In A World Full of Distractions, How Exactly Are You Supposed to Stay Focused?

“Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” - Tim Ferris

When life gets busy, I used to default to the saying, “there aren’t enough hours in the day.”

But the more I think about it, that’s kinda bullshit.

There are plenty of hours in the day, we just don’t utilize them properly.

Just look at those screen time notifications…

We are so lucky to live in times of plenty and freedom but everywhere we look, there are distractions.

Ryan Holiday hits on this in his book, ‘Discipline is Destiny’, “We can go where we want. Do what we want. Believe what we want. With the snap of our fingers, pleasures and distractions appear.”

A weak mind must constantly be entertained. A strong mind can occupy itself.

Don’t just be an activity junky. Become tactical. Usually it just takes one or two big decisions that drive everything else.

As Warren Buffet said, “It doesn’t matter how hard you row, it matters what boat you are in.” If you are working hard just to show people your working hard, you mine as well go swimming in concrete.

Ask yourself, “Am I being busy, or Am I Being Productive?”

Here are a few ways you can become more productive:

Prioritize - Stop multitasking. A long ‘to-do’ list will do nothing for you except make you procrastinate and create paralysis. Identify one must-do item each day or even a list of three. Prioritize the tasks that provide better opportunities for yourself. Don’t do the small things because it’s easy.

“What is the one task that, if completed, will make today a success? What can you do to make it as easy as possible to get started?” - James Clear

Attack the dawn - Quit hiding under the blankets because it’s warm, get up. In the morning, we are free. It is quiet. There are less distractions. Find a few hours early on to relax, think, and to prepare for the day. Let everyone else sleep as we cherish these few hours.

Act NOW - It’s the start that stops most people. Stop responding to emails suggesting we meet next week. Adopt Frank Slootman’s mindset, “Leaders set the pace. People sometimes ask to get back to me in a week, and I ask, why not tomorrow or the next day? Start compressing cycle times. We can move so much quicker if we just change the mindset. Once the cadence changes, everybody moves quicker, and new energy and urgency will be everywhere. Good performers crave a culture of energy.”

Automate, Automate, Automate - I wrote about this here. But it’s a great reminder to audit your decision making. Ask and research if there are better ways to do something. Pay for help, it will ease the burden and probably make you more money in the long run. “Discipline isn’t just endurance and strength. It’s also finding the best, most economical way of doing something.” - Ryan Holiday

Acknowledge the Problem/Task - When you are anxious or overwhelmed, you need to acknowledge it. Say it out loud, write it down, talk to someone. Problems sound bigger in your head. Stop running from it, run to it.

Step Away - Go outside, go to the gym, call a family member. Sometimes you need to find a way to get your mind off the task at hand. I’ve been in environments where the long hours resulted in very subpar work. We need sleep, there is no way around it. The ultimate paradox is that when you work longer, you typically get less done.

On the days when you feel broken or that you aren’t good enough, remind yourself everyone has these thoughts.

As Tim Ferris wrote, “Don’t overestimate the world and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”

Show up, prioritize, and attack.

What’re some tactics you use to stay focused?

ICYMI - I joined Jason Raznick on his podcast, ‘The Raz Report’. Check it out!