“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” Steve Jobs 
We understand long to-do lists and see a lot of them. How do you manage those lists?
1) Start with a vision – If you’re not sure who you are or where you’re going, how can you or your staff hope to hit the target?
2) Find more time – Try keeping a temporary time log. Show the categories of your work activities and note where you spend (waste) your time in any given day or week. This approach can be very insightful, if not humbling. Then, make adjustments, solve problems, delegate or hire, and avoid time drains.
3) Stop fooling yourself – If you consistently miss your top priorities – or if you’re dissatisfied with year to date accomplishments – then maybe it’s time to get more honest about your priorities. If you’re a perfectionist, take a harder look at where you can cut corners.
4) Quantify your marketing strategies – Calculate your return on investment. Count the time you spend at that weekend event and all those networking meetings you attend as well as the money spent. Municipalities should quantify and measure their economic development efforts. Then, simply do more of what’s working and less of what’s not.
5) Do the hard stuff – Break down the bigger, more important items, or schedule blocks of time to chip away at them. This habit helps set you apart from competitors who may take the easy way out.
6) Squash interruptions – Cell phones and Email are productivity and communication tools, not balls and chains. Check messages a few times a day vs. letting them constantly disrupt your concentration.
7) Put it all together – The strategic planning process institutionalizes your organizational planning and execution. Build off of your vision and make this an ongoing focus vs. an annual event.
Collectively, these tips will help you say “no” and improve your focus.
Edward Livesay
