Mommy. I can handle one day at a time, at most; one hour at a time, one moment at time, one step at a time.

But there's a balance of looking forward in order to be present. You have to realize that the children grow, that the future comes in order to value this moment, in order to not be overwhelmed by the repetition of Mommylife in this stage. So we walk a tightrope. Too much focus on the future and we miss this beautiful moment. Too much focus on the moment and we can so easily miss how valuable it is.

I think the thing to do is hold that truth deep in our hearts, like Mary must have done: these moments are precious, are few. God has given us our children for this short time, to hold and nurture and cherish and teach, but He did not send them into the world just for us. He sent each one of our precious children for a particular purpose, and the time will come, swiftly come, when we will need to step back and release them.

And we will be so very, very glad then to have those moments tucked away, to pull them out and savor those memories even as we watch in awe at what our grown-up children do and become for the glory of God.

Mary, mother of Jesus: she had to see the extreme of every mother's fear. God does not call most of us to such a test, but still there will come times when, as my children grow, I will need to stand still and let them hurt and struggle as they pursue the will of God. This time and this culture does not make it easy to follow God with passion and persistence.

If I train my children right, they will be made fun of. They will be misunderstood. They will not fit in. They will be scorned, hurt, mocked, questioned, criticized, persecuted to some degree. If I don't train them, they'll fit right in with the culture. They'll default to what surrounds them. They'll have easier lives, but I will mourn.

My greatest joy is to know that my children walk in truth. And that brings me back to what I was thinking that night, resting my head on the cold bathtub ledge, pondering how exhausting it is to be a Mommy but how rewarding, too.

I look forward to the joy I will have, if I do my job right. No, not perfectly. The grace of God is the most important element in my parenting. But I will run this race with endurance, I will look forward to the joy of watching my children walk in truth. I will love them, teach them, build traditions with them, talk with them, discipline them, hug them. I will savor these moments and tuck them away, and I will ponder the calling of God upon the lives of my children.

Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God

by Sheila Walsh

Thomas Nelson Publishers; 3 out of 5 stars

I like this book, I do, so I feel kind of guilty being harsh in my review. But repetition bores me, and the writing in this book is very formulaic. Each chapter follows the same format: personal story or anecdote, parallel drawn to Biblical character, more insight into Biblical character interspersed with additional personal anecdotes, conclusion, and then the "transitional sentence" to lead into the next chapter.

It's the transitional sentence that really gets me. At the end of every chapter, it's a little phrase concluding what we've just learned, but then telling in a semi-cliffhanger fashion that we better keep reading. It was just too predictable and annoying. That's it, really: I was just annoyed by it. The repetitious format felt like being talked down to, though I can see clearly that's not the author's intent. And that's why I feel semi-guilty about not writing a happy, fluffy review about the book.

What I can see from the content itself, once I step past the stylistic annoyances, is very good. Walsh is an excellent researcher and pulls out details about the various Biblical characters in a way that is both engaging and informative. She brings their stories to life, ties them into her own story, and pulls out practical applications for her readers. Walsh is a good teacher, and that's what comes across in her book.

I have a hunch that there's a junior editor to blame here (ahem, Thomas Nelson Publishers), someone who read the manuscript and said, "Sheila, this is great, but we need a little continuity here; why don't you go back and create a transitional sentence at the end of every chapter, something like this.... And also, don't tell your whole personal story up front; just give a little bit, and be vague, because that will keep the readers interested and pull them into the book."

In my case, those strategies backfired. They were too obvious and they detracted from the content itself, which is relevant and, overall, well-written. My bottom line is this: it's worth reading. It's a thought-provoking message and it challenges us, women who tend to worry or fear or not really trust God, to let go of our hang-ups and trust a capable and loving God. Walsh intelligently and directly deals with those excuses and questions that always come up: "How can I trust God when He let ... happen? How can I trust God when I don't know Him?" Etc.

