A Look at a Task Focus and a Action Focus

Yesterday I discussed the “Hill Problem.”

The problem tackles how to get up the highest hill in a set of hills.

I put the issue in the Mission(goal)-Task(project)-Action(next step) framework and explained the reason a mission focus mattered.

There are consequences if you put that focus elsewhere.

Task focus:

The important part — The Hill.

This means that whatever hill that you find yourself on is now “necessary.”

Great if you pick the right hill, but disastrous if it isn’t. Just focusing on the Hill is time-consuming. This is worse with each hill.

Action focus:

The important part — The step.

If you put your energy on how each step feels, you begin to use that metric to figure out how to go ahead.

The difficulty of each step affects your next decision, and you dwell there. You think about the step before, and the test after, and pretty soon, you’re carrying far more than your baggage.

Not to mention, it might be the completely wrong hill.