Can you imagine a life in which you have the freedom to focus, to be present, and to be spontaneous? Do you believe you could actually achieve more by doing less? A few months ago I attended Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt's virtual productivity summit, and now I'm on a personal mission to stay present, live in the moment, and eliminate distractions. These are loftier goals than my income or business promotion goals because they are somewhat intangible and hard to gauge, but beyond that, they are just plain difficult to remember and continue implementing when real life happens.
However, I've become a student and researcher of productivity and have had to admit to myself that I simply can't do it all and do it well. Something has to give, and I don't want that "something" to be my health, my family, my peace of mind, or my true life purpose. I've learned a few things I'd love to share with you, and I hope you'll join me on my journey toward meaningful productivity. Here are a handful of key truths I've learned:
Moments create our days, weeks, months, and lives. Creating good habits changes our lives.
There is no intrinsic value in "being busy." We must not derive significance from a busy schedule.
Living in a constant state of distraction will make you feel edgy, irritable, unfulfilled, and incapable. Disappointment, guilt, and a sense of failure will follow.
Time, energy, willpower, and discipline are all limited resources. We don't want to run out of any of these before the end of our day. We can decide in advance how to manage energy and discipline for the day.
You must think about what the best possible use of your resources is and how you can make the most significant contribution. This takes courage and clarity!
What if you didn't have to live spinning plates and putting out fires? If you know your priorities and know your limitations, you'll find the freedom to eliminate, automate, or delegate, so that you can work from your strengths and operate in your zone of genius more often, thereby eradicating frustration and dissatisfaction in your personal and professional life. You deserve to be free to focus!
To help others learn some of the life-changing information and application tips that we gleaned from Free to Focus, my friend Lindsay Rapp and I recorded a training on increasing productivity. I'd encourage you to grab a notepad and pen and plan to tune in when you can set aside an hour to focus and take notes. (It's one of my longer trainings, but we consolidated several hours' worth of fantastic seminars, and I believe you'll find it to be an hour well spent.) I'd love to hear your favorite takeaways and how this training helps you!