You don't lack time... you lack focus.

I read this quote the other day from Anthony Vicino . “You don’t lack time… you lack focus”. I couldn’t agree more.?

We all periodically spread ourselves too thin, and feed our own internal need to feel productive by being busy. But time and time again the research has shown that the more you try to do, the less you actually get done. Don’t fall in that trap, especially as a startup leader where everything urgently screams for your attention.?

Guess what? If everything is both urgent and important, then you have your scale calibrated wrong to your situation. Pause, and recalibrate.?

Here’s a hack I adapted from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, an old classic but an enduring one. It's personally been a gamechanger for me.?

At the end of each week I write in down:?

• 3 impactful things I got done this past week (if I can't come up with 3, I need to focus on my focus)
• 1 thing I’m proud of from this week (this helps make sure I don't lose sight of forward momentum)
• 1 thing I learned?(this forces me to reflect and incorporate learnings, and not just get sucked into the speed flywheel)
• The top 3 important things I’ll get done next week (it’s important that there’s no more than 3 on this list - this is the forcing function of prioritization. If you must put more, force yourself to rank them.)

It’s a simple exercise - but the sheer repetition of doing it every week builds a habit around a mindset of prioritisation and momentum. Try it. Filter the signal from the noise.?

#ceo #founderculture #growthstage #startupculture #sparkyourleadership #focus #prioritise