The Power of Focus

I've been on spring break with my family this week, which gave me more time than usual to slow down and reflect.

Here's the thing about slowing down: it's hard for me. It actually brings on more anxiety, not less. I talk a lot about being patient in the macro while having an intense bias to action in the short term. Those two things often feel at odds with each other.

The reality is, I am an incredibly impatient person. If someone tells me something can happen in a year, I force myself to find a way to shorten that timeline. That's just how I'm wired.

Being high agency and biased toward action — I do believe that's a prerequisite for success, especially early on when you're trying to get from zero to one. But as you get bigger, moving too quickly can actually be costly. And it's a mistake I make more often than I care to admit.

What gets you from zero to one isn't always what gets you to the next level. The old "measure twice, cut once" idea is something I could do a much better job of heeding. When you've built a muscle around speed and urgency, slowing down to measure twice feels unnatural. It feels wrong. But the cost of a bad cut at scale is a lot higher than it was when we were small.

I'm fortunate to have a clear line of sight into what I'm looking to accomplish and what motivates me. For anyone reading this, I think figuring that out first is paramount to being able to accomplish anything big. Passion — or better yet, obsession — will beat discipline any day of the week. Discipline fades. Obsession doesn't. So finding your "why" that feeds that obsession is where it all starts.

But once you're on that path, staying consistent is the key. And sometimes that consistency feels boring when you're used to a lot of action. You want to launch something new. You want to chase the shiny thing. You want to feel the rush of building again. The problem is that the shiny thing pulls you off the path that's already working.

So as we nearly wrap up the first quarter of the year, my challenge for you — and for myself — is to take stock of where you are in the macro. Make sure you're still pointed in the direction you set out on. Then double down on the small actions that inch you closer every single day. Even when it feels boring.

Especially when it feels boring.

It's time to focus.