What People are Saying
Disclaimer: These comments are from my readers and are 100% real comments that were made by real people, and they were not asked to comment. They reached out themselves.
What sets this piece apart from the universal bunch of be-better-texts, is how it’s not marketing, but it is honest, because it feels like a real person is writing it, and not someone trying to sell self-improvement via re-labeling stuff that we’ve heard many times.
So the specific hints are nice but not miraculous in themselves. Also you may put it into tags and numbers or don’t, well it’s catchy.
What counts is that it is curious and imaginative.
I can say this, explain that – bottom line: My guts agree with you.
- Fil of InterFilip
Scott,
I sat here at my PC this morning, with a thousand ideas floating in my cerebal cortex of sorts……and once again, had no idea where to start. That friend of yours you described? Well, you might as well have been looking at me. So…there you have it. I’ve finally pinpointed my first obstacle – focus.
I intuitively googled ‘how can i get focused?’ ‘Cause that’s the question that popped into my head, thankfully i heard it! And da-da! Your page i selected from the list googled.
Having just read your brief intro:
1. I wanna join in!
2. I wanna ask the question: regarding ‘working harder’ – what about all that hoola that talks about working ‘smarter’ NOT harder?
I’d like your ideas on that.
(Not that i’m afraid of hard work – goodness! But…i often find i’m spinning my wheels-working-hard, my effectiveness is not as ‘effective’…and i so i question myself – am i trying too hard?
Forgive me if these comments are too naive, or such, but i have just jumped right in and decided to drop you this note.
I look forward to your partnership – In a life i want to live – on purpose and dare i say it?….amazing!
Kind regards,
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Helen Keller
I sat here at my PC this morning, with a thousand ideas floating in my cerebal cortex of sorts……and once again, had no idea where to start. That friend of yours you described? Well, you might as well have been looking at me. So…there you have it. I’ve finally pinpointed my first obstacle – focus.
I intuitively googled ‘how can i get focused?’ ‘Cause that’s the question that popped into my head, thankfully i heard it! And da-da! Your page i selected from the list googled.
Having just read your brief intro:
1. I wanna join in!
2. I wanna ask the question: regarding ‘working harder’ – what about all that hoola that talks about working ‘smarter’ NOT harder?
I’d like your ideas on that.
(Not that i’m afraid of hard work – goodness! But…i often find i’m spinning my wheels-working-hard, my effectiveness is not as ‘effective’…and i so i question myself – am i trying too hard?
Forgive me if these comments are too naive, or such, but i have just jumped right in and decided to drop you this note.
I look forward to your partnership – In a life i want to live – on purpose and dare i say it?….amazing!
Kind regards,
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Helen Keller
- Angel Niebel
Scott,
I greatly appreciate your effort on this project, and think it is an extremely timely and appropriate endeavor. I strongly suggest “Rapt”, by Winifred Gallagher. She examines different aspects of Attention, and it’s impact on our lives: from relationships, to work, to happiness. I’m really glad I decided to purchase that particular book, and there are insights from scientific studies about the best way to enhance attention, etc.
Very highly recommended…
Best,
- Gerald
I greatly appreciate your effort on this project, and think it is an extremely timely and appropriate endeavor. I strongly suggest “Rapt”, by Winifred Gallagher. She examines different aspects of Attention, and it’s impact on our lives: from relationships, to work, to happiness. I’m really glad I decided to purchase that particular book, and there are insights from scientific studies about the best way to enhance attention, etc.
Very highly recommended…
Best,
- Gerald
This is great. i appreciate you working on this and sharing it with the world. i am trying to get focused and get rid of doubt and believe in myself. i hope this will continue to help me. thank you Scott.
- Omri
- Omri
Very nice chapter! Thanks a lot.
- ksaver, identi.ca/ksaver
- ksaver, identi.ca/ksaver
It’s interesting because for now i cant still find the focus that i should have.
Nice
- Bob
Nice
- Bob
It’s a very useful material i had ever came across , its a good concept of understanding the flow
-Ghouse
-Ghouse
Excellent [book]. First time here for me. I think I will be coming here often.
Paul Larn
simplediagnostics.com
Paul Larn
simplediagnostics.com
Really, I started so many things at the same time, never finish and i start over again.your article talk the reality of mine. I hope i will follow your principles.
-Desta
-Desta
I’m looking forward to reading more. Everyone has a purpose and I love that you’re helping people grow within that!
C.S. Bezas
csbezas.com
C.S. Bezas
csbezas.com
Great!
It still amazes me how people allow themselves to be distracted by pop-up notifications, push notifications on their mobiles and so on.
Anyone using mac OSX mail will be pleased to know that you can also turn off the red sticker that says how many emails are unread in the osx toolbar.
That sticker is a huge source of distraction, temptation and loss of concentration!
Latteperday
latteperday.com
It still amazes me how people allow themselves to be distracted by pop-up notifications, push notifications on their mobiles and so on.
