18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done

This is the third day in a row where I’ve started no less than three activities within 10 minutes and made little progress on any of them.  I am distracted,  I am frustrated and I am falling behind.

That’s the moment that I glance at my nightstand and see the book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done buried under a pile of books.  ”A-ha!” I think, “This is exactly what I need to get back on track!”

As I rifle through the book, it becomes clear to me that I’ve gotten trapped in the detailed tasks that make up my day instead of keeping my eye on the overall goals that I’ve set out to accomplish through the year.  I quickly realize that I have been the thief of my own time and the main obstacle to not achieving what I’d set out to do.

If that sounds like you, then read on, my friend, and let’s see how we can transform our daily to-do list monster in 18 minutes.

18 Minutes is a brand new book written by Harvard Business Review’s most popular online columnist, Peter Bregman (@peterbregman). It offers a plan for getting the right things done in business and in life.

There are four primary sections to the book:

Section 1 – Pause – The examples in this section will prepare you for the rest of the book.  You will get into a mind-set that will help you to see the possibilities of getting the most out of your time.

Section 2 – What is this year about? I’m a big fan of Chris Brogan’s “three words for the year” exercise where you pick three words that will symbolize your priorities and efforts in the new year.  This is very much the same idea.  In 18 Minutes, Bregman shows you four elements around which you should focus your efforts over the year:

1. Leverage your strengths
2. Embrace your weaknesses
3. Assert your difference
4. Pursue your passion

Part 3 – What is this day about? – this is where you learn how to translate what your year is about into a daily 18-minute plan.  This isn’t really a new concept.  The Franklin Planner folks had this figured out, as do most people who are on a mission to achieve something.

I have a friend who likes to say that most people know more about what they want on a pastrami sandwich than what they want out of life.  Bregman is saying the same thing.  Figuring out what your year is about is huge, but keeping that goal in focus day in and day out is even more challenging for most people.

In this section, Bregman delves deeper into how to combine those four elements of who you are into a more powerful, more fully self-expressed version of you.  He relates a wonderfully telling story of how he repeatedly fell during a mountain biking trip because he found himself slowing down at a rock instead of plowing over it.  I could immediately see his point and thought of how I become sidetracked by certain events in the day because I didn’t plan ahead and acknowledge potential obstacles and how I would handle them.

There is a terrific list outline in this section that you can use immediately.  Just use those four or five things that your year is about as list categories; then put your tasks underneath.  Bregman also recommends creating a category called “The other 5%- Mine.”

When I saw this, I had an epiphany!  I’ve been using Google Tasks to keep track of my to-do lists and had created lists by Clients.  Now I see that I can create my lists by these four categories.

In fact, if you read my review on Karmic Management, you’ll find Bregman’s system works just as well with the 6 time lists mentioned there.

An interesting benefit you’ll get from this arrangement of your lists is the ability to quickly see which categories have an abundance of tasks and which ones are a little thin.  This is a terrific visual barometer that you can use to see if your day is the way you’d like it to be.  If it isn’t, you can quickly make a change.

Part 4- What is this moment about? I’m sure you see a pattern unfolding in this book.  Focus on who you are, what your year, day and moments are about, and keep your tasks focused in those areas–then you will certainly get where you want to go.

This section is all about being present moment by moment and noticing when you are about to get distracted.  Bregman discusses tactics for managing distractions – those shiny objects that clutter our day, those siren songs that ultimately steal us away from our mission in life.

18 Minutes: advice that’s easy to adopt

Granted, my current situation motivated me to read 18 Minutes out of frustration.  But I found the book to be engaging and Bregman to be a likable narrator.  He didn’t come off as better or holier than thou.  In fact, quite the opposite.

In the Mastering Distractions section he talks about going on an bike ride in the pouring rain because that was his exercise time and if his focus was on exercise, this was the only time he could do it.  He shares his constant inner voice trying to convince him that he should retreat to the warmth and comfort of his apartment, and then he tells us how he stepped out into the rain and even then was thinking bout turning back, but only five minutes into the ride, the rain that seemed like an irritant turned refreshing.

I was inspired more by his “weakness” than his determination in this story.  It showed me that I get to choose how the day goes and those choices determine how my life goes.  That was a powerful moment for me.

Integrity about who you are in the world trumps distractions

Chapter 33 is titled “Am I the Kind of Person Who…” This is an incredibly powerful chapter  because it brings to light that who we are in the world drives what we do, what we focus on and ultimately what we achieve.

