Higher Performance Insights | Use the F-Bomb for Your Competitive Advantage
July 30, 2024
Jonathan Franzen, the literary virtuoso, didn't just write great novels. He rewrote the rules of focus. [1]
How?
He took a Dell laptop and turned it into a fortress of focus. No Wi-Fi. No Ethernet. Just pure, unadulterated creation.
This isn't the same blah blah rant about disconnecting. It's about reconnecting—with your deepest ambitions.
Take note. Your next breakthrough might be hiding behind the “F-Bomb of Focus,” known as precommitment.
The Precommitment Toolkit:
- Effort Pacts: Make the wrong choice hard. Example: Lock your phone in a timed safe during crucial meetings.
- Price Pacts: Put your money where your motivation is. Example: Pledge to donate to a rival school’s foundation if you miss a project deadline.
- Identity Pacts: Become who you want to be, one small action at a time. Example: Start each day by writing, "I am a leader who listens first" on your whiteboard.
Here's the thing: Distractions aren't just noise. They're the silent killers of your greatness. [2]
Mission 20%: A Leader's Guide to Focused Time
For every leader I serve, I propose "Mission 20%"—the aspiration to dedicate 20% of your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule to uninterrupted focus time.
This means:
- Closed door
- Silenced notifications
- Deep concentration on tasks
- Zero distractions
The benefits are significant:
- More refined strategies
- Stronger relationships
- Reduced after-hours work
- Improved well-being
Remember, precommitments aren't constraints; they're catalysts for freedom.
The discipline of focus through precommitments separates the average leaders and teams from those celebrating Higher Performance.
So, friends, here's your Focus Challenge:
1. Carve out your 20%.
2. Build your fortress of focus.
3. Model it and then gift that expectation to your team.
Remember: They'll follow your lead, not your memos.
Because, in the end, it's not about having more time. It's about making the time you have matter more.
Team Discussion Question
How can you implement "Mission 20%" in your daily routines to enhance focus and productivity? What precommitments can you make as a team to support this goal?
[1] I want to acknowledge Nir Eyal for introducing me to TIME’s interview with Johnathan Franzen in his book, Indistractible.
[2] Precommitment is also an example of James Clear’s Third Law of Behavior Change: make it difficult. To learn more about the Four Laws of Behavior Change, read Clear’s book, Atomic Habits.
Announcement
August Recess for #CANCELAVERAGE Tour
We're taking a short blog break in August to crisscross the country for our #CANCELAVERAGE Book and Keynote tour.
Our summer tour has been a resounding success, with most dates fully booked. As we look ahead, we're excited to announce that fall bookings are now open. Click the link, BOOK A KEYNOTE, to schedule your fall campus kickoff today!
As a token of our appreciation:
We're sharing exclusive, high-impact FREE RESOURCES each week this month. These valuable resources are our way of saying THANK YOU for your unwavering support of the HPG mission.
Stay tuned for next week’s FREE RESOURCE and a little contest we're brewing to get those competitive juices flowing.
For you!
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In just 5 minutes per executive, discover: Where your team defaults to siloed rather than integrated thinking Which cognitive approaches naturally enhance collective intelligence How to transform challenging dynamics into collaborative breakthroughs Assess Your Leadership Team Intelligence → Complete the Executive Leadership Intelligence Diagnostic