richardkmiller's quotes tagged with 'focus' 
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We become masters of our lives in the same way—by focusing on first things first. We all have a pretty good idea of the most important decisions we need to make—decisions that will improve our lives and bring us greater happiness and peace. That is where we should start. That is where we should place our greatest effort.
Each night before I go to bed, I take out a small card and write a list of the things I need to do the next day in order of their priority.
When I arrive at the office in the morning, I check my card and put all my efforts into the first item on the list. When I accomplish that item, I move on to the second and so on. Some days, I finish every item on my list. On other days, some tasks are not completed. I don't become discouraged, however, because I'm focusing my energies on the things that matter most.
That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance--that is essential.
The Spirit has taught that Satan doesn’t have to tempt us to do bad things. He can accomplish much of his objective by distracting us with many acceptable things, thus keeping us from accomplishing the essential ones. We need to frustrate that distraction by identifying what is critically important in our lives. We must give the cream of our effort to accomplish those things. Where there is limited time or resources, this pattern may require that some good activities must be set aside.
Author: Richard G. Scott, Source: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=11954Saved by richardkmiller in effort focus time good bad best distraction better 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]There isn’t a single great work in the history of civilization, no novel, symphony, film, or song that was completed as a 1/5th time-slice between e-mail, IM, cellphones and television. Despite the modern drive to consume things made by others, time will always be our most finite resource and it crumbles when split into tiny little pieces. And it’s up to us to choose how much of life is spent passively (consuming, waiting, watching) vs. actively (thinking, debating, feeling, doing, making). Whatever we choose, when we die, we have no one to blame but ourselves for where our time, and attention, went.
Author: Scott Berkun, Source: http://www.scottberkun.com/essays/51-attention-and-sex/Saved by richardkmiller in work attention focus concentration time flow masterpiece 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]It’s knowing what to ignore that makes us successful, not how many volumes of data we can consume at the same time. Ask any successful athlete, performer, or writer about how they consistently perform at high levels and they’ll tell you about focus, and the discipline of centering their attention on what they’re doing. They practice and drill so that basic tasks become so familiar that they don’t have to think about them anymore, focusing instead on the details most of us miss.
Author: Scott Berkun, Source: http://www.scottberkun.com/essays/51-attention-and-sex/Saved by richardkmiller in excellence attention focus flow ignore 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]
As a further illustration of the need for focus in using and teaching from the great information resources of the past, consider the comparative value today of the advice Brigham Young gave to an audience 140 years ago with what President Hinckley and other servants of the Lord are saying to each of us right now, in this conference. Or compare the value to each of us of some other facts or advice from the distant past with what our stake president said at our last stake conference or what our bishop counseled us last Sunday.
Overarching all of this is the importance of what the Spirit whispered to us last night or this morning about our own specific needs. Each of us should be careful that the current flood of information does not occupy our time so completely that we cannot focus on and hear and heed the still, small voice that is available to guide each of us with our own challenges today.
Author: Dallin H. Oaks, Source: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db0...Saved by richardkmiller in information spirit focus guidance less 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Author: Steve Jobs, Source: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505....Saved by richardkmiller in priorities life focus 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]Focus on great for a few things and good enough for the rest. Perfection is a good ideal and direction to have, but recognize it for what it is: an impossible destination.
Author: Timothy Ferriss, Source: The Four Hour WorkweekSaved by richardkmiller in focus perfection good gtd great 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]Slowing down doesn't mean accomplishing less; it means cutting out counterproductive distractions and the perception of being rushed.
Author: Timothy Ferriss, Source: The Four Hour WorkweekSaved by richardkmiller in productivity focus gtd less slow 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]If you can't define it or act upon it, forget it.
Author: Timothy Ferriss, Source: The Four Hour WorkweekSaved by richardkmiller in focus gtd questions 6 years ago[save this] [permalink]