Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/450770
30 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015 W hen was the last time you thought, "I just need more time?" These days, if you are working toward a challenging goal, be it in your work or personal life, this sentiment is common. We often find ourselves trying to get a tremendous number of things done in an unrealistic amount of time—and searching for the discipline to do so. The desire for more time represents a trend in our "culture of achievement," which favors doing as much as possible and taking advantage of every opportunity to succeed. Driving this trend is a steep rise in technology, which puts an unprecedented amount of information and choice at our fingertips and instills a potent fear of loss or "missing out" on an advantageous avenue. The refusal to be selective, however, has become one of the biggest obstacles to achieving our work and personal goals. The truth is, not everything we do contributes to our success. The famous management consultant Joseph M. Juran summed up this idea in the Pareto principle, which you may recognize as the 80-20 rule or the law of the vital few. It states that for many events, approximately 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes. In other words, 80 percent of our efforts don't lead to the results we want. Trying to do it all puts us at risk of burnout and dilutes our effectiveness. Given that, how can we pursue challenging goals and maximize our results? The key is having "brutal focus." This requires clarity and specificity about what we want to achieve and what steps and resources are most critical to getting there. It is not simply about doing less but rather about prioritizing the tasks that create the most impact and delegating, delaying or declining everything else. So how do you improve your focus? Start by prioritizing some uninterrupted time to consider what you want to achieve and how best to achieve it. This may seem difficult at first, but it's critical for driving increased progress and reducing wasted effort. To bring focus to your goal and plan—and ultimately to your actions—start with the following three steps: Wellness By Carla Fowler, MD, PhD W ould you like more peace of mind, less stress, and a skill set that will allow you to become maximally effective in accomplishing what really matters to you? Well then, you're in for a treat. This month's Wellness article makes the case for a clarity and refinement of thought that author Carla Fowler calls "brutal focus." She makes a strong case that today more than ever we need this skill set to be effective and competitive. The best part about this article is that Dr. Fowler shares a simple, step-by-step process that you can use to begin focusing your thinking and attention. This process works amazingly well in personal and professional settings and could be a powerful asset for the young adult in your life. Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 What do you want? How "brutal focus" can free your busy life