Concentrate What Matters Most

We're all looking for better and faster ways of doing things. With multiple demands on our time and attention, and the pull of constant distractions, it can be challenging to stay on top of our responsibilities, let alone find the bandwidth for big-picture projects. Knowing what to focus on and how to prioritize are key.

?We can be more thoughtful and strategic about how we meet our goals so that our time, attention, and efforts aren't frittered away.

To achieve something meaningful, you have to create the time and structure to concentrate on what matters to you.

Two mind-sets that help

• Predict performance-promotion focus" and "prevention focus Promotion-focused people take chances, think big, and tend to be optimists.
• Prevention-focused ones are vigilant, thorough, and impressed by cautionary tales.

Once you under- stand your mind-set and those of your team members, you can frame goals, feedback, and incentives in ways that you and others will respond to.

Being smart and intentional isn't just about get- ting more done. It's ultimately about being more effective and accomplishing what's most important now and for the future.