The Focus Course

When defining what it means to “be focused” or to “have focus”, what are we seeking to clarify? What does it mean?

There are a two primary expressions of focus in our life. One as a noun and the other as a verb.

1. There is the attainment of focus in the form of a clear vision and priorities.
2. There is the skill of focus in the form of our ability to direct our attention on to that which matters.

The former, big-picture, high-level clarity comes when we know who we are and what we value.


There is also the daily skill of being able to focus on the task at hand and give our attention to that which is happening in the moment for us — from dinner with friends, a conversation with a loved one, an evening reading a book, or a morning spent doing research for our job.

The power of living a focused life is found when we have clarity about what is deeply important to us and we are able to consistently spend our time each day on those things.

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1: The Law of Clarity

The very definition of focus is maximum clarity. It is impossible to live a focused life without clarity.

This is true for the big-picture of your life, all the way down to the small tasks you do each day. You must be clear about what is most important.

Without clarity, it is impossible to set boundaries and priorities. Without priorities, it’s impossible to plan and to walk out your life’s mission. Without clarity, you will find yourself unable to focus on the things which deeply matter to you and your schedule will be filled with other people’s priorities for your life.

2: The Law of Boundaries

Those without clarity will see boundaries as tedious restrictions that hold them back. Those who lack focus will try to embrace a life without boundaries — they will try to do it all. They will say yes to everything.

A lack of boundaries is a symptom of a lack of focus. And it leads to a lack of margin, which, in turn, leads to burnout. When you are living in burnout, you are unable to give your time and attention to that which matters. You are unable to walk out your values.

Boundaries liberate you to live a focused life! Proper boundaries protect the things which you care most deeply about. Boundaries empower you to stay focused on that which is most important and to avoid the pain of burnout and the frustrations of unfocused responsibilities.

3: The Law of Ownership

It is a personal choice to live a focused life. And you must take personal responsibility for walking out your vision and values. As such, your goals must flow from your values because your needs are your responsibility – it is your job to take care of yourself and to do the things that only you can do.

Without ownership and personal integrity, you may find yourself ignoring the activities and roles that only you can do, or placing wrong expectations onto others in your life.

4: The Law of Margin

Margin is necessary for a focused life. Margin in our life means we have breathing room. Without it, you will be unable to give your time and attention to that which you care deeply about.

Akin to the Law of Tradeoffs, to recognize the Law of Margin is to celebrate your limits. When you have Margin in your life, you will have strength to lean in to your values, accomplish your goals, and, ultimately, to be present for the relationships in your life.

5: The Law of Sowing and Reaping

While you cannot control your outcomes, you can control your input and your effort. There are many factors at play in the Law of Sowing and Reaping. You will only ever reap what you sow… but, at the same time, not all outcomes are guaranteed.

Additionally, over time, as you develop routines and habits, they compound into significant results. A singular action, done once, will not produce any significant results. Yet, over time, consistent action compounds into significant results.

6: The Law of Tradeoffs

As David Allen said, you can do anything but you cannot do everything. In order to give your perpetual devotion to any one thing it will require the perpetual neglect of many other things. Focus, therefore, requires tradeoffs.

You can only focus on so many things at a time. And you can only focus for so many hours during the day. Instead of ignoring the limitation on your energy, embrace it and find ways to routinize and automate the non-trivial areas of your life so that even when you are not giving them your full attention and devotion, they are not being fully neglected.

7: The Law of Action

A focused life is a life of action. It means engaging with your values, pursuing your goals, and following through with your commitments. It means proactively directing your attention on that which matters. There is no such thing as a passive life of focus.

If you find that you are coasting through life, then it means you are no longer taking action. If you are coasting then it means: (a) you are going downhill (rather than climbing upward); (b) you are living off the momentum of your past effort; or (c) you are being towed along by someone else.

There is one thing that all successful people have in common: they have a strong bias toward action. They don’t let ideas sit around. They don’t wait for their goals to just happen. They show up every day.

8: The Law of Attention

Where you direct your attention, that is the direction you will go. Our mind does not easily differentiate between “positive” or “negative” focus; we simply focus on that which we are giving our attention to.


For example, when driving in your car: If you stare at the lamp post and try not to hit it, you just might drift right toward it. Why? Because that was the direction you were focusing on and giving your attention to, and thus that is the direction you will naturally go.

The Law of Attention means what we direct our thoughts and focus on is what we will move toward. Thus, direct your thoughts and focus on the positive directions and desired outcomes you want rather than the negative directions and undesirable outcomes you wish to avoid. This is why the 4-Focus Method starts with Identifying that which matters.

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