We are all good at adding things to our lives. The temptation to buy this, say yes to that request, add that dessert to our plate is often strong. And the more we add, the more complicated our lives become - and the less energy we seem to have to do what we really want to do.
Steven Wright said, "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"
That applies to physical stuff, mental stuff and emotional stuff.
What can you abandon TODAY? Not tomorrow, not next week, not someday. What can you stop doing, or do less of, or give away right now - and once and for all?
What project, or goal, or problem just doesn't seem to move forward? Drop it!
What task has been sitting on your "to do" list for six months, with no action? Delete it!
If you are self-employed, what tasks could be done better and faster by a virtual assistant? If you work in a large organization, which of your tasks could you delegate right now?
Abandon something/anything/one thing right now - before you finish reading this blog!
Is it gone? Okay, read on...
Don't believe simplification and focus works? Here are two examples.
One is the job seeker all of us have met. When asked what she is looking for, she says, "I could do just about anything. I can handle the books, sell widgets, develop strategic plans, run the HR department or sweep the floor." How can we help her? It's too much, and we don't have a clue where to begin.
How much better it is when she says, "I'm looking for a role as the senior HR person in an energy company with between 500 and 1000 employees." Now we can go to work on our networks and find something to help her.
and...
My own experience as a young factory manager. I began with 34 "top priority goals." In my first six months, our performance on all 34 deteriorated. Why? Because nobody knew what was important to me.
As soon as I abandoned 31 of the goals, and focused on three, our performance turned around dramatically. We soon surpassed all three priority goals and made major progress on almost all the other issues to boot.
Give something up today. Then use the space and time you have created for something you really want to do.
May the Focus be with you!
