What’s Important Now?

Derek — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:08:29 +0000

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Whether you’re a blogger or a C-level executive, you have tons of distractions — e-mails, phone-calls, girlfriends, personal finance, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, these distractions hurt your ability to get things done and achieve success. But, if you ask yourself “What’s Important Now?” and listen, your whole world changes. You turn your ringer off, you close your inbox, and you tell your girlfriend you will talk to her later. Success is “What’s Important Now” and it’s time to focus.

It sounds so simple and it is. Pat Riley, a New York Knicks coach, pioneered “What’s Important Now” to help his players keep their head in the game. He knew they dealt with distractions like sponsors, women, and business deals, but he needed them to play basketball. He needed to make sure that his players played their best so the New York Knicks could win games. It wasn’t about the skill because the players had it, it was about the motivation and “Whats Important Now” helped them get it.

Now let me tell you how “What’s Important Now” can help you in life and business.

You Only Have 24 Hours

You can be the most productive person in the world and you will still have 24 hours a day like the rest of us. When you’re starting a new business, you have a ton of responsibility, but you need to focus on the 20% of inputs that gets your the 80% of returns. I know you’re talented and can do anything, but you certainly can’t do everything. So, you need to use “What’s Important Now” to filter your schedule and make sure you do the right things the right way.

The Multitasking Myth

What most people call multitasking, David Crenshaw, the author of “The Multitasking Myth,” argues that its really called switchtasking. People can’t do multiple things at once, so they switch between tasks. While they do this to become more productive, it actually has the opposite effect and Crenshaw demonstrates this perfectly in his book. So, if you want to take control of your life, all you need to do is answer “What’s Important Now” and put all of your eggn that basket.

The Success Factors Prescription

All you need to do is answer “What’s Important Now” and align your actions with it. If you’re blogger, stop checking your stats and commenting on blogs and just blog. It is that simple and you can make it that simple throughout the rest of your life.