Tag: “Focus”

To-do lists can be really useful when used properly. The problem is that a lot of times we use them wrong. And one of the most common mistakes is writing down simple things that we can cross out easily to make ourselves feel well.

Sir John Whitmore, British racing driver and author of the classic book Coaching For Performance, used to say that if you know the basic principles of what he called coaching, you can not only help others reach their goals, but also apply them to any aspect of your life to improve constantly your own performance and, for that matter, the obtained results.

What’s the life of a modern man or woman like? George Carlin said it well: “A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond.”

One of the factors that influence the most in your personal productivity is the energy you have when you need to face a task. It’s obvious that if you’re feeling tired, moody, distracted or grumpy, you won’t be capable of keeping the same level of attention to what you are doing and because of this you either will take longer to complete the task or the final result will be worse. But usually, both things will happen.

Interruptions are the number one public enemy in the field of personal productivity. If you don’t get things done on time and you need to work late, or even on weekends, it’s probably because there have been many interruptions at work. In other words, it’s not that you have that much to do, but that you’re not good at managing your attention.