Time is NOT Your Most Valuable Asset
Across the world today, a paradigm shift is occurring. Your most valuable asset is at risk. Employers, friends, companies, your family, and even yourself are all at WAR for it.
Today, more information is processed in one day by any given person, than a single person did in their life back in 1940. This overload of information causes people to ignore what’s immediately around them. Dopamine rushes triggered by each flash of our smartphones break down our willpower and cause us to fail to safeguard this asset. However, you can strengthen this asset of yours by creating systems that will allow you to focus on what is most important for you. By keeping the systems simple and distraction-free, you can start to feel more present and in charge of your time. The world today is more addictive than it was 40 years ago -- and the world will get more addictive in the next 40 years than it has ever been in human history. We must protect our most valuable asset. This is why we have to stand on guard at the gates of our attention.
The war for your attention is fought with captivating information and constant notifications. Most people today major in minor things and then ask themselves why they haven’t accomplished their goals. Companies and people know that we are starving for wisdom, and yet all they feed us are buffets of information. A store of empty calories that leaves us feeling full and unfulfilled.
We process too much information at too high a rate for our brains to absorb and assimilate data. The field is too high bandwidth, and we do not have enough processing power. We are all professional consumers of this information yet very rarely do any of us actually process, organize, and integrate the information into wisdom. Most people live through huge portions of their lives without sufficient consciousness. They don’t see what’s immediately around them.
Have you ever walked into a room and asked yourself what you walked in there for? Or better yet, you walked into the room and grabbed everything but the thing you actually needed? Have you ever been so determined to finish a task, and then *ping* 60 minutes later, you’ve been sucked into the vortex of Tik Tok, Twitter, and Instagram?
You are not alone. I do this more often than I’d like to admit. As a Coach, I get to constantly refine and optimize my most valuable assets for myself and my clients. It’s my top priority that my clients achieve freedom and fulfillment through my Coaching. Being that attention is our most valuable asset, I liken attention to a muscle. One we can strengthen.
Focus is the practice of strengthening attention.
Most people today depend on a combination of will-power and highly complex systems to help them maximize their attention only to fail gloriously at achieving their goal. Complexity is the enemy of execution. My recommendation for strengthening your attention is keeping your systems simple. The simplicity will allow you to have absolute clarity and enforce your commitment to the task at hand.
It’s quite simple: Clarity + Commitment = Focus.
Our intuitive mind learns, and responds, even without our conscious awareness. When you focus on a goal or a desire, your brain will start to recognize it everywhere and make it happen. This can be applied to both +/- situations. If you want to see something, you will. If not, you won’t. Our brains are hard-wired for algorithms. We see patterns even when patterns don’t exist.
A few years ago, I noticed that when I started the morning without my phone, my days felt significantly smoother and I was able to accomplish more. After testing the idea for a few weeks, I turned my reflection into a system: No phone in my bedroom and no phone for the first 2 hours of my day. I took charge of my attention. It was by no means easy, in fact, I struggled hard at first, but as I kept showing up consistently, my focus and attention got stronger through compounding.
Don’t get me wrong, I do have days where I find myself falling short of my goals. However, I don’t beat myself up, and instead, I show myself compassion by understanding that my lizard brain just wants another hit of cheap dopamine. As I realize that, I pause, put my phone down and ask myself, “What’s my system?” I immediately make a trust fall into my system and get back into the flow.
With so many distractions in today’s world fighting for your attention, it is common for people to take 1 hour to finish a 15-minute task. This is why training your focus feels absolutely uncomfortable. But that’s where growth happens, in the uncomfortable.
Here are 4 essential exercises that have helped me train my focus and strengthen my attention.
Priming
Priming your environment is the key to making sure you succeed when all of your willpower is gone. A few examples:
Spend too much time on your phone: there is an app to lock yourself out.
Can’t stay focused during meetings: leave behind technology and bring only a paper journal for notes.
Keep it simple.
Complexity is overwhelming. What is overwhelming usually doesn’t get done.
If the task is too big, break it down into smaller components and attack them one by one.
Want to wake up without touching your phone: make your morning checklist the night before.
Intention towards the outcome
Having an intentional outcome before you begin the task makes it easier to complete what is at hand.
Ask yourself, “How will I know when I’ve successfully completed this task?” Know your answer before you start.
Monotask
By doing one thing and one thing only, you’ll see how easy it is to get the task done.
Completing the task will trigger dopamine, which creates a rewarding process in the body.
As we see again, beyond just in the pursuit of compounding, will power is not enough. In order for you to really master your focus and take charge of your attention, you must create a system. And in creating systems that work for you, you are creating an insurance policy against the days you don’t feel motivated to show up.
Training your focus and attention is about eliminating distractions. Less is more. Our paradigms are shifting. Your attention is worth trillions of dollars to companies around the world. More importantly, your most cherished memories are created by giving them your attention. Your growth as a person comes down to the attention we give ourselves. Our attention is what makes our time valuable.
What are your memories worth?
What about your time?
What creates your memories, holds your attention.
What holds your attention, holds your time.
What holds your time, holds your life.
Next time you are standing on guard at the gates of your attention, take a pause and ask yourself, “Is this worth my life?”
If any of this resonates with you and you are ready to make the epic and powerful decision to move forward, to focus on your future, and to create the life you desire I am here to support you.
