Control your squirrel brain

Your squirrel brain can’t focus on one thing longer than 30 seconds.  If you want to solve real problems well, you’ll have to focus longer than that.

Control your squirrel brain by –

Reduce your visual inputs.  Clear your desk of everything else or go to a clean table.

Eliminate interruptions.

Shut your phone off or put it in another room.

Simplify your visual environment – don’t have too many things to look at.

Put all other work that is calling you away – only have on your desktop the important project you are working on.

Try a different room just to get fresh thinking going.  Go where you are inspired to do that work at that time.

Eliminate noise.  Quiet the room and quiet the mind.

Stillness is the key.

I find morning is best for focused time.

Now focus, think, and get something important done.

Take care of your body

If you accomplish much in business and have no energy or don’t feel well, what’s the point?

If your health goes, it all goes with it.

Eat well, move well, sleep well, and have fun.

The gap between action and reaction

If there is NO gap between action (and information) and reaction, you will not act intelligently and you will be out of control.

When you get information or feedback, think, before you react. 

5 minutes….30 minutes….4 hours….4 days….however long it takes to respond intelligently and create the best outcome.

What are you working hard at?

Are you working long hard hours on the trivial, shallow, distracting work?

Or are you working hard at the important, vital deep work?

Consistency over time

Who hasn’t missed one Think Daily in 14 years?  Me!

If you want results, you have to put in the work.  And you have to be consistent – in your learning and in your effort.

Time will pass and you will get older, no matter what level of success you achieve.

The question is – “How is it going to be for you?”  

And that is up to what you do, habitually, day in and day out.

What you put out, you'll get back

If you put out confusion, you’ll get it back.

If you put out clarity, you get it back.

If you put out optimism and enthusiasm, you get it back from your team.

What a leader puts out, starts to be reflected and magnified with the team.

What are you putting out?

Are you sure about that?

High Emotion – Low Intelligence

If you are charged with emotion, you are about to do something stupid.

Pause.  Close your mouth.  Get up and go for a walk.  Go to bed.

It will be far easier and clearer tomorrow.  You’ll make a better decision then.

Does the leader "got this"?

High-quality high-performing employees don’t want to work for struggling leaders.

Do you think people feel that you are struggling in your leadership role?

How do you motivate people?

You don’t.  

You hire people that are already motivated and then DO NOT de-motivate them.

Have you messed up and de-motivated people who were motivated the day they took the job?

Your emotional health

Who cares how successful you are or how much money you make if you are so miserable?

Take care of your mental and emotional health. 

Without it, not much else matters.