How I Used Warren Buffet’s 3-Step Process To Find Focus In My 20s
Struggling to achieve success? This strategy could be the tool you need.
Part one: the problem
Why do so many talented and intelligent people struggle to achieve success?
This is a problem I’ve been thinking about for a few years. Because in my 20s I’ve often struggled to find focus and achieve my goals.
Creative people usually have a broad range of interests. They listen to lots of music, watch different films and read all sorts of stuff. It’s what makes them tick and gives them the ability to make connections that others don’t.
Having a broad range of interests is great. But if we apply the same logic to our work we run into problems. It’s easy to confuse being interested in a lot of things with the idea that we should try and be good at a lot of things.
Have you ever felt overworked, undervalued or like your missing your true potential?
Then you’ve run into the same problem as me.
Too many priorities equals too many problems
The problem is an abundance of priorities. Something that should sound like an oxymoron but to our 21st-century ears sounds kind of normal. Here’s the Oxford Dictionary definition of priority:
‘A thing that is regarded as more important than others.’
The idea of having several things that can be more important than others is a new phenomenon. Greg McKeown, in his book Essentialism, provides some context to this definition:
“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities.”
Having lots of priorities is a backwards idea, it doesn’t make any sense. At best, it leaves you confused and ineffective. At worst it leads to frustration, anxiety and a sense of worthlessness.
Recently, I found a system that’s helped me get some clarity on my priorities. It’s been a game changer because now I’m finding it easier to hit my targets and feel satisfied each day.
Do you know what your true goals are?
Until I came across this concept I’d never thought about goals in this way.
I had a whole bunch of priorities.
I’d never list any of them.
I’d never rank them.
I’d never organised my life around what was most important.
It’s no surprise I’ve written about how time used to be my biggest excuse. When really it was a lack of clarity that I was suffering from. I’d never nailed down what I wanted in life so I couldn’t focus on anything.
So here’s a question for you:
Do you know what your priority in life at the moment is? If you had to list the top 5 things that you’re working on right now, could you do it?
If you’ve had to scratch your head for even a second, then I’d suggest you read on.
Why we can only be great at so many things
Until you create focus, making decisions is hard.
Having multiple priorities is like being on a ship caught between crosswinds. You’ll get pushed in whichever direction blows hardest at that moment. And you’ll never chart your own course because you don’t know what your destination is.
If you want to get somewhere fast, you don’t take a detour. The same goes for being great at something. If you want to excel in a particular field, then you need to be kind of ruthless in your pursuit of it. You should be willing to turn down opportunities if they don’t contribute to your end goal.
“To follow, without halt, one aim: There is the secret to success.” — Anna Pavlova
This is why athletes focus on one discipline. It’s why you don’t see professional footballers competing in Wimbledon. It’s why swimmers only choose a few events. It’s why runners focus on a specific distance. They’ve given up opportunities in other areas to be the absolute best in their field.
Part two: the solution
Ok, so not all of us should or need to perform at the level of Usain Bolt. But if we’re looking to gain an edge and find success then we do need to create some clarity in our work. And that comes down to carefully chosen priorities.
So how do you narrow down all your priorities and find focus? I’ve been looking for an answer to this question for a while. And then I read this article.
It turns out, Warren Buffet had the answer.
The article above outlines Buffet’s 3-step strategy for creating crystal clear priorities. I suggest you read the story as it is both enlightening and well written. But for the sake of this article, here’s how it works…
Buffet’s 3-step strategy
STEP 1: Write down your top 25 goals. These could be career goals, personal life goals or even just your goals for the week. It depends on what your aim is.
STEP 2: Review the list and circle your top 5 goals.
Note: if you’re actually doing this, stop and complete steps 1 and 2 before moving on to step 3 below.
STEP 3: Now you have 2 lists. The 5 item list is list A. The 20 item list is list B.
So what’s the difference between the two lists?
List A contains your top 5 priorities. You should commit as much of your time as possible to achieving these 5 goals.
List B contains your ‘avoid-at-all-costs’ items. You should actively avoid spending any time or energy towards making these items happen.
Clarity of purpose is hard but pays big dividends
Not what you expected? It wasn’t what I expected either.
And at first, it was a hard idea for me to commit to. But as I looked at the two lists I began to realise where my problem lied. If I attempted to achieve even half of the items that I’d written down, I’d struggle.
I’ve been working on this strategy for a little over 3 months now. And guess what? Even dedicating myself to the top 5 is a challenge. I’m thinking about cutting them down to my top 4 as a result.
List B is kept in my journal right alongside list A. Because it’s important to remind yourself of what’s interesting but just a distraction.
Lessons like these are a tough learning curve. But they’re essential to creating the kind of clarity that leads to success.
Become less stressed and less distracted
The more I use this system the simpler my work becomes. If I get a chance to contribute to a list A item, I go for it. If I find myself tinkering away on a list B item I shut it down and move on.
“I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day;…so simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real.” — Henry David Thoreau
It’s kind of like training a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. The two lists make you mindful of what you’re doing each day. As a result, making thoughtful and strategic decisions comes more naturally.
Stress and chronic distraction are symptoms of our hyper-connected and productivity driven culture.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of both.
But it’s not unavoidable.
You just need a clear map and a compelling destination.
The power and pitfalls of simplicity
The beauty of a system like this is that it’s simple. The difficulty is that it is so simple.
Buffet’s two list strategy gives you the tools to measure your daily activities against. It also removes a lot of the thinking that’s involved in deciding what to do. So resist the urge to overcomplicate it or think that you can add a few extra items to list A. You can’t and you shouldn’t.
I’m still in the early days of working with this method. I’ll be looping back on this article in late 2018 with an update on how well it’s worked.
In the meantime, grab a pen and paper and start narrowing down your priorities. I’d love to hear how you get on.
I’d like to thank James Clear for his writing in general and in particular for his article that inspired me to try this strategy. Check him out.
Also take a moment to watch this great talk by Greg McKeown at Google where he discusses his book, Essentialism. It prompted the question I start this article with.
Shout outs to Hello I’m Nik and Glenn Carsten-Peters for their images.
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