Focus
July 27, 2024A book I came across in the airport
by Unknown Author
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Belief #1 — The default answer is no.
- Avoid saying yes to every request. Instead, make no your default answer.
- Remember, whenever you say yes to something you move your focus away from other things you could be doing with your time.
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Belief #2 — Valuing my time is valuing myself.
- Time is one of your most valuable assets. Don’t give it to anybody just because they ask for it.
- Instead, protect it fiercely. You are valuable, and people should respect you and your time.
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Belief #3 — If someone needs my time, they must schedule an appointment.
- Stop interrupting what you’re doing to care for other people’s needs. Don’t answer your phone right away or respond to emails immediately. Instead, protect your time and avoid interruption at all cost.
- Make yourself hard to reach. You don’t give money to everyone who asks for it, do you? Don’t do it with your time either. Remember, your time is more important than money.
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Belief #4 — I always have enough time for whatever I’m committed to.
- Stop saying you don’t have enough time. If you’re really committed to something, you’ll find the time.
- And if you can’t find the time, it’s probably not that important to you.
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Belief #5 — I schedule my priorities.
- Schedule time every day to work on your top priorities.
- See it as an appointment with yourself and stick to it. You wouldn’t miss an appointment with the doctor, would you? Then don’t miss an appointment with yourself either.
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Remember
- Whenever you say “Yes” to something, you say “No” to something else.
- Consequently, for each decision you make there is an opportunity missed. For instance, by agreeing to join a project you’re not interested in, you say no to a more exciting project or to extra time spent with your family.
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Picking the right project
- If you struggle to identify what specific project you should focus on right now, write down projects you’ve been dabbling with and projects you’ve bene considering starting one day but haven’t yet… ask yourself
- If I had to stick to only one project with no guarantee I could ever work on any other project on my list, which one would I pursue? And Why?
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how excited am I about each individual project?
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how confident I am in my ability to follow through and complete each project?
- When completed successfully, which project would make it easier to complete all your other projects?
- There might be one project that acts as a domino by allowing you to develop the confidence you need to achieve other projects, giving you the skills necessary to complete other projects, giving you access to a network of people, etc.
- Which project will bring me the most joy?
- Which project aligns the closest with my values, personality, and vision?
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