If you are a woman who struggles with trusting God and/or with trusting people, grab this book and use it as a Bible study. The book even includes a Bible Study Guide in the back for a group, which could be great for you and a couple of friends, a women's prayer group, a Mom's Day Out program. And as a group study book, the repetition in the format will work, I think, to create continuity in a way that doesn't work just for a sit-down, read-through book.

Bottom Line: Worth the read if you want to learn more about how to trust God completely.

*I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Okay, actually further back than that, in the 1980s, when a very young Joe had a crush on the little red-headed neighbor girl, and a very young Annie, miles away, decided she wanted to marry a brown-eyed Italian boy when she grew up.

Then they met.

They were both 14, or thereabouts, full of awkward adolescence, trying to be cool. Joe was a kind but rebel skateboarder, with deep brown eyes and an Italian mama. Annie was an earnest but skeptical Southern girl, with fair freckled skin and red hair. He watched her, she watched him. "Hm," they both thought. "Hmm. Interesting."

Then our fanatical parents decided to become even more fanatical by doing a home church together. Home school, home church, why not? And, actually, it was great. And he was there, with his family. I was there, with my family. We tried not to stare at each other while we were supposed to be singing.

That went on for about 4 years, all through high school. Our families were good friends, and Joe and I became good friends too, as much as you can when you really really like each other but you're trying not to acknowledge that. I talked to my parents about him. Once I even talked to his parents about him (one of the hardest things I've ever done). And, unbeknownst to either of us, our parents talked to each other about us. No, no betrothal or arranged marriage or anything like that. Just a kind of nice conversation along the lines of... Hey, if they're ever interested in each other, we think that's great!

Ever interested in each other? What an understatement! Meanwhile, we invented "full-contact basketball" and enjoyed a few games before a random parent walked out to the driveway mid-game. That was the end of that. Home school kids can get creative, and not always in a good way.

We were strange little teenagers,

but we were sincerely trying to follow God. And for both of us, at that time, it meant "just being friends" and trying (though we failed miserably many times) not to flirt, not to go where we shouldn't. Did we know we liked each other? Yes and no. I knew, but I was afraid to really believe. What if I was wrong? What if I counted on him liking me and I was just way off? And he thought, he hoped, but he wasn't sure either.

Then I graduated high school (I'm a year older than he is) and then we moved. Away. Back to Mississippi. 500+ miles away from Joe. A thousand little signs that could be interpreted as "I like you, I love you, please wait for me" but no actual conversation along those lines. I started college, he finished high school. I met a lot of nice college boys, some of whom were quite distracting. Then Joe and his family would come down to visit (because we were all good friends), or we would all go to St. Louis, and suddenly those nice college boys were just not so interesting. They were nice, but Joe was more. He was unique, he was deep, he was funny, he was adventurous, he wasn't just like everybody else.

One day I was at the bottom of

the lowest of emotional lows.

We had just seen each other, and once again it was the most exciting, heart-wrenching experience. I was 20 or 21, I don't remember the exact date. But I do remember sitting on the floor with my Bible, crying and crying out: "God, just tell me. Just tell me. Do I need to let go? Is this wrong? Am I wrong? Or is he the one, the one from You? Do I just need to wait, to hold on?"

I opened my Bible and read the story of Abraham going on a journey. Going on a journey down to the South. Sojourning there. And then returning to the place where he "had been at the beginning... to the place of the altar which he had made there at first" (Genesis 13:3,4). And as clear as if a voice had spoken from heaven or a finger had written on the wall, I knew. I knew my part was just to wait, to hold on. I knew God would take me back, back to St. Louis, back to Joe.

And He did.

There are intervening years, circumstances, signs, stories, tears, prayers. But in the space between that moment of knowing and the moment Joe proposed on a Florida beach at sunrise, I didn't doubt anymore.

We got married on September 5 of 2004 in my parents' backyard. Three kids and almost six years later, it is still

the best reality I've ever known.

What's your story? I'd love to hear it. Do share.