Focus on This

Latest Episodes:

#029: Too Tired to Crush Goals? Here's How to Fix That. Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

You dive into the day with a burst of energy—and you get stuff done! Until lunch, that is. Afternoons are a different story. You’re tired. You can’t focus. Your productivity goes into the tank, so you wind up working in the evening and on the weekend.

It doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, we’ll show you how to manage your energy, just like your time. When you do, you’ll quit feeling spent every weekend and regain the energy you need to be more productive. Better yet, you’ll finally have the vitality to invest in your other interests and most important relationships.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

How to overcome the cultural assumption that you’ll be constantly running tired if you’re going to succeed.
Practical tips on managing your energy and not just spending it.
What happens to your mind and body when you don’t get sufficient rest.
The effect of nutritional choices on your daily workflow—and what to do about it.
How to conserve energy and avoid decision fatigue by eliminating, automating, or delegating choices.

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#028: How to Start and Stop Your Workday Mar 09, 2020

Show notes

You love your work, and you can’t wait to get started! But somehow, the day never goes as planned. You get derailed by low-leverage tasks, and half the time you don’t start your big project until after lunch. By the end of the day, you realize you’ll have to finish up at home. By Friday, you’re totally exhausted—and still not done! Nobody knows rollover like we know rollover. After more Saturdays at the office than we care to remember, we’ve found a way to end the rollover problem once and for all.

You can do that by bookending your day with workday startup and shutdown rituals. When you do, you’ll finally quit leaving the office with a laptop full of take-home work. You’ll get your margin back and be more productive than ever before.

In this episode you will—

Find out why you never seem to “get finished” for the day.
Learn the best way to stop rolling tasks over to the next day.
Understand how the never-ending to-do list is undermining your productivity.
Identify the simple fallacy that causes us to take on too much work.
Gain the simple trick that will help you start and stop work in a controlled way.
Start to feel a sense of completion at the end of the day.

This episode of Focus on This is brought to you by Compass, a monthly program to help Full Focus Planner users stay on track with their goals. Learn more at leadto.win/compass.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#027: Two Rituals to Start and End Your Days Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

As a high achiever, you have the ability to laser focus and put out huge productivity. But it can seem like your life has no boundaries. Work bleeds into personal time. Your personal habits get erratic. Good habits slip away and unproductive ones take their place. It’s time to ditch that feeling that you’re always a step behind, and start beginning and ending each day relaxed, in control, and knowing that you’re taking care of the things that matter most.

In this episode, Courtney and Blake show you two simple hacks that will get your personal habits under control and set you up for a win every single day.

You’ll discover:

How to structure the beginning and end of your day so you consistently accomplish your daily targets.
The relationship between our feelings and rituals—and what we can do about it.
Two questions to ask yourself if your rituals aren’t currently working for you.
Practical steps to avoid getting sucked into your phone or Netflix.
How to identify the activities that will leave you rested and rejuvenated.

This episode of Lead to Win is brought to you by Compass, a monthly program to help Full Focus Planner users stay on track with their goals. Learn more at leadto.win/compass.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#026: How to Leverage Rolling Quarters Feb 24, 2020

Show notes

Keeping your goals and projects moving is not about time management—it’s all about visibility. We’ve got a foolproof hack for keeping your big rocks visible before they tumble down on you. It’s called rolling quarters.

In this episode, Courtney and Blake give you tips that will help you start working ahead of schedule, and avoid always playing catch up. Rolling quarters will get you out of crisis mode for good and put the margin back into your life.

In this episode you’ll discover—

Ideas for navigating a mid-range view of your planning so you can see what’s coming on the horizon.
How to avoid being surprised by deadlines ever again.
The power of visibility for accomplishing goals.
Practical ways to filter out low-leverage commitments.
Confidence that your time and energy are always being used to their fullest.

This episode of Focus on This is brought to you by Compass, a monthly program to help Full Focus Planner users stay on track with their goals. Learn more at focusonthispodcast.com/compass.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#025: How to Set Up an Ideal Week Feb 17, 2020

Show notes

You’re a high achiever, which means that you’re getting tapped for greater responsibility. You start each day with a plan, but you quickly get sucked into “reaction mode.” Urgent requests and demands on your time crowd out your own priorities. It’s exhausting.

Fortunately, we know a great way to take control of your time and direct the flow of work coming at you. It’s called the ideal week. This simple tool will help you take back control of your time. You’ll say goodbye to reactive mode, get focused on your high-leverage projects, and get a lot more done.

