focus

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.

Iteration for the win

What’s the Minimum Effective Dose?  →

You’ve no-doubt heard of the Law of the Vital Few. It’s the 80/20 rule, which states that roughly 80-percent of the results come about from just 20-percent of the energy.

But, if you were to take your 80-percent results and apply the 80/20 rule to them a few more times, what you end up discovering is that your initial 1-percent of energy spent brings about the first 50-percent of results. (Illustrated here.)

Gary Keller writes that “success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.” You can’t just do anything and get disproportionate results. You have to do the right thing. That critical action that drives a disproportionate result.

What’s the Minimum Effective Dose?

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.

Focus vs Unfocused

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.

When to iterate, when to stay consistent

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.)

Two types of overwhelm…

Things that will destroy your goals

In order to accomplish your goals you need: (1) a clear goal; (2) a winning action plan; and (3) consistency.

Take away or invert any of those things, and you’ve eliminated the possibility of succeeding at your desired outcome. Here’s what they look like when inverted: (1) unclear direction; (2) random acts of productivity / busywork; (3) distracted / trying something new but moving on quickly.

Things that will destroy your goals

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.

You have six areas of life

What if you could only use ONE APP on your iPhone?

So this is a completely random but fun experiment… but what app would you pick if you could only pick ONE?

I know, I know. It’s an impossible choice. I’d be so torn between several: camera, notes, music, messages, tasks…

And, as nerdy as it sounds, I think I’d pick the app Things. (The to-do list manager.)

Things is not my most used app at all. But… it’s super fast, very easy to use and navigate, and very versatile. I think it’d work as the single spot to keep all my ideas, reminders, projects, tasks, notes, etc.

I think I’d prefer the simplicity and speed over the missing features.

If it was a different device — say iPad or Mac, I’d pick a different app. I’d probably pick Ulysses as the only app I could use on my iPad. And Notion as the only app I could use on my Mac. (Or I would totally cheat and say Safari on Mac.)

What if you could only use ONE APP on your iPhone?

Five alternative things you can do when you’re bored instead of scrolling social media

  • Scroll through your photo timeline and browse past photos and memories.
  • Open Day One (my favorite journaling app) and write down one highlight from your day so far.
  • Write down 3 new ideas in the Notes app.
  • Send a text message to a friend or family member to tell them how awesome they are.
  • Don’t get out your phone at all.
Five alternative things you can do when you’re bored instead of scrolling social media

Boredom is a choice

It’s not so easy to be bored anymore. You have to choose to be bored. Back when I was a kid (ha!) it used to be that boredom chose you — if you were waiting somewhere and there was nothing to do and you were bored. Now, you’re never bored. You can see 9 second videos of some stranger surfing on the other side of the world, or get a live video stream of someone’s hike over Tokyo. This stuff is amazing.

But it means we have to be proactive about our boredom and down time. It means we have to be intentional about creating margin for thought. If 100% of our down time is filled with passive entertainment and bits of information, then when does our mind have a chance to be calm? When do we have a moment to think without needing to think?

Boredom is a choice