It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
Greetings to you!
Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.
Russ...
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"Focus does not mean saying yes, it means saying no." Steve Jobs
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
This month we're looking at these words, YES and NO. Powerful words with some great prompts, challenges and reminders around them. To read past posts, visit my full site HERE.
Classic Steve Jobs in the simplest form. He actually goes a little bit deeper on this one here:
"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what It means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things."
Steve Jobs, Apple
I have a timer on my desk. It's a simple countdown timer, and sometimes when I'm overcome with distractions, I'll set the timer for a period of time, and then FOCUS until the timer goes off. It allows me to often get the project done, the email written, the response checked, and it's a simple way to focus in on something that I need to get done.
It's a gimmick really, because my phone still rings, my email and messages still send notifications, I can still be interrupted, but it's a simply exercise in FOCUS and it's only effective when I say NO to the distractions that pull me away from what I've determined to be the most important thing.
We live in a world of distractions, with some of them being really good, and some of them taking us away from what it is that we've identified as the most important.
Reading this quote from Jobs was simply a reminder to me to use the power of FOCUS and the word NO to attack the things that I've committed to do, chosen to do, and need to do.
What have you found that helps you manage distractions, allowing you to FOCUS?
DEEPER STILL:
Last week I shared some examples of what I do to "Say No with Conviction". Did you try any of those this week in your own life?
I shared with you about the timer on my desk, but that's not all I do to help me focus. I have a whole routine of things I do that "prepare" me to focus.
Here are some examples:
• I need to have a clean and organized space.
If I'm working at my desk, just taking a minute to put things away, file papers, submit receipts and create some space does wonders for my ability to concentrate.
• I need to have "moved my body" first
I need a walk, jump on the rower or stretch, simply to get my body moving. If I don't, my body aches. Sometimes in preparation of work on a focused project, I'll do a quick 10-minute walk around the neighborhood and then come back and dive right in.
• I turn off notifications
I usually keep notifications off of my phone, computer & watch, but If I really need to focus, I'll turn it all off for a period of time. When I hear the "chime" of an incoming message, I want to immediately see who it's from. This is the greatest example of distraction!
• I need to have any URGENT things off of my to-do list
If I have things hanging over my head, I'm not able to focus. Keeping that list short and addressing the most urgent things first, helps.
• I have to WANT to focus.
If I'm not "feeling it", there is nothing I can do, no tricks or gimmicks, and sometimes not even gut discipline will get me where I need to go.
Of course, there's always the option of doing lousy work, and just doing enough to get by, but that's not the goal. The goal is to always do our best, and the ability to focus on something helps us achieve that!
Which one of these five works for you, or you want to try it? Choose one and give it a shot!
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Michael Hyatt has done some extensive work on FOCUS and has built a company around helping people to focus. Check out the Full Focus Store
Get "Five Ideas A Day"... just short ideas that get you thinking!
We wanted to feed birds in our yard, but the birds kept pushing the seed all over the ground, and the squirrels and rats were very thankful. Gina ordered this lovely "Bird Seed Catcher" and not only did it capture the seed before it fell to the ground, but it gave the squirrels and rats a nice place to sit while they enjoyed their meal! Ours is for sale... cheap!
Speaking of birds, I'm up to 15 identified birds on my Life List on the Merlin Bird App. Who knew I was a bird watcher!
Here's the Digital Timer on Amazon that I use on my desk. Of course, your phone works too, but that can be a distraction!