5 Things Highly Focused People Do | Jack Canfield

Hi, I'm Jack Canfield, and today I want to talk to you about some of the things that highly focused people do to get more done in less time so that you can use these same strategies to get better results in your life. Now, as a reminder, I want you know I release new videos every week, so make sure to click the subscribe button and the bell icon to receive notifications when I release new videos. Now, if you were to ask someone like Mark Zuckerberg or Oprah Winfrey or Elon Musk why they have managed to create such incredibly successful lives, they would probably credit their achievements to one thing. Their ability to focus. Because in a world full of endless distractions, being able to focus on the task in front of you and get it done no matter what is happening around you, is like a modern day superpower. Most of us aren't able to do this. We lose countless hours to aimless surfing on social media. We check our phone hundreds of times a day and allow ourselves to get pulled into online conversations that take us away from the more important things we should be doing. We spend our evenings and weekends binging on the latest popular HBO or Netflix series. And then we wonder why we haven't gotten any closer to accomplishing our goals and living our dreams. Now, the good news is this focus isn't something you're either born with or not. It's something that anybody can cultivate with just a bit of time and a bit of effort. And today I'd like to teach you some of the best secrets I've learned from the highly focused and successful people I've met and worked with so that you can put their methods to work in your life and achieve your goals much faster and much more efficiently. Now, the first strategy of highly focused people is that they set very specific and clear goals and and then they keep those goals in front of them at all times. Now, many have their goals posted on their wall or on their computer desktop where they'll see them every single day. They might even have their most important goals written on a card they keep in their wallets. I do. The second strategy they use is to create a strict schedule for themselves with daily tasks that they need to complete in order to reach their goals by a specific date. And then they make it their top priority every day to complete those tasks before they do anything else. In my case, I spend at least an hour the first thing when I get to my office in the morning, writing and editing whatever book I'm currently writing before looking at emails, answering letters, checking the news or anything else. And creating this kind of strict schedule for yourself might seem very structured and rigid, but highly successful people actually find it liberating. Because when you start each day clear on what your most important tasks are, you eliminate so much of the distraction, uncertainty, and unnecessary busy work that causes most people to waste so much of their day spinning their wheels and not getting very much done. Not only that, because you've already done the work of planning your day and prioritizing your tasks ahead of time, you won't find yourself worrying about the things you might be forgetting or scrambling to get something important done at the last minute. This will make it so much easier for you to get into the first flow of focusing only on your work and nothing else. So how do you figure out what your daily tasks should be? First, decide what your annual goals are. What do you want to complete in the next 12 months or by the end of the year? Then figure out what big steps you need to take each month in order to complete that goal in a year. And once you have your monthly goals, break them down into weekly goals. And then figure out what you need to do each day of that week in order to achieve those weekly goals. And then once you know your daily goals, commit to achieving them. And here's the key. No matter what, do whatever it takes to get it done. Now the third lesson I'd like to share about highly focused people is that they are clear about their purpose. They know what they were put on earth to do, and they use that sense of purpose to stay motivated and focused on their goals, no matter what obstacles appear in the road. Because their purpose is what gives their lives joy and and meaning and points them relentlessly in the direction of making those dreams come true. So if you're watching this and you're not yet clear about your purpose, please read Chapter two, Be Clear why youy're Here in my book the Success Principles. It will help you get clear and you can get the first two chapters here. The fourth lesson I've learned from highly focused people is that they are intensely action oriented. They know that goals without action are nothing more than dreams. And if you want to make them a reality, you need to take meaningful, consistent action to make it happen. And the best way to do that is to chunk your goals down into a series of small but achievable steps, put them on a list, and then cross them off that list one by one. It's okay if you don't know every single step you're going to have to take to achieve your goals, the main thing is to start with the obvious things and then ask other people for guidance along the way. And if you're truly committed to the goal, you the hows will show up along the way. Once you begin to take action. Just one step after another and the path will become clearer before you. Now, finally, the last lesson I'd like to share with you today is that highly focused people are the opposite of multitaskers. They structure their schedule so that they're able to give their full attention to only one thing at a time instead of trying to do a whole bunch of things at once. That way they're capable and and able to complete each task much more effectively in less time. Now, an example of useful time structure is Dan Sullivan's Entrepreneurial Time System. This is how I like to structure my day. The entrepreneurial time system is based on three different kinds of days. Focus days, buffer days, and free days. On focus days, you spend about 80% of your time working in your main area of expertise. This is work that directly improves your bottom line when you do it. If you're a writer, these are the days you write. If you're in sales, these are the days you spend on the phone or live talking to customers and leads, trying to close orders, close sales. Now, if you build houses, these are the days you're on site hammering nails into wood, laying foundations, putting in plumbing, etc. But your business or your job involves so much more than just doing the work to translate to directly into sales or bottom line results. It also involves all of the other necessary tasks that are peripheral to the work, but that make it possible for you to do that work. That's what buffer days are for. If you're a writer, those are the days that you print up your book proposal and send it off to publishing agents. If you're in sales, maybe your buffer days are when you get caught up with your paperwork. And if you're a builder, maybe your buffer days are when you do your ordering of supplies or your payroll, or meet with an accountant or and you train employees, you delegate. And finally, you've got your free days. Now, on these days, you'll take a full 24 hours, midnight to midnight, and do anything you want to, so long as it's not related to work. This is your day to focus entirely on you by spending time with your friends, your family, working on a hobby, enjoying time in nature, going golfing, reading books, going to the movies, watching tv, playing sports, or learning a new skill just for fun. Now, by organizing your days. In this way, you'll make it so much easier for you to remain present and focused on what you're doing when you're doing it. The buffer day tasks will no longer distract you from the important work you do on your focus days, and your work will no longer intrude into your personal life on your free days because you know how important it is to take that time to rest and rejuvenate your mind, your body, and your soul. So that's what I've learned from highly successful people about staying focused. Now let's make this a discussion. I'd like to hear your thoughts after watching this video. What do you do to get focused and stay focused? And how do you regain your focus when you're dealing with distractions? So if you feel inspired, please leave a comment below with your answer. I'd love to read what you have to say and thank you for watching. And remember, nothing in your life will change for the better until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel. Subscribe for more videos like this one, and for some additional resources on things that highly focused people do, make sure to visit my website@jackcampfield.com thanks again for watching.