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Losing Focus and Lack of Follow-Through
Practical Prioritization

For the next 30 seconds I want you to have laser focus on what you are about to read. Ready, go. Focus is what gets you from where you are to where you want to be. Everyone has too much to do with too little time and too little resources. Focus is the remedy for excuses. When you focus, you move forward. We all have the ability to focus. It’s time to find your focus.

Okay, you can take it easy now. When I asked you to have laser focus for the next 30 seconds, what did you do? What did you say to yourself? How did you focus? The answer to these questions is the key to your focus and priority. Dr. Ken Ravizza, sport psychology consultant to professional athletes, taught this simple success strategy to me. He is one of the best in the world. He applies this approach when teaching athletes about focus.

The key is in getting in touch with what it means to focus for you. For some, it’s taking a deep breath and saying something positive to themselves. For others, it’s clearing their mind or sitting upright and making themselves feel focused. For me, it’s about getting in my own zone. What I mean by this is I know what to say to myself and what to do to get in my own zone. It is different for everyone. By answering the earlier questions, it will give you a good sense of what it means for you to get in your own zone.

The biggest mistake people make with setting priorities is they confuse them with preferences. A preference is something that is nice to have or nice to complete. A priority is something that comes first, as in prior to your preference. That’s why “prior” is the root of the word. We are all bombarded by priorities on top of priorities. Too many priorities actually have the opposite effect and when you prioritize too many things, you are just doing stuff.

My first job out of college was at the flagship Tiffany and Company store on 5th Avenue in New York City. I got the job through a special friend, Pete Theodorakos, who was in charge of taking in repairs. My job was in customer service. Although this may seem like a simple and straightforward job, it was anything but simple. Our role was to talk with customers and help them resolve any issues with jewelry. The challenge was that every customer’s request was his or her personal immediate priority. I learned so much from Pete and the jewelers who fixed these high-end items. Above the jewelers’ workspace was a sign that said, “Should I rush, the rush job, I was rushing when you rushed in?” It was a great reminder that in customer’s minds, everything was a priority and we had to find a way to prioritize what was actually a priority.

The interesting thing was the nights in the same year I worked in a psychiatric treatment facility. There, prioritization was clear. I was a mental health worker and they used a triage system. Priorities were very clear at this job. If a code was called, it meant someone was in danger of hurting themselves or someone else. Codes took priority over everything. We didn’t have to think. We just knew to respond.

The truth is, in our everyday lives, priorities are not going to be that clear, so we need to create clarity, and the best way to do that is to have a system and common language so we can focus forward. If you are a leader of people, the best thing you can do is have the people who report to you adopt a prioritization strategy and teach it to others. You want to have a clear prioritization framework for yourself as well. The key is to have a way to prioritize that is practical and easy to use.

Simple Success Strategy: Practical Prioritization

You need to do what is true for you. As simple as this may sound, it works. It doesn’t mean that you don’t want to reach outside your comfort zone. What it does mean is that unless your priority strategy is going to get put into practice consistently, it is useless. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from people who are the best of the best. I’m certain a common characteristic of their pathway to success is discipline. It’s not sexy and doesn’t make the headlines, but discipline works. I heard a story about Michael Phelps (I say “heard” because I don’t know if this is a fact) that illustrated the importance of developing habits and the cost of missing practice. The main point was that when Phelps misses a day of training, it takes him months to recover. I’m not sure if this is true or not, but what I do know is that once you lose your focus and discipline, it costs a lot. Stay focused, stay disciplined, and get it done now so you don’t have to pay for it later.

It comes down to knowing what gives you the best return on your investment of time. A guideline that has proven to lead to success is to focus the large majority of your time and energy on your critical priorities. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, has been popularized through the years and is aligned with this philosophy. It stems from the work of Vilfredo Pareto (1848–1923), who was an Italian sociologist and economist. Through the years, there have been several interpretations of this principle. However, what holds true is that when you focus your energy and time on your top priorities, it pays off and leads you toward success. Be careful of getting distracted by things that are not aligned with your top priorities. This gives you a way to guide yourself for yourself.

Practical prioritization is about finding a way to focus in a way that is clear and easy. The framework for practical prioritization can be used at work or in your personal life. The goal is to use one strategy that you make a habit and can teach to others so it becomes as simple and automatic as starting your car. Practical prioritization involves three steps: 1) Put your priorities into three categories; 2) Prioritize your priorities; and 3) Decide to do it or not.

The Three Categories

I believe the best way to prioritize is to categorize your priorities into three buckets: personal, professional, and passion. This will help you be laser focused in the three key areas of your life. You can apply practical prioritization to each of these areas. The personal bucket is just what it sounds like. This bucket is about your personal life. It can be something around health, your relationships, or something else in your personal life. The professional bucket is about work. This includes what you need to get done in order to be successful in your career. A good guide in relation to the professional bucket is to include which priorities are important to your direct boss. The passion bucket is about you and what energizes you. This can be a talent that you want to further develop, a hobby you want to dedicate more time to, or it can be just what you love to do.

Prioritize Your Priorities

This step is all about knowing what counts. You will have more priorities than you can actually accomplish. Priorities bombard all of us, but not all of us use a filter to determine what to do first. In order to effectively prioritize your priorities, you need to be clear on what your criteria is.

Decide to Do it or Not: The 1-2-3 of Priority

For each priority, make a list of tasks. The most straightforward way to prioritize tasks is to make it as simple as 1-2-3. The first step is to make a list of all the tasks that you need to complete in relation to a priority at the start of your week. Once you have your list, mark a 1, 2, or 3 next to each task; 1 represents something that has to be done today no matter what; 2 represents something that you aren’t sure about; 3 represents something that you can put off until tomorrow. Once you have a number next to each task, go back and change all of your 2s to either a 1 or a 3. This will force you to be crystal clear on what tasks are actually in immediate need of attention.

Calibration Conversation

An additional simple strategy I’d like to offer is the calibration conversation. This simple approach is one for people who need to lead others. It helps everyone win. Clarity is king. Here’s how this works. Ask the people who work for you to identify what they think their top three priorities are and what they think your top three priorities are. Then you write down the same. Have a calibration conversation once a month. The conversations bring up gaps you weren’t aware of and provides each of you an opportunity to evaluate your expectations.

When it comes to ambition, the truth is that we all have limited time and energy to keep up with work and life demands. The most important success factor in making sure you are getting it right is to have an approach and stick to it. Select an approach that works for you, or create your own.