Anyone using mac OSX mail will be pleased to know that you can also turn off the red sticker that says how many emails are unread in the osx toolbar.
That sticker is a huge source of distraction, temptation and loss of concentration!
Latteperday
latteperday.com
Great idea and content Scott! Look forward to benefiting from being a part of the project.
- Wil Beach
- Wil Beach
I look forward to reading more… I feel so much of this is on target, insightful and of tremendous value. I came upon the blog after searching the keyword “focus”, how to obtain focus.
I am in the process of crafting a career change. I am looking to pursue something creative ie. web-design, graphic design, photography. Have been spreading my efforts across all areas and am beginning to feel the need to focus on one in order to develop a level of mastery. I am having trouble deciding which area I feel most passionate about because I like them all. I am feeling stuck.
I look forward to reading more!
- Catherine
I am in the process of crafting a career change. I am looking to pursue something creative ie. web-design, graphic design, photography. Have been spreading my efforts across all areas and am beginning to feel the need to focus on one in order to develop a level of mastery. I am having trouble deciding which area I feel most passionate about because I like them all. I am feeling stuck.
I look forward to reading more!
- Catherine
Hello Scott!
I’m reading through all of this right now for the first time, and really enjoy it. I think the values thing is VERY important and something to think about.
As a side note, I know some people struggle with values and determining what they are. There are some AWESOME values card sorts you can find online by doing a search which are really helpful for figuring some of these out (for anyone who may be questioning them for themselves). Thought I’d put that out there since they’re a great tool, and I’ve used them with many college students and professionals (I work at a university)!
- Stephanie
I’m reading through all of this right now for the first time, and really enjoy it. I think the values thing is VERY important and something to think about.
As a side note, I know some people struggle with values and determining what they are. There are some AWESOME values card sorts you can find online by doing a search which are really helpful for figuring some of these out (for anyone who may be questioning them for themselves). Thought I’d put that out there since they’re a great tool, and I’ve used them with many college students and professionals (I work at a university)!
- Stephanie
I stumbled on this site while researching the thesis theme to reconstruct my site, and I’m glad I did. Dude…what you’re doing is awesome. I’m in.
Victor Powell
thescifibookworm.com
Victor Powell
thescifibookworm.com
I was actually at U.Va when I did the brain glucose studies you refer to 
. More recently, we’ve shown that insulin itself is a potent and obligatory modulator of cognitive functions; it’s a fascinating field.
Ewan McNay
. More recently, we’ve shown that insulin itself is a potent and obligatory modulator of cognitive functions; it’s a fascinating field.Ewan McNay
I am throughly appreciating your blook (blog-book) to the point that I can’t put it down, er close the page, oh you know what I mean. It gets my mind working in a good way and recalling my own moments of flow. It resonates with me a deep level. Being a product of industrial age education, not that you weren’t as well, I would appreciate more references in order to be able to reseaerch where your information is coming from so I may dig deeper (as encouraged in section IV above).
Mark Graves
Mark Graves
Hi Scott, as with everything I’ve read so far, very compelling & fun to read through.
However, I found that asking for our values directly after listing your own adds a fair bit of bias, and I find it hard not to agree with the 4 you’ve listed and adopt them as my own (though maybe this is just because I don’t have the focus to know my own values yet…).
I suggest moving this form to above your own statement of values, provided there’s a clear enough definition of the term, or maybe provide a link to some example values (sorry, don’t have one readily available).
Patrick Martinson
clearpathrobotics.com
However, I found that asking for our values directly after listing your own adds a fair bit of bias, and I find it hard not to agree with the 4 you’ve listed and adopt them as my own (though maybe this is just because I don’t have the focus to know my own values yet…).
I suggest moving this form to above your own statement of values, provided there’s a clear enough definition of the term, or maybe provide a link to some example values (sorry, don’t have one readily available).
Patrick Martinson
clearpathrobotics.com
Thanks for the site. I’m enjoying the content!
- Steven
- Steven
Your focuslist and the recommendation of having a simple pen and paper to-do list with calendar is working for me. I hope there are more such methods in this course. Thank you.
- Abhishek
- Abhishek
Hi Scott, I’m reading the whole book and keep finding every text more insightfull then the other.
I was thinking about your tip of doing one important thing at a day.
Cassio
devlab.com.br
I was thinking about your tip of doing one important thing at a day.
Cassio
devlab.com.br
I like your post very much! Great job!
I have one thing to add: PASSION! If you visualize what you have to accomplish and do it with passion then you are unstoppable.
I wish you all the best!
- Danka
I have one thing to add: PASSION! If you visualize what you have to accomplish and do it with passion then you are unstoppable.
I wish you all the best!
- Danka
I liked this chapter as well.
I like to “get lost”, as you say in certain moments of the day. Sometimes i read a good book (i must admit i fall for thrillers) or i just lay down and reflect about a lot of things. This technique helps me very much to arrange my ideas and also to put myself into a stillness state of mind.
Cheers.
