Diversifying your focus = hedging against your own success.
Focus = ruthless elimination of the non-essentials.
From Essentialism
Less but better
What if the whole world shifted from the undisciplined pursuit of more to the disciplined pursuit of less … only better?
I can do anything but not everything.
Instead of “How can I do it all?”, ask “What can I go big on?”
Almost everything is noise, and a very few things are exceptionally valuable
The essentialist
- only says yes to the top 10% of opportunities.
- uses narrow, explicit criteria like “Is this exactly what I am looking for?”
Warren decided early in his career it would be impossible for him to make hundreds of right investment decisions, so he decided that he would invest only in the businesses that he was absolutely sure of, and then bet heavily on them. He owes 90% of his wealth to just ten investments. Sometimes what you don’t do is just as important as what you do.
It was a classic “straddled strategy” of attempting to invest in everything at once. The result was that while I was not entirely failing in any pursuit I was not entirely succeeding at any either.
In the simplest terms, straddling means keeping your existing strategy intact while simultaneously also trying to adopt the strategy of a competitor.
to operate at your highest level of contribution requires that you deliberately tune in to what is important in the here and now.
How to say no
REMEMBER THAT A CLEAR “NO” CAN BE MORE GRACEFUL THAN A VAGUE OR NONCOMMITTAL “YES”. Being vague is not the same as being graceful, and delaying the eventual “no” will only make it that much harder—and the recipient that much more resentful.
The “No” Repertoire
- The awkward pause.
- The soft “no” (or “no but”)
- “Let me check my calendar and get back to you.”
- Use e-mail bouncebacks.
- “Yes. What should I deprioritize?” Remind them of your other obligations.
- “You are welcome to X. I am willing to Y.” You are saying what you will not do, but you are couching it in terms of what you are willing to do.
- “I can’t do it, but X might be interested.”
Slow ‘yes’, quick ‘no’.
Techniques for figuring out what’s essential
Apply zero-based budgeting to your own endeavours. Instead of trying to budget your time on the basis of existing commitments, assume that all bets are off. All previous commitments are gone. Then begin from scratch, asking which you would add today. You can do this with everything from the financial obligations you have to projects you are committed to, even relationships you are in. Every use of time, energy, or resources has to justify itself anew. If it no longer fits, eliminate it altogether.
Reverse pilot - the opposite of building a MVP:
Test whether removing an initiative or activity will have any negative consequences
If you could do only one thing with your life right now, what would you do?
Set firm boundaries
If you don’t set boundaries—there won’t be any. Or even worse, there will be boundaries, but they’ll be set by default—or by another person— instead of by design.
If I had made an exception then I might have made it many times. Boundaries are a little like the walls of a sandcastle. The second we let one fall over, the rest of them come crashing down.
The potential upside, however, is less obvious: when the initial annoyance or disappointment or anger wears off, the respect kicks in. When we push back effectively, it shows people that our time is highly valuable
How to concentrate
Dedicate time to live in the past (reminiscing, reflecting) and the future (worrying, planning). The rest of the time, live in the present. If you find yourself living in any other point in time, figure out why. What’s bothering you?
Empty your head as much as you can. Remove attention residue.
Make it easy. It’s hard to not focus on what’s on your screen right now. So make sure your digital workspace has what you need and nothing more.
Further reading:
related: distractions