In this episode you will discover—

What to do if your week doesn’t go according to plan.
How to regain control of your time, regardless of your role in your organization.
The motivation and courage to adjust your rituals as needed.
Practical ways to recover pockets of time that are wasted due to faulty scheduling.
How to recover margin and protect what’s important to you.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#024: How to Set Up Your Monthly Calendar Feb 10, 2020

Show notes

As a high achiever, you’re dialed in on productivity. You know how to get things done. But there’s a problem. No matter how much you produce, you always feel behind. There always seems to be a looming deadline that somehow got missed. That puts you on the hamster wheel nearly every week, hustling to get caught up. It’s exhausting.

There’s a fix for that. It’s called a Monthly Calendar. Start using this tool to keep track of your Big Rocks, and you’ll escape that feeling of being two steps behind. You’ll have plenty of time for your major commitments and deadlines. Better yet, you’ll have lots more time for the “little rocks” too.

In this episode you will—

Learn why a weekly calendar view will not help you track deadlines.
Find a simple way to keep your big commitments visible at all times.
Discover how to gain complete confidence in accepting or declining appointments.
Find the space to fit in other important priorities around big commitments like travel or project deadlines.
Relax, knowing all your major commitments are under control!

This episode of Focus on This is brought to you by Compass, a monthly program to help Full Focus Planner users stay on track with their goals. Learn more at focusonthispodcast.com/compass.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#023: 4 Questions to Learn from Mistakes Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

You’re a high achiever, so you like to attempt big things. The problem is that things don’t always turn out the way you planned. That feels lousy. It makes you want to bury last week and just barrel ahead. There’s a better way.

We’ve discovered a simple process for redeeming your regrets, big and small. Your mistakes and even failures don’t have to keep you stuck. You can learn from your mistakes and emerge even stronger by asking yourself four simple questions. When you do, you’ll no longer feel ashamed of the past or afraid of the future. You’ll gain the insight and confidence you need to make positive changes and achieve better results in the future.

In this episode you will—

Find out the two most common ways to deal with failure, and why they’re wrong.
Learn how to decouple failure from your sense of identity.
See why examining failure openly is essential for future growth.
Get a bonus question that will supercharge your sense of ownership.
Discover a simple trick for making it easier (and healthier) to look at your mistakes.
Identify the critical question for turning goal failure into achievement gold.

This episode of Focus on This is brought to you by the Original, Classic, Executive, and Bold Full Focus Planners. Learn more at focusonthispodcast.com/planner.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#022 How to Make a Habit Stick Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Your lifestyle goals are important to you. Health and fitness, daily rituals, reading, relationships: these are the things you want to act on every single day. But life is busy! None of these goals takes a ton of time, but they’re still hard to squeeze in. Before long, they can easily drift away. It’s deflating to look back and realize you’ve made no progress on lifestyle goals.

We can help.

We’ve got a simple tool that will keep your habit goals visible and keep you motivated to stick with them. Start using a streak tracker, and your progress will come almost automatically. You’ll never again wonder if you have the discipline to change your life. You’ll do it!

In this episode you will—

Find out how to stay on top of habit goals until they are installed.
Discover the simple mindset shift that will make habit goals easier.
See how rewards can apply to habit goals, not just achievement goals.
Learn a simple way to keep habit goals from becoming overlooked.
Get tips for making a habit behavior satisfying, even when it’s difficult to do.
Be fired up about starting (or getting back on track) with your habit goals!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#021: Why You Have Boring Goals Jan 20, 2020

Show notes

You set a lot of goals, but when you look at your goal list, you want to yawn. Your goals are all good things, and you’d be glad to achieve them. But they’re kind of . . . boring.

Boring goals make for a boring life, and you don’t want that. We’ll show you have to set goals that set your heart on fire, goals you’re dying to accomplish. How? By making them riskier. Test your goals for the 3 Factors of Goal Boredom, and you’ll never set a lackluster goal again.

You’ll be excited and engaged with your goals all year long, and you’ll achieve things so good that it literally scares you to think about them.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

What makes a goal boring.
The main reason you set boring goals.
Why you shouldn’t set the same goal two years in a row.
Why it’s good that you don’t know how you’ll achieve.
Questions to help you evaluate whether your goal is risky.

This episode of Focus on This is brought to you by the Original, Classic, Executive, and Bold Full Focus Planners. Start the new year off right with a planner to keep you focused. Learn more at www.focusonthispodcast.com/planner.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#020 Should You Share Your Goals? Jan 13, 2020

Show notes

So you’ve got this big goal that you’re really excited about. You’re dying to share it with the people around you. But when you do, it kind of backfires. Some people belittle your aspiration. Others seem to think you’re bragging. The whole experience is deflating. It makes you wonder if you should even try this goal.

Yes, you should! And you can share it with people who will affirm and help you. We’ve discovered three foolproof principles for goal sharing. Follow them, and you’ll get rid of all the angst about sharing or not sharing your goals. You’ll find the people who can support you in reaching for your biggest aspirations, and you’ll achieve them!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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