- Dex Barrett
I like to “get lost”, as you say in certain moments of the day. Sometimes i read a good book (i must admit i fall for thrillers) or i just lay down and reflect about a lot of things. This technique helps me very much to arrange my ideas and also to put myself into a stillness state of mind.
Cheers.
- Dex Barrett
Love it!!! You’re advice and insights are truly valuable, Scott. My favorite from this one is the “don’t get fat at work” – so damn true, so damn true…
- Joseph Jacks
- Joseph Jacks
Great post as always Scott. Just want to highlight a word of caution. Remember that YOU are part of the outsourcing agreement. You can never outsource yourself.
- Shang Lee
- Shang Lee
Hi Scott
just a few comments i think many people listen to music and work at the same time (i used to)I sort of did an experiment for my recent exams – i went to a quiet room, took the corner seat facing the wall and just studied. No computer. No music. i realized that if i actually stopped listening to music altogether while studying my concentration improves.
Another thing i realized is that sometimes when i totally lost concentration it’s better to take a nap/relax then to keep “attacking”. Continuing just makes it worse.
Thanks for writing =D i’ll keep reading
Cheers
- Beng Hui (Singapore)
just a few comments i think many people listen to music and work at the same time (i used to)I sort of did an experiment for my recent exams – i went to a quiet room, took the corner seat facing the wall and just studied. No computer. No music. i realized that if i actually stopped listening to music altogether while studying my concentration improves.
Another thing i realized is that sometimes when i totally lost concentration it’s better to take a nap/relax then to keep “attacking”. Continuing just makes it worse.
Thanks for writing =D i’ll keep reading
Cheers
- Beng Hui (Singapore)
I’ve just started reading your website. Love it, I have already started implementing your strategies. I had a very focused day yesterday.
Ron Sell
Champions4life.com
Ron Sell
Champions4life.com
I thought that this whole article was interesting, and although I’ve heard a lot of this advice before I like how you have it all organized here. You did a good job of explaining how these different tips are part of a larger strategy as a whole.
- Michelle
- Michelle
Hi, Scott.
I’ve been following your articles for a while and i must say that they’re very helpful. Actually i already pre-ordered your book a few days ago.
I totally agree that we have to find our purpose in order to get a real satisfaction in what we do.
In my opinion, regardless where we work or what we do, our “mission”, if you will, is to leave some kinda trace trough the experience we gather in life. Or at least it’s what i think.
Apart from school, i have always been self-taught and that’s why i was able to have a job as soon as i graduated from school, and i’m really pleased.
That’s why i hated when friends and school mates said things like “You can do it because you’re smart” and i always felt like they must expect much from me because i was “the smart one”, “the gifted one”, which is not true, i just work hard and that’s it; there’s no magic.
Sorry if my english sucks; it’s not my native language. I’m from México, by the way.
Keep the good work.
- Dex Barrett
I’ve been following your articles for a while and i must say that they’re very helpful. Actually i already pre-ordered your book a few days ago.
I totally agree that we have to find our purpose in order to get a real satisfaction in what we do.
In my opinion, regardless where we work or what we do, our “mission”, if you will, is to leave some kinda trace trough the experience we gather in life. Or at least it’s what i think.
Apart from school, i have always been self-taught and that’s why i was able to have a job as soon as i graduated from school, and i’m really pleased.
That’s why i hated when friends and school mates said things like “You can do it because you’re smart” and i always felt like they must expect much from me because i was “the smart one”, “the gifted one”, which is not true, i just work hard and that’s it; there’s no magic.
Sorry if my english sucks; it’s not my native language. I’m from México, by the way.
Keep the good work.
- Dex Barrett
Scott,
I stumbled upon your project and find it terribly important. Work forces me to multi task, which I define as “doing multiple things in rapid succession, yet none of them well.”
- Daniel Priwin
I stumbled upon your project and find it terribly important. Work forces me to multi task, which I define as “doing multiple things in rapid succession, yet none of them well.”
- Daniel Priwin
I’m very excited about your project. I came across your “Eight Things Everyone Ought to Know About Concentrating” last night and it really spoke to me. I work in a very fast paced business but I’ve always had a certain level of success re: keeping up with things and accomplishing the things that matter the most. There has always been a lot of extra busy work/noise, and lately it’s been increasing and things have gotten out of control. I often find myself with 20 browser tabs open, and even though they might all be work related, my brain is scattered all over the place. I’ll work hard to put your theories and ideas into practice because at this point, it’s do or die for me.
- Scott H.
- Scott H.
I like the relationship of ;concentration’ to ‘flow’. I think most dopamine seeking behavior is just a poor substitute for the endorphin rush we get through finding ‘flow’.
- Marlon D.
- Marlon D.
I must begin by saying that I found this article while being distracted by facebook. That said, I typically find that I get distracted from my work, which takes a good amount of concentration, by the phone, emails that are meaningless to me, and IMs about tasks that I have already completed or will not work on for weeks. Once I am off task, I begin to wonder through all of the media by which I may need to communicate during the day.
