Quotes About Focus

The substantive issue is how to make appropriate choices about what to do at any point in time. The real work is to manage our actions. That

Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because what "doing" would look like, and where it happens, hasn't been decided. In

Tu trabajo consiste en descubrir tu trabajo y luego entregarte a él en cuerpo y alma. —BUDA

Finally (assuming that you're really committed to the project—in this case, going out to dinner), you focus on the next action that you need to take to make the first component actually happen. "Call Café Rouge to see if it's open, and make the reservation.

First of all, if it's on your mind, your mind isn't clear.

We (1) capture what has our attention; (2) clarify what each item means and what to do about it; (3) organize the results, which presents the options we (4) reflect on, which we then choose to (5) engage with.

Let's examine the three requirements to make the collection phase work: 1. | Every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head. 2. | You must have as few collection buckets as you can get by with. 3. | You must empty them regularly.

Instead, the key to managing all of your stuff is managing your actions.

The ability to leverage that thinking with good collection devices that are always at hand is key to increased productivity.

Your Mind Doesn't Have a Mind of Its Own At least a portion of your mind is really kind of stupid, in an interesting way. If it had any innate intelligence and logic, it would remind you of the things you needed to do only when you could do something about them.

you don't manage priorities—you have them.

In knowledge work … the task is not given; it has to be determined. 'What are the expected results from this work?' is

the three requirements to make the capturing phase work: 1  |  Every open loop must be in your capture system and out of your head. 2  |  You must have as few capturing buckets as you can get by with. 3 | You must empty them regularly.

how they might be articulated into productive shape.

Too much information creates the same result as too little:

There are two types of projects, however, that deserve at least some sort of planning activity: (1) those that still have your attention even after you've determined their next actions, and (2) those about which potentially useful ideas and supportive detail just show up ad hoc.

many people let themselves get sucked into the second activity—dealing with unplanned and unexpected things that show up—much too easily, and let the other two slide, to their detriment. It is often easier to get wrapped up in the urgent demands of the moment than to deal with your in-tray, e-mail, and the rest of your open loops.

it is championing appropriate engagement with your world—guiding you to make the best choice of what to do in each moment, and to eliminate distraction and stress about what you're not doing.

You can only put your conscious attention on one thing at a time. If that's all that has your attention, you're in flow.

Sometimes, however, you may need greater rigor and focus to get a project or situation under control, to identify a solution, or to ensure that all the right steps have been determined. This is where vertical focus comes in. Knowing how to think productively in this more vertical way and how to integrate the results into your personal system is the second powerful behavior set needed for knowledge work.

We need to transform all the "stuff" we've attracted and accumulated into a clear inventory of meaningful actions, projects, and usable information. Almost all of the to-do lists I have seen over the years (when people had them at all!)

you have to think about your stuff more than you realize but not as much as you're afraid you might.

Vertical control, in contrast, manages thinking, development, and coordination of individual topics and projects.

Taking the inventory of your current work at all levels will automatically produce greater focus, alignment, and sense of priorities.