18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done

if you’re a manager, your first duty is to do no harm. A friend of mine, Kendall Wright, once told me that a manager’s job is to remove the obstacles that prevent people from making their maximum contribution. That’s as good a definition as I’ve ever heard.

your list for three days gets a slot somewhere in your calendar or move it off the list. STEP 2 (1 Minute Every Hour): Refocus. Now, remember chapter 26, “Who Are You?” Set your watch, phone, or computer to ring every hour and start the work that’s listed on your calendar. When you hear the beep, take a deep breath and ask yourself if you spent you

Which means you shouldn’t create these lists once and then put them in a drawer. These two lists are your map for each day. Review them each morning, along with your calendar, and ask: What’s the plan for today? Where will I spend my time? How will it further my focus? How might I get distracted? Then find the courage to follow

It’s not just anger. We blow people off. Don’t return phone calls. Don’t pay attention when they’re telling us something important. Many of us, at times, act in ways we don’t like and don’t recognize as ourselves. I think I’ve figured out what’s causing it: overwhelm. We have too much to do and not enough time to do it.

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine put 811 overweight adults through four different diets, each one a different proportion of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. The result? On average, participants lost twelve pounds after six months and kept nine pounds off after two years. No matter which diet they followed. Certainly, some di

Life isn’t just about some of you; it’s about all of you. Don’t negate, integrate.

It turns out while there’s a war going on between you and someone else, there’s another war going on in your brain between you and yourself. And that quiet internal battle is your prefrontal cortex trying to subdue your amygdala. Think of the amygdala as the little red person in your head with the pitchfork saying, “I vote we clobber the guy!” and

Reducing your forward momentum is the first step to freeing yourself from the beliefs, habits, feelings, and busyness that may be limiting you.

When I emerged at the end of the week, I discovered six things: First, it was delightful.

The second element is your weaknesses. Rather than avoid them, embrace your weaknesses and spend your time this year where they’re an asset instead of a liability.