The best way that I have found to remain on task is to turn off notifications for email, mark my IM status as busy or out of the office, and check for all notifications at specific intervals. I find that I need a break hourly from any given task, so that I can spend 15 minutes on distractions every hour or two (sometimes I just put my head back and try to clear my head of random thoughts that have popped up).
- Jim S.
The best way that I have found to remain on task is to turn off notifications for email, mark my IM status as busy or out of the office, and check for all notifications at specific intervals. I find that I need a break hourly from any given task, so that I can spend 15 minutes on distractions every hour or two (sometimes I just put my head back and try to clear my head of random thoughts that have popped up).
- Jim S.
Thanks for great [chapter]. I’ll try your tips.
Lya Santoso
fleea.nl
Lya Santoso
fleea.nl
Hi, I the same as Sean noticed this through Lifehacker during my Daily routine of “open all bookmarks in new window” . Look forward to reading your work. I have always believed that one’s Brain can be “re-programmed. I only need to learn how to keep it in the state of Focus on a more permanent basis and not let it come and go as it pleases. Thanks in advance!
- James
- James
Hi, I stumbled upon this post from Lifehacker; a great one, might I add
This is the only part of your book that I’ve read, and I haven’t noticed any mention of managing work time vs. free time. By free time I mean quality time, such as playing an instrument, being with the one you love, with your friends, etc. We cannot just live as drones dedicated to maximize our efficiency in completing tasks; free time is a must. It’s reasonable to find strategies related to getting focused on “howtogetfocused.com”, but still, I do believe well spent free time is an integral part of our lives that might even have an impact on how we work every day.
Regards from Argentina,
Rodrigo
This is the only part of your book that I’ve read, and I haven’t noticed any mention of managing work time vs. free time. By free time I mean quality time, such as playing an instrument, being with the one you love, with your friends, etc. We cannot just live as drones dedicated to maximize our efficiency in completing tasks; free time is a must. It’s reasonable to find strategies related to getting focused on “howtogetfocused.com”, but still, I do believe well spent free time is an integral part of our lives that might even have an impact on how we work every day.
Regards from Argentina,
Rodrigo
Hey, I just got to your book from lifehacker.com, and so far, I’m enjoying it very much! Thanks.
- Sean
- Sean
I came here through lifehacker and find this really valuable. Thanks for writing this.
I use RSS pretty heavily, and have not found a way to filter it. All of them look pretty good to me, and these are not news flashes or sound bites, but really good content. But there is too much of them. For example, I am a fan of Paul Krugman and I subscribed to his reading lists using the google reader. They are all pretty informative and interesting to me, but I am overwhelmed pretty soon. I have unsubscribed to all feeds in the past and then re-built the list to prioritize them, only to do it all over again. I am not sure focused syndication would work unless you put a hard rule and just say only 5 feeds are allowed, or something like that.
- Raj
I use RSS pretty heavily, and have not found a way to filter it. All of them look pretty good to me, and these are not news flashes or sound bites, but really good content. But there is too much of them. For example, I am a fan of Paul Krugman and I subscribed to his reading lists using the google reader. They are all pretty informative and interesting to me, but I am overwhelmed pretty soon. I have unsubscribed to all feeds in the past and then re-built the list to prioritize them, only to do it all over again. I am not sure focused syndication would work unless you put a hard rule and just say only 5 feeds are allowed, or something like that.
- Raj
A frustration of mine since I remember has been concentrating / focusing for prolonged periods of time.
I am looking forward to going through your material and making the change’s that I need to.
- D Granot
I am looking forward to going through your material and making the change’s that I need to.
- D Granot
Excellent article, Scott.
I’ve been reading a number of books and authors this last little while (Ziglar, Nightingale and others like Gitomer) and the issue I’ve always had a hard time with is the statement of goal-setting outlined for very similar reasons here.
I like your choice of word of ‘conviction’ instead of ‘faith’. I can’t help but intertwine thoughts of religion and god when I read faith, but conviction I can accept. Conviction seems to imply something that faith doesn’t, which is reflection of a thought and/or self, a concious steeling of resolve and the idea of “sticking to it”. For me, faith seems to imply asking and hoping that things will happen.
Can’t wait to read more.
CS Peters
I’ve been reading a number of books and authors this last little while (Ziglar, Nightingale and others like Gitomer) and the issue I’ve always had a hard time with is the statement of goal-setting outlined for very similar reasons here.
I like your choice of word of ‘conviction’ instead of ‘faith’. I can’t help but intertwine thoughts of religion and god when I read faith, but conviction I can accept. Conviction seems to imply something that faith doesn’t, which is reflection of a thought and/or self, a concious steeling of resolve and the idea of “sticking to it”. For me, faith seems to imply asking and hoping that things will happen.
Can’t wait to read more.
CS Peters
Hello i have read the 8 things everybody ought to know.Its really amazing facts and its so true.I will make sure to read the whole chapters because those information are really valuable and important to build a good organized mind and personality.
