The Power of Focus

The Power of Focus

Yesterday, I went on a tech walk in San Francisco. Over and over, I explained to new people what I was building and why. Again and again, people seemed to not understand what value I was bringing to clients, althought they understood the business model. I've spent so much time as an entrepreneur, defining this business to other business owners, that I forgot how to share the value of what I am doing to people.

And that was my bad.

So I went home, and I sat down, and I really thought about it. In my head, I know that this is valuable, and meaningful, and real. I know that people need this. But defining it for others that don't have the context that I do, that don't do this day in and day out, that was much harder. When it comes down to the very heart of the matter, I believe that what I am doing is because of the power of focus.

At any given time, every person is living their own vivid and complex life. We may have similarities - educational courses, jobs or careers, family matters - but every person has a life that is constantly ongoing that requires their attention. To change this life requires a great amount of energy, determination, and focus that is not often easy to come by.

It is not hard to look around at our own lives and find something - or many things - that we would like to change. Perhaps we want to get more fit, or go for that promotion, or run for city council, or any number of other ambitions we'd like to fulfill. But life has a way of getting in the way.

There are only so many hours in the day, and you only have so much bandwidth to focus on maintaining your life, much less growing it. And the problem is not that you can't do it, or that you couldn't figure it out, but that you can't do it all.

And honestly, you're not supposed to. For millenia, humans have been creatures who rely on others to communally raise children, to perform rain dances together, to worship together, to grow crops and raise barns and create art together. And now, in this digital era, we act as if we are supposed to do it all alone, as if we can shut out the world and handle all of our own sh!t, and still have the space and energy left over to build ourselves up too.

But life is a relentless force that constantly threatens to push you off course, to keep your attention flitting from this thing to the next. A great financial planner keeps your focus on what will actually move the needle because the cost of switching between tasks is incredibly expensive. The best life plans come from deep focus work, not a few minutes here and there. So switching into 'plan your life' mode, doing it for a few minutes, and then answering a Slack message is incredibly ineffective. When I talk to people who are unhappy with their lives, very often I uncover avoidable macro mistakes that they made via this approach.

This is where the concept of "strategic debt" comes in. The longer you go without focusing on your macro, the harder it becomes to build a sound plan AND the more you reinforce your ineffective life planning habits. Every time an inflection point happens (you start dating, your car breaks down, you lose your job, etc.) your fall back to your life plan to see how you're going to navigate it. When your plan is not well thought through (and thus, more often than not, ineffective at serving your goals), you may make a decision that is not in line with your priorities, digging yourself into strategic debt. The more of these knee-jerk decisions you've made, the more likely you are to keep making them.

This is where focus comes in. By taking dedicated time, often with a friend or advisor, to review your macro you can ensure that your plan is ready to go for the next inflection point. With a sound plan, your response will be in line with your personal goals, and you can have a higher degree of confidence that you're making a decision that is right for you.

For many people, the value that I provide isn't solely in my expertise or process - it's giving them the excuse they need to take time out of their busy lives to focus on... their lives. Often times, my job is less of a traditional financial planner and more of a particularly skilled friend, giving you the space to think through the thoughts you may not have had the space to fully process.

So, whether it's working with a professional, a trusted friend, or your cat, I can't emphasize enough the importance of focusing on your life. Take dedicated time to work on your life plan. Think through what the most likely things are to go wrong, and how you'll respond to them. This process, above all else, will help you achieve the life you want.