Is your focus the biggest time-thief in your life?

We need to be willing and able to get rid of stuff if we want to be more focused, even when the stuff is still of value to us. We need to learn to let go of everything that takes our attention away from what we want to achieve most. We all know leaders who change the world around them, and we need to follow their example to do the same to our worlds.

So, how does one become an effective leader with laser-sharp focus? Through our priorities and concentration. Leaders who have a clear idea of their priorities but lack concentration know what to do but never gets it done. Leaders who can concentrate but cannot prioritise do very well, but do not progress. A leader will achieve great heights as soon as these two characteristics are present in a leader.

People base their decisions generally on the following:

• What is the most important? First things first.
• What is the most urgent? Loudest complaints first.
• What is the most unpleasant? Most difficult first.
• What is now inoperative? The thing on the bottom of the list first.
• What is the dullest? The most boring first.

The leaders who achieve their goals are the ones who focus on the most important. What do you need to improve on to be laser-focused on your goals?

• Work on yourself – you are your own biggest asset or liability.
• Work on your priorities – Fight for the important things.
• Work with your strengths – this will make you achieve your potential.
• Work with others – you cannot be effective on your own.

One of the most challenging things for leaders to get right is the ability to say no. Taking on too much is a clear-cut recipe to lose focus.

Here are seven ways to say ‘No’ in a positive manner:

1. ‘If I say yes, I’m afraid I’d let you down’. You do not set yourself up for failure to get involved in something you cannot/will not commit to.
2. Know the difference between an opportunity and a distraction. If someone wants you to be involved in something that is not aligned to your vision and mission, it is a distraction.
3. Refer them to someone more qualified. If you need to say no to someone, refer them to someone more suitable to assist them.
4. ‘I don’t do that.’ Sometimes the simplest response is the easiest.
5. Don’t Seinfeld it. Stay polite, honest, and direct – do not go off on a tangent.
6. Propose something else. By doing this you can still build a good relationship.
7. When you say it, you must mean what you have said. Let your ‘no’ be ‘no’, even after numerous requests.

(Who’s in Your Room. I Misner, S Emery, R Sapio)

Who do you say ‘Yes’ to instead of ‘No’? What are your reasons for doing this?

What do you need to start saying ‘No’?