- Eslam
- Eslam
Lots of brilliant tips and bookmarked for later reference as well.
Do like interest, at the moment got a few projects to finish that don’t really interest me, I keep on putting them back, then putting them back again. I will do try to approach these ones with “interest, intrigue and passion”
Thank you
steve
mynext.co.uk
Do like interest, at the moment got a few projects to finish that don’t really interest me, I keep on putting them back, then putting them back again. I will do try to approach these ones with “interest, intrigue and passion”
Thank you
steve
mynext.co.uk
Very helpful; thank you!
Rachel R.
titus2homemaker.com
Rachel R.
titus2homemaker.com
Great chapter, insights, and research.
Huy Zing
Huy Zing
Scott, I found this chapter immensely helpful! Nice, bite-sized chunks that get help us get our minds around the topic of being focused.
I certainly could relate with the ‘busy-people’ syndrome and have experienced that ‘over-workload’! I had feelings of guilt and incompetence surface for a moment there, and then checked myself to realise that is exactly why i’m reading your material – to change these ineffective habits! Thank you.
May i add – point 3 regarding strategically lazy people: i was a little confused by dispensable vs indispensable. Perhaps it’s just i haven’t understood it properly? I would like to see a further example or explanation? Funny how i am having trouble with perhaps the very point at which will change my perspective! Yikes!
Can you elaborate?
Apart from that, i really enjoyed the following:
1. the brain processes meaning before detail (I will certainly make use of this at work!)
2. Concentration = driven by interest = driven by attitude!
I am often feeling the ‘odd one out’ at work when i display my enthusiasm, energy – amongst the ‘mediocre’ attitudes – but i will no longer feel embarrassed by that! Thank you!
I hope my comments assist you,
- Angel_Downunder
I certainly could relate with the ‘busy-people’ syndrome and have experienced that ‘over-workload’! I had feelings of guilt and incompetence surface for a moment there, and then checked myself to realise that is exactly why i’m reading your material – to change these ineffective habits! Thank you.
May i add – point 3 regarding strategically lazy people: i was a little confused by dispensable vs indispensable. Perhaps it’s just i haven’t understood it properly? I would like to see a further example or explanation? Funny how i am having trouble with perhaps the very point at which will change my perspective! Yikes!
Can you elaborate?
Apart from that, i really enjoyed the following:
1. the brain processes meaning before detail (I will certainly make use of this at work!)
2. Concentration = driven by interest = driven by attitude!
I am often feeling the ‘odd one out’ at work when i display my enthusiasm, energy – amongst the ‘mediocre’ attitudes – but i will no longer feel embarrassed by that! Thank you!
I hope my comments assist you,
- Angel_Downunder
Excellent work so far. I’m looking forward to reading all of the chapters and regaining my focus
- Sam Cranford, www.samcranford.com
- Sam Cranford, www.samcranford.com
You’re article was terrific. My approach is similar to using a focus list. I call it Laser Focus. I use my iPhone to carry around the top three things I need to do, but I don’t use a bells and whistle todo list like Things or OnmiFocus, I use Uncluttered Todos in the App store.
Jordan
avenuemac.com
Jordan
avenuemac.com
I live carrying a notepad and a pen with my weekly to-do list. I like to put the 4 or 5 “priority objective” to solve on the week and then to write under them the little tasks necessary to accomplish the objective. Extremely useful, and a big chaos for people that try to read my notepad 
Excellent post, thanks Scott.
- Nicolas Franz
Excellent post, thanks Scott.
- Nicolas Franz
I’m starting because i need to learn big time on focusing on one thing instead of other things during the day and with debbie on thursdays when she picks me up at work!
- Justin L
- Justin L
Great chapter, Scott. I find myself falling into a ‘state of flow’ reading this book. Reading this chapter, I am inspired. I am an entrepreneur and self driven.
- Nathaniel Broughton, www.GrowthPartner.com
- Nathaniel Broughton, www.GrowthPartner.com
Looking forward to start.
- Will Christie
- Will Christie
Scott – I will keep an eye out for your book – sounds interesting.
- Kadira, unfoldingcreativity.com
- Kadira, unfoldingcreativity.com
You’ve done a really great job on this. I love seeing the way your book is coming together, and you’ve really captured a lot of great techniques for email processing here. Awesome stuff!
Jared Goralnick, awayfind.com
Jared Goralnick, awayfind.com
Nice article. Particularly, “Whenever you feel overwhelmed with a project, it’s critical to break the project into smaller, actionable pieces and add them to your daily to-do list. ”
- This one really helps. All I had to do was to break up a complex task, write down point by point and tick each one of it as I complete it. End of the day it is amazing to see how much we have done.
- PK, www.taskbender.com
- This one really helps. All I had to do was to break up a complex task, write down point by point and tick each one of it as I complete it. End of the day it is amazing to see how much we have done.
- PK, www.taskbender.com
Right on. Cheers to you!
