Good morning! Do you ever catch yourself making a BIG deal out of small problems?
People have the tendency of taking something small, and giving it a large portion of their energy. When this happens, it creates a sense of tunnel version to where it’s hard to think about anything else. This could be dangerous because we have a limited amount of attention to spare. If we spend too much time on the small things, it will be easy to lose sight of our goals.
In this email, I want to give you some practical steps on what to do if you find yourself ‘majoring in the minor.’
“Some people look at big things, and other people look at very small things, but in a sense, we’re all trying to understand the world around us.”
– Roderick MacKinnon
1. Realign Your Goals
When you find yourself veering off track, it’s important to take a look at your route. Where is your end destination, and what are your next steps to get there?
Think of it like this: Imagine you are hiking along a trail and you come face-to-face with a large river. You can see across the other path, but there’s no possible way to make it in one jump.
Will you pull out your phone and start replying to a text, scroll on social media, or will you look for a way to cross the river?
Focusing on your goals is the same way. When you come up against an obstacle, it’ll be easy to get distracted and focus on something else. But true leaders are the ones who focus on the mission until it is accomplished. If you are struggling to identify your goal, read one of our previous emails titled, “What Is Your Goal?”
2. Put Your Head Down and Focus on One Thing
This may be obvious, but the fewer things you give your attention to, the more productive you will be. When you focus on a single task or project, it fills your attention span completely, and you enter into what’s called hyperfocus.
Hyperfocus is a combination of things: it’s intentional, uninterrupted, and it leads to us becoming entirely absorbed in our task.
This state of being removes any possibility of focusing on something unimportant. You’re too focused on the goal that nothing else even enters your view. This is the level of focus I am working towards. If you’re with me, reply to this email and let us know!
Keep the main thing the main thing. Don’t major in the minor!
Keep going!
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