How many priorities do you have in your business and life right now?
If you’re struggling to gain traction, perhaps its your lack of focus that’s causing your lack of growth.
Decision Making
Iteration for the win
No: “Where is the one thing that will fix all my problems for me right now?”
Yes: “Will this thing give me one new, good idea I can use right now?”
Invest in things that will help you fix a small problem so you can get a little bit better at what you do. Find one good idea and actually implement it. Then repeat.
Focus vs Unfocused
A few symptoms of an unfocused life include things like: reacting to daily fires; feeling unsure about the future; lacking any margin / breathing room; unclear goals; no plan forward; procrastination.
Compared to a focused life where you are in control; clear long-term vision and goals; easily able to make decisions with confidence; thriving (even when things are unusually busy); ensuring that important relationships and responsibilities always come first and get your priority; you have a bias toward action.
When to iterate, when to stay consistent →
There are 3 things you need to accomplish your goals: (1) a clear goal; (2) a winning action plan; and (3) consistency.
For things where you are just getting started, you may not yet know what your winning action plan is. When this is the case you need the right blend of iteration and feedback until you’ve got your winning action plan. Once you discover what works, double down on consistency.
Two types of overwhelm…
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself why. (It’s usually one of two reasons.)
Are you: (1) on the verge of something new? Or (2) is life showing you that something needs to be cut out?
If you’re on the edge of breakthrough with a big project, then sometimes the answer is to keep working and persevere through the season.
Or, if somethings got to give, then take inventory of where you’re spending the bulk of your time and energy (not where you wish you were spending it, but where you’re actually spending it). Now ask yourself what can be subtracted to give your calendar, your mind, and your emotions some breathing room. (I guide folks through this process frequently as part of The Focus Course.)
Khe Hy’s Advice to Creators →
Some excellent advice that I fully endorse: Ship early and often; don’t overthink it; set tight constraints; and more.
The Clarity / Action Paradox
We know that clarity cures busywork. We also know that action brings clarity. When you’re stuck and lacking clarity, take action and just get started. But don’t get lost doing busywork disguised as procrastination.
Don’t let “opportunity” steal your focus
When your attention goes to many things, no real progress is ever made. Not all opportunities are worth pursuing — especially if it means being pulled away from something that is currently working.
All decisions are bets →
If you’re stuck overthinking something, remember that very few decisions are truly binary, black and white, guaranteed wins or losses. Make the best decision you can within a reasonable timeframe but don’t waste time sweating it out, overthinking, and waiting until you have absolute perfect clarity.
Don’t make the same decision twice
In your business, try to avoid making the same decisions over and over. This wastes time and energy and slows momentum.
- An ad-hoc meeting agenda for your regular weekly meetings (instead of a consistent flow and structure)
- A random, emotionally-driven pricing decision each time around for seasonal products that you launch every year.
- Wondering what to do at the start of your work day (instead of having clear time blocks and a plan for your critical actions)
Put structure and clarity in place around the things that you repeat. This way, you can be creative on the things that are new and fluid.
You have six areas of life
They are your health, your relationships, your inner-personal life, your work, your finances, and your rest and recreation.
Each area of your life overlaps with and impacts the others. And yet you only have the capacity to give your full attention to one or two areas at a time. Use habits and routines to maintain health in every area while giving extra attention to the one or two areas that need it.
The definition of overwhelm
The definition of “overwhelm” is pretty intense, actually. It means:
- bury or drown beneath a huge mass
- defeat completely
- give too much of a thing to someone
When you’re feeling buried under a mass of so much stuff, and you feel as if you’ve been given too much of a thing, it can feel as if you’re responsible for everything in the whole world. But it is liberating when you step back and get clarity about the things that ONLY YOU can do.
December Bonuses!
Enrollment is open for the January class of Focus Academy. And we have some bonuses for you if register before New Year.
If you enroll before midnight tomorrow, you’ll also get these amazing bonuses:
- The Personal Retreat Workshop, which is a fast way to free up some much-needed breathing room in your schedule (no matter how busy and overwhelming it feels right now).
We’ll guide you through The Personal Retreat Workshop as a bonus during Focus Academy. It will give you the tools to recharge and reset whenever you need a breather long after our time together ends.
- My Proven Productivity Templates Pack: The same templates I use to plan my days, weeks, and months so I can stay on track with my goals throughout the year.
- $150 Discount on Academy Pro: Yep. This is the absolute best price we’ve ever offered for Focus Academy, and it goes back up once January hits.
Make Fewer Small Decisions
You and I only have so much willpower, decision-making ability, and/or creative imagination throughout the day. Try to reserve that energy for things like deep work, deep conversations, and big decisions.
The more you can automate the inconsequential areas of your life, the the more energy and strength you have for doing your most important work and building your most important relationships.
Lean on your daily habits to let things run “automatically” and thus giving yourself more energy for thinking, creating, and decision making.