Hilaire, twitter.com/ilookinterested
Hilaire, twitter.com/ilookinterested
Actually, you’re right; we’re talking about “focus” and Social Media can be overwhelming for newbies.
I’ll keep your recommendations for future trainings with our customers.
We just let them use “pro” tools when they reach certain level of skills and confidence. It’s like blogging, we have to learn to read, before comment, and then, just then, decide if we want to fire up our own blog.
I’ll be waiting for your book!
Cheers,
Rolando Peralta, CommunitiesDNAblog.com
I’ll keep your recommendations for future trainings with our customers.
We just let them use “pro” tools when they reach certain level of skills and confidence. It’s like blogging, we have to learn to read, before comment, and then, just then, decide if we want to fire up our own blog.
I’ll be waiting for your book!
Cheers,
Rolando Peralta, CommunitiesDNAblog.com
Scott – Thank you for this great article. It’s really inspires me to be more effective.
- Niel S.
- Niel S.
Excellent advice … one can certainly lose their day tweeting and checking all day long. I do the ‘chunking’ and it works great!!! I have an egg timer to keep me on track.
Z’da, Lexxtech.com
Z’da, Lexxtech.com
Thank you very much! Reserve me the new book.
Jose G. Gonzalez
Jose G. Gonzalez
Thank you – wonderful article, clear, concise and nicely laid out. A real pleasure to read. Like anything on the internet, Twitter can be good and bad. Like anything in life we need discipline and understanding to maximise our time on it.
- Teeps, fine.art.photo.net
- Teeps, fine.art.photo.net
I thought this post was extremely valuable. Thanks
jennifer jones, jenniferjones.com
jennifer jones, jenniferjones.com
How interesting ! I have been thinking for a while that the key to a stress-free, productive mindset is to be “in the moment” while keeping the “big picture” in mind, and your dual short-term and long-term focus is exactly that ! Thanks for a great article.
Lionel Ancelet, twitter.com/LionelAncelet
Lionel Ancelet, twitter.com/LionelAncelet
Scott, right on the money on several counts, and a really well-written post. Just found your blog (through Twitter of course) and look forward to exploring a bit more!
As others have mentioned, I think it is very easy for people to get obsessed with the pursuit of big numbers and constant updates, which just leaves them feeling deflated when the followers come slowly and the updating loses momentum! I think it is all about going in with a clear plan and setting the expectation early on in terms of how often you tweet/engage.
In terms of the larger transition you speak of, I am personally getting much more out of Twitter these days, as I previously found it difficult to engage with the more trivial “making popcorn in my kitchen” type tweets. I now think of Twitter almost like a mind-reading search engine, with the people I’m following regularly “serving up” content that I find interesting, even though I may never have thought to search for a particular topic myself!
Be interesting to see how this transition evolves!
- Liam (@biggerplate)
As others have mentioned, I think it is very easy for people to get obsessed with the pursuit of big numbers and constant updates, which just leaves them feeling deflated when the followers come slowly and the updating loses momentum! I think it is all about going in with a clear plan and setting the expectation early on in terms of how often you tweet/engage.
In terms of the larger transition you speak of, I am personally getting much more out of Twitter these days, as I previously found it difficult to engage with the more trivial “making popcorn in my kitchen” type tweets. I now think of Twitter almost like a mind-reading search engine, with the people I’m following regularly “serving up” content that I find interesting, even though I may never have thought to search for a particular topic myself!
Be interesting to see how this transition evolves!
- Liam (@biggerplate)
Great tips. I am trying to do many of these, although I still learned something from this.
AnnaLaura Brown, annalaurabrown.com
AnnaLaura Brown, annalaurabrown.com
Great post. You nicely capture the subtle changes — and our rationalization about their benefits — going on in our digital world.
Ted Rex, designthoughtfortheday.blogspot.com
Ted Rex, designthoughtfortheday.blogspot.com
Great post Scott; I recently read an article by one of those evangelist which basically said if you don’t have thousands of followers and act just like me you shouldn’t be on Twitter and you shouldn’t call yourself a Social Media expert.
It was very disappointing that he/she stated this and I instantly lost the awe of his/her fame and expert status. For 13 months being on Twitter and others for my personal and business use have decided just as you say – I follow for the value and the relationship I have or hope to build with that person.
My follow/following numbers are small and I intend to keep them that way – regardless of what the “experts” say because it works for me.
Cindy Bruce, eoseasy.com
It was very disappointing that he/she stated this and I instantly lost the awe of his/her fame and expert status. For 13 months being on Twitter and others for my personal and business use have decided just as you say – I follow for the value and the relationship I have or hope to build with that person.
My follow/following numbers are small and I intend to keep them that way – regardless of what the “experts” say because it works for me.
Cindy Bruce, eoseasy.com
Wow… this is black and white. I am going to follow your site from today.
Cheers!
Boscan
Cheers!
Boscan
Looking forward to your full book, Scott. As is MY pug, Winston (no Mr.)!
