Where Focus Goes, Energy Flows is a popular mantra and can be an effective way to approach getting things done. When you set goals or targets in your personal life or for your business, learning how to show up and focus your energy will deliver results. In the context of the Fashion Buyers role there are always targets, goals and ‘to do’ lists to achieve at any given time that it can get over whelming trying to decide which one is most urgent and requires attention.
Breaking it down and making your goals SMART can help alleviate the daily stress of the workload and make it more manageable.
Don’t try and take on too much at once.
S is for Specific.
Be clear about your goal and ensure it is well defined.
M is for Measurable.
Add specific criteria that measures your progress towards achieving your goal.
This may be completing certain tasks by a due date.
A is for Achievable .
Make your goal attainable and not impossible to achieve.
R is for Realistic.
Your goal(s) should be within reach, realistic, and relevant to your life or business purpose.
T is for Timely. Give a clearly defined timeline, with a starting date and a target completion date. The purpose is to create urgency and be accountable
Defining and prioritising your tasks will ensure that your time and energy is being put to best use. Using the SMART framework will also help to separate the high priority tasks. Don’t overlook checking off all your completed tasks when you have finished. This is a great way to monitor your progress and give the satisfaction of accomplishment.!
There is a theory known as the 80/20 rule ((Pareto Principle) that can apply in this context and reaffirms the importance of prioritisating your tasks. The 80/20 rule states that the most important 20 per cent of any tasks contribute to more than 80 per cent of the total value of our work.
Here are some additional points that are worth considering in the context of a fashion buying role where prioritising work can be more effective.
· Focusing too much on the “big picture” means that some of the important day to day details can be overlooked and only re-appear and becoming a bigger problem, when it is too late. eg; receiving production samples that are incorrect and learning that some of the approval steps were overlooked.
· Spending all too much time “fire-fighting” makes it difficult to identify opportunities for growth and highlights a lack of organisation.
· Assigning and delegating specific goals or day-to-day tasks to different members of the buying team can help to ensure nothing is forgotten or overlooked.
✨By showing up consistently you are already on your way….✨
