Focused on Focus
Focus has been my main area of focus of late. I blogged recently on the value of restrictions – on how limitations make us stronger, and I recently saw another article by Jonah Lehrer on a how poets use the structure of the haiku or the sonnet to allow them to be more creative.
My obsession with focus all started when our nanny was on vacation for a week. I wanted the apartment kept in order – things have been moving quickly at work, and when I’m feeling out of control I often try to find places that I can restore some order (even if I’m avoiding other problems…). And while I was putting away some laundry and trying to straighten up my office I realized that we have way too much stuff in the house.
So I went on a tear. Old stained table cloths – gone. Half a dozen vases that we’ve never used – goodbye. Scores of miscellaneous cables in the office – see ya! The result: an organized office, a beautifully spare linen closet, a clean counter-top (yes, the coffee maker is gone !!!).
When I force myself to do it, I’m pretty good at eliminating unnecessary junk from my life. More challenging for me is to abandon my ideas. I love thinking of new options, and I’m never quite as willing to throw them away as I am the old sneakers at the back of the closet. But I’m starting to realize that, when it comes to growing a business, this love of new ideas can sometimes get in the way. There’s always a new book to read, a new idea to ponder, a possible new direction. At some point you have to commit to a course and see it through.
On one hand I’m never going to be as narrow as others – Red Three’s biggest strength lies in our ability to speak the languages of both business and technology. But if we’re going to continue grow, I need more focus, so I’m trying an experiment to set limits as to what I pursue. A few things I’ve chosen to limit:
1) Blogs – I’ve set a limit of 20 total blogs to read regularly, divided between finance, data, marketing, and general business/personal improvement. If a blog wants to get on the list, it has to knock something else out. So far the result is that I’m actually finding more stuff on areas which are relevant to my immediate problems.
2) Networking Groups – I’m always looking for interesting presentations and groups in NY, and the problem is that there are way too many options. So again, I’ve come up with a list of 3 groups that I’ll attend, and my goal is to try to get more involved in each one, rather than show up at the occasional meeting.
3) Marketing – Our marketing is really about content (this blog, our white papers and the website), speaking (getting out and delivering content) and networking, and each one has room for improvement. There are always lots of ideas in my head – should we go to more events? Get a trade show booth? Add sponsorships? These are all good thoughts, but I’m committing to making all the things we’re currently doing better before we engage in anything new. In the past I’ve often substituted spending money for doing the work; I think setting these limits will help keep me from throwing money at the problem.
4) Books – I love reading, but sometimes my book-buying gets out of control. So I’ve set a short-term limit – I’m not buying ANY more books until 2012. After that, I’m going to maintain a list of all the books I might want, and only buy books off the list (unless I’m desperately caught in an airport needing something to read…).