Cheers,
Ted, tedlsimon.posterous.com
Cheers,
Ted, tedlsimon.posterous.com
Thank you for the great article! I am guilty of being on twitter about 3 days a week – but it does drive very targeted traffic to my site when I am on twitter. The other 4 days, I do see a significant drop in traffic when I’m not tweeting and working on other things.
Phyllis Cheung
my-wedding-concierge.com
Phyllis Cheung
my-wedding-concierge.com
Well done, Scott! and I thought u were just another surfer dude!
Dubai-Boy, creativemf.com
Dubai-Boy, creativemf.com
Hi. I think this gives a lot to think about. I am please to hear that other people do follower purges and block- If some one is spewing out what I would consider junk mail, I have no desire to have them follow me, and there is no chance I will follow them. Some of the most fun I’ve had on twitter was running conversations with several people- which happens serendipitously, but is a nice way to eat up 45 minutes or so in a hurry- and get some interesting ideas. That is not something that can be scheduled, and may not happen often if you restrict your twitter interaction to two specific times a day. On the other hand, I go days without getting on twitter because I am busy with other things, and I still manage to get the occasional conversation in.
Using lists I also use twitter- when I am there- in another way. Particularly because I am erratic about getting on, I have put the people I find most interesting into lists, which cut down the number of tweets to look through. Then, in a list on a topic that interests me, I look through the tweets and harvest interesting links into multiple tabs across my browser. I have found a lot of interesting information that way- and without a slavish devotion to checking who has just posted on twitter each hour. I go across the browser and check each link- close the ones that really are not for me, and read through the rest. That’s actually how I found this post of yours.
thanks
Rebecca
Using lists I also use twitter- when I am there- in another way. Particularly because I am erratic about getting on, I have put the people I find most interesting into lists, which cut down the number of tweets to look through. Then, in a list on a topic that interests me, I look through the tweets and harvest interesting links into multiple tabs across my browser. I have found a lot of interesting information that way- and without a slavish devotion to checking who has just posted on twitter each hour. I go across the browser and check each link- close the ones that really are not for me, and read through the rest. That’s actually how I found this post of yours.
thanks
Rebecca
Great post, Scott!
- Rishabh R. Dassani
- Rishabh R. Dassani
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for stating #6. I couldn’t agree more and have been preaching this for years. The value of Twitter comes from the fact that you choose who you follow. Not to mention, I’m building a Twitter based link gathering application that relies very heavily on the assumption that people only follow who they’re actually interested in. If you want to try it out, let me know.
(@marknutter), nuttersmark.com
(@marknutter), nuttersmark.com
Good interview, congratulations. I have a TV too, but only for watch some movies.
I live in a small town in Brazil, and I spent all my free time playing tennis or watching movies. I usually read some books and science fiction is my top pick. I love real science too, and Carl Sagan really inspired me.
I completely agree about productivity apps. You have to focus on what really matters now. If you forget a task an hour after know that, probably it is not important. A productivity app will help you create a lot more unimportant things, giving you a false sense of productivity.
luis, twitter.com/luisbebop
I live in a small town in Brazil, and I spent all my free time playing tennis or watching movies. I usually read some books and science fiction is my top pick. I love real science too, and Carl Sagan really inspired me.
I completely agree about productivity apps. You have to focus on what really matters now. If you forget a task an hour after know that, probably it is not important. A productivity app will help you create a lot more unimportant things, giving you a false sense of productivity.
luis, twitter.com/luisbebop
Great post Scott. I have my own personal account in addition to managing the account for my organization and I’m a firm believer in the less-is-more strategy. I think far too many businesses (and regular folks) get into Twitter with unreasonable expectations. Twitter for us has been a lousy tool for driving traffic to our website, but turns out to be invaluable in getting the attention of local print and television media. So we spend less time tweeting about every great thing on our site and instead focus on posting quality mini-releases and interacting with customers tweeting about what we do.
Sloan, twitter.com/swelldone
Sloan, twitter.com/swelldone
This is right on the money and exactly parallels the experience that I have had.
Gary Rowe, gary-rowe.com/agilestack
Gary Rowe, gary-rowe.com/agilestack
This is my first time to visit your blog and I would say you share nice information. You definitely do research and write very well. Keep it up!
Pacquiao Clottey
Pacquiao Clottey
I was excited to read you article about organizational help for creative people. I am an artist and creativity coach and find one of the hardest things for creatives is often to get a handle on their ideas and engage in the next step – production. I like the way their site is broken up into different areas that enhance the creative process and also take into account the intuitive aspect of creativity.
It is fascinating to see a company out there dealing with this issue
and indicates that perhaps the business world is beginning to understand the huge role that creativity has to play in its success. Thanks so much for your post, which brought this company to my attention – what a great resource! Im looking forward to keeping up withyour blog
KD
It is fascinating to see a company out there dealing with this issue
and indicates that perhaps the business world is beginning to understand the huge role that creativity has to play in its success. Thanks so much for your post, which brought this company to my attention – what a great resource! Im looking forward to keeping up withyour blog
KD
This is a very great information. I become knowledgeable about the subject. Thank you for posting this kind of information. Are there any other posting the same as yours?