Create a good story about yourself, and the actions you take throughout the day will flow easily and naturally.

Things I loved about 18 Minutes

18 Minutes is really well written.  Bregman is so engaging, real and open that his time-saving and life-managing techniques are like that spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.  He uses personal stories, many of which are somewhat self-deprecating, to show you that he’s struggled with the principles he is writing about.

After giving it more thought I realize that 18 Minutes has the magic combination of qualities I like in a book:

• Fun to read
• Short
• Practical
• Immediately implementable

Who will benefit most from reading 18 Minutes?

If you’re a type A personality who wants to squeeze the most out of your day, this is a book that will feed your fire.  And if you find yourself ending each day tired and feeling like you didn’t get to where you wanted be, then reading this book will help you pinpoint the time  takers that leaves your days and spirit unfulfilled.

This book is an ideal holiday gift for business owners who don’t want to make New Year’s resolutions because they know that nothing ever happens as planned.

If you’re dedicated to living your life and running your business in a way that makes a difference n the world, then this is a terrific, easy and fulfilling read.

About the Author

Ivana Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com , where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is the President of Third Force, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in getting your ideal customer to choose you. Ivana is the book editor for Small Business Trends and a contributor to AMEX Open Forum. She is co-author of the book "Excel for Marketing Managers."

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Is the American Jobs Act the Right Course for Small Business Growth?

While President Obama urged Congress to pass his $447 billion jobs bill combining tax cuts and new government spending, skepticism remains as to whether the package could kick-start the stalled economy and if it would indeed pay for itself as the President promised.

President Obama’s “American Jobs Act” proposals include a 50 percent cut in payroll taxes, incentives for businesses to hire returning veterans and people who have been unemployed for more than six months, and new spending on America’s infrastructure. The President said that the proposals would not increase the growing federal deficit, and that he has ambitions for long-term deficit reduction through spending cuts.

Although the President’s intentions are good, the plan is unlikely to have the intended effect and may not even pass Congress. The plan is well intentioned, but a little off the mark.

• The number-one issue right now is empowering entrepreneurs to start small businesses. To do that, they need capital. but banks simply aren’t lending. Many big banks have reserves on their books. President Obama should take a page out of Ronald Reagan’s 1987 playbook and vow to increase taxes on assets that are sitting idle if the banks do not reach certain small business lending plateaus.
• Although the President insisted that his proposals would pay for themselves, he did not say how. There is a high likelihood that the measures will add to the growing government deficit, which puts a burden on the economy and small businesses in particular.
• When government revenues don’t match its spending, it looks to increase revenue. My fear is that small business owners will suffer. Entrepreneurs don’t have lobbyists like big corporations do and thus are less likely to sway government leaders against taxing their businesses.
• Providing incentives for hiring returning soldiers is a worthy and sincere aspiration. However, the reality is that many veterans do not have the job skills to compete in today’s technology-driven economy. Any proposals should include some sort of training for veterans so that they can develop marketable skills – a 21st century G.I. Bill, so to speak. When people have skills they get hired. The same applies to long-time unemployed workers.

There are three things the President should have suggested, but did not:

1. Provide ncentives for small business lending. Tax incentives for hiring are nice, but if you don’t have capital to launch the business, they do no good.

2. Encourage foreign direct investment into new businesses. China has been very good at this. New companies create jobs.

3. Focus on reducing the deficit, which is a time bomb. Who will be most likely to pay the piper? Small business owners, who don’t have lobbyists and are an easy target for higher taxes and increased fees. (It won’t be the poor or the big corporations that pay.) A large government deficit limits access to capital for the private sector in general and small businesses in particular, as they do not have access to public markets. The deficit is exactly the opposite of what small businesses need to help bring America out of its stagnant economy.

President Obama is correct in saying, “Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers.” In order to do that, small businesses need an environment in which they can grow. He also was right when he admitted that people cannot wait 14 months until the next Presidential election for the economy to turn around. While the new measures would likely spur employment (currently at 9.1 percent) and some growth, they are not enough to solve the country’s economic woes.

About the Author

A frequently quoted expert on small business lending and recently named the “Top Entrepreneur of 2011” by Crain’s New York Business, Rohit Arora is CEO of Biz2Credit, which connects small business owners with 400 lenders, credit rating agencies and service providers. Since 2007, Biz2Credit has secured $400 million in funding for small businesses across the U.S. via its safe, efficient online platform.

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