WHERE SHOULD YOU FOCUS YOURTHINKING?
Does every area
of your life deserve dedicated, focused thinking time? Of
course, the answer is no. Be selective, not exhaustive, in your focused thinking.
For me, that means dedicating in-depth thinking time to four areas: leadership,
creativity,
communication, and intentional networking. Your choices will
probably differ from mine. Here are a few suggestions to help you figure them
out:
Identify Your Priorities
First, take into account your priorities—for yourself,
your family, and your
team. Author, consultant, and award-winning thinker Edward DeBono quipped,
“A conclusion is the place where you get tired of thinking.” Unfortunately, many
people land on priorities based on where they run out of steam. You certainly
don’t want to do that. Nor do you want to let others set your agenda.
There are many ways to determine priorities. If you know yourself well, begin
by
focusing on your strengths, the things that make best use of your skills and
God-given talents. You might also focus on what brings
the highest return and
reward. Do what you enjoy most and do best. You could use the 80/20 rule. Give
80 percent of your effort to the top 20 percent (most important) activities.
Another way is to focus on exceptional opportunities that promise a huge return.
It comes down to this: give your attention to the areas that bear fruit.