- ConstantFocus
- ConstantFocus
Really excellent article, Scott. Being unemotional in business is often one of the most important things I see a lot of entrepreneurs forgetting about. Thank you.
- Jay Joseph
- Jay Joseph
Very good post, I thank you for taking the time.
It’s definitely given me inspiration and clarity to continue and improve my self momentum.
Mikael Tate, mikaeltate.tumblr.com
It’s definitely given me inspiration and clarity to continue and improve my self momentum.
Mikael Tate, mikaeltate.tumblr.com
Good advice here, I really enjoyed the interview. I’m a freelance web designer/developer who also lives out in the boonies, in a very small town in southern Spain. I love nature and I spend most of my free time outdoors; hiking, camping, mountain biking, flying kites on the beach, etc. That said, I love my TV! I’m not really into watching TV shows, but I do love films and I’m a gamer too. I wouldn’t trade one for the other, I like them equally. I think it’s possible to enjoy both electronic entertainment and the natural world. One doesn’t have to be so extreme as to throw out the TV. If it’s sunny and nice, go outside and play. If it’s rainy and cold, watch a flick or play some games! Balance in all things I suppose…
Also, I completely agree about productivity apps. One can spend so much time “optimizing their work flow” and organizing that they get no real work done! I often suffer from this, but I’ve found the best way to get work done is to use the tools you’ve got on hand and focus on each individual task completely. Oh, and of course, stop browsing the web. Shit… I’m procrastinating again, back to work!
Nathan, littlebiglab.com
Also, I completely agree about productivity apps. One can spend so much time “optimizing their work flow” and organizing that they get no real work done! I often suffer from this, but I’ve found the best way to get work done is to use the tools you’ve got on hand and focus on each individual task completely. Oh, and of course, stop browsing the web. Shit… I’m procrastinating again, back to work!
Nathan, littlebiglab.com
Half way through the page, I was thinking what a load of crap, but the article really came together at the end. I’m all for getting away from the “echo chamber.” Reminds me of a Henry Ford quote, “If I had asked customers what they wanted, they would’ve said a faster horse.”
Senthil
Senthil
Sell your TV” – soooo true!!
Human brain is not made to multitask and the distraction of a TV makes the brain switch focus back and forth between work and TV and so forth. Each time needing extra mental resources to pickup where it left off. How can one become creative or solve problems when they are distracted from solid productive state.
Since moving to Silicon Valley (CA) last year from Sydney, Australia my wife and I decided not to get a TV due to this reason. Time is better spent reading a good book and/or exploring the beauty of our world then watching TV. As Jim Rohn said “Leaders are Readers”.
Ernest Semerda
blog.ernestsemerda.com
Human brain is not made to multitask and the distraction of a TV makes the brain switch focus back and forth between work and TV and so forth. Each time needing extra mental resources to pickup where it left off. How can one become creative or solve problems when they are distracted from solid productive state.
Since moving to Silicon Valley (CA) last year from Sydney, Australia my wife and I decided not to get a TV due to this reason. Time is better spent reading a good book and/or exploring the beauty of our world then watching TV. As Jim Rohn said “Leaders are Readers”.
Ernest Semerda
blog.ernestsemerda.com
Focus is key to accomplishment. Very interesting project. I’ll take some dedicated time to read your published chapters
Take care,
Sten Morten Misund-Asphaug
corelizer.com
Take care,
Sten Morten Misund-Asphaug
corelizer.com
Hi Scott, I really like the living book here. You’ve mentioned your notecards several times and I would really like you to go into a little more depth into how you use them, what’s on them, etc. Thanks for the book!
John, johnkhawam.com
John, johnkhawam.com
Thanks for the chapter and little homework assignment. I already feel great and ready to accomplish things today.
Kevin Kaiser, kevinckaiser.com
Kevin Kaiser, kevinckaiser.com
I’m really excited about this book!
- Ashley Marie
- Ashley Marie
Stop waiting, and get focus back in your life now! Click here to begin
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I found this book very helpful. I am satisfied with the content but but formating of it’s pages was disgusting. I ordered a printed version and I supposed to receive a regular book but it was like a draft brochure. There was a table of concepts and it was unusable because pages are with no number! Sometimes title is in one page and fist paragraph is in next page and in some cases the last line (or first) line of paragraph is in another page. Getting a book in this condition is insulting for customers and reading this book was too uncomfortable.
Scott,
Just finished reading your book on the Kindle. Very thought provoking. I have started last week to put some of the principles into practice. Very mature writing style. Easy to read. Kindle version had a number of spelling errors. I assume these were not present in the printed version.
One note, I was hours away from ordering an iPhone. After reading your book, I decided against it. Thanks again for helping us to navigate the tricky world of 21 century distractions. Steve