Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.
STEPHEN KING
In 1816 Francis Ronalds looped eight miles of wire between two poles in his backyard. Sending signals over the wire keyed to letters of the alphabet, he was able to send messages that could be received and decoded in an instant. Before Ronalds’s invention of the telegraph, messages could only travel as fast as they could be physically transmitted over the necessary distance. Ronalds wrote the British Admiralty with news of his extraordinary breakthrough, expecting an eager reception. Instead, an official responded and said the government had no need of his invention. As historian Ian Mortimer explains, “The Admiralty believed that the semaphore system they had then recently adopted—that is, men waving flags at each other—was superior.”1 Can you believe it!
It’s easy to mock the officials, but we’re all prone to the same basic mistake. We overvalue our current systems and resist change—even if that change will bring about immediate, life-altering benefits. I tell this story because you’re now faced with a choice: you can opt for a new and transformative approach to productivity—or you can wave flags. The old methods of productivity have taken us as far as they can and burned up many of us along the way. It’s time for a new approach. The world caught on to Ronalds’s invention and set a communications revolution in motion that still affects us today. I want you to join the Free to Focus productivity revolution.
We started this book with an unusual call to Stop. I told you then that the best way to start was by stopping, because I was certain you were spending far too much time and energy on things that ultimately didn’t matter. But that was a long time ago. That was before you learned how to articulate your why for increasing your productivity, before you learned how to cut the unnecessary tasks and time-wasters from your schedule, and before you learned how to put all these principles into action. Now, armed with what we’ve learned, it’s time to begin.
Your Free to Focus Success Path
Here’s a start-to-finish success path you can follow beginning right now.
It can take a while to get dialed in, but you’ve got what it takes. As a high-achiever, you’re not only up for a challenge, you’re also an expert in rising to the occasion and reaping the rewards.
Staying on Track
Once you start using the Free to Focus system, it will help you maintain momentum—even when new obstacles and challenges arise. And they will. High-achievers are always moving. Hold on to your Freedom Compass and let it guide you through the twists and turns. Now you know how to navigate. When faced with roadblocks to your productivity, just go back to the three primary steps of the system: Stop, Cut, and Act. These steps provide a rapid course correction so you can stay on track even in your busiest seasons.
Stop. No one makes smart decisions in a frenzy of activity. Instead, press pause. Step away from your desk. Take a walk outside. Get a good night’s sleep—whatever it takes to clear your head. Then evaluate. Reflect on your true objective, get clear on why it matters, and consider any changes you may need to make to your strategy in order to achieve it.
Cut. Odds are you don’t just feel as if you have too much to do. You actually have too much to do. Even after you’ve implemented the Free to Focus system, you may find tasks creeping onto your list and slowly encroaching on your productivity. Use what you’ve learned to eliminate, automate, and delegate as many of these tasks as possible.
Act. Now that you have a clear path, it’s time to get moving. Starting is half the battle, so identify next steps that will give you a quick sense of momentum. The other half of the battle is staying focused. Interruptions and distractions can sabotage even your best efforts. Identify the strategies you’ll use to stay focused—whether it’s switching off your notifications or hanging a Do Not Disturb sign on your office door. You’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish when you’re free to focus.
Remember what Herbert Simon said at the start: “Information consumes the attention of its recipients.” We work in the Distraction Economy. Attention is a scarce resource, and almost everyone out there is trying to capitalize on your focus. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend your most valuable resource to achieve someone else’s goals.
The solution is to leverage your focus and make progress on the initiatives and projects that will drive your success. That’s what Free to Focus has shown you how to do. Just as important, it’s shown you how to finally get your margin back. Working forty (or even fewer) hours a week means ample time to invest in your most important relationships, your health and hobbies, and all the other things that keep you sharp and productive for the long haul.
So start implementing these strategies. Start taking control of your schedule and maximizing your energy for the things that matter. Start a productivity revolution in your business. Start achieving more by doing less.