A dash of success?

Did you know Agatha Christie loved the – ?

I mean the dash.

She used it much more than other authors – to help you move along – but mostly to appeal to your natural “rhythm”.

You see, our attention span is somewhat naturally short.

We tend to naturally “drift off” every 4 minutes – for a period of about 4 minutes.

And our brain experiences a micro-mental lapse every 3 seconds on average.

So, if you’re someone who finds it difficult to focus on one thing at a time, it’s not completely your fault.

But the fact is, your success and profits are proportional to your ability to get things done – one at a time.

So what can you do?

Well, how about using your natural tendency for a short attention span to your advantage?

One of the keys – to get a lot done – is to actually have several projects on the go at once.

This is not about multitasking randomly though.

Here’s the deal: Find the usual period of time during which you can focus on something – without completely losing concentration. Let’s call it your personal “optimum focus period”.

Then divide your day’s schedule into time slots of that duration.

There are different schools on this. Some suggest 90 minutes, others 50, others less then 30.

You know, I imagine brain researchers, educators, and other experts would tell you otherwise… Just find what works for you now. You can always stretch that time slot later.

Now, say you have 10 business ideas, things to do, products to create, etc… Projects A, B, C, D, etc…

Break each project down into small steps you can each  reasonably complete in your optimum time slot.

Then start.

Focus on making progress toward completing project A – for the duration of your optimum focus period.

Take a short break.

Then do the same for project B.

Take a short break.

Then either go back to project A, or work on project C – for the same period.

Take a break .

The key is to shift your focus from one thing to another consciously – by choice. Rather than going from one action to another each time a random thought comes to mind.

The other key point is to regularly give your body and brain a rest – even if only for a few minutes.

If you find that you can’t complete each step in that time period, you simply need to break your projects down into smaller chunks.

The idea is to complete a step – before moving to the next one. But to make progress with several projects simultaneously.

It usually helps to limit yourself to working on 3 or 4 major projects a day. Rather than trying to squeeze them all in one day’s work.

But by the end of a week, you’ll have made significant progress on all 10 of your projects.

And since good old Pareto would tell you that only 1 or 2 of them will really be successful and profitable…

You’ll find the winning ones much quicker than if you forced yourself to finish one project before starting another.

Give it a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Have a wonderful day!
Yann

16 Responses to “A dash of success?”

1. jc mackenzie says:

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   Great idea, I’m going to try that. I’ve been keeping everything moving but it feels like juggling balls in the air. This has potential!

   Thanks

   JC
2. Rob Northrup says:

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   I call this “chunking” and it is a very effective way to get things done for me…

   It is even better if I have promised someone that I will get them the “chunk” by a certain date and time…

   I love “dashes” but I am even more fond of ellipsis as I find that they help to move people along…

   I use them all the time in emails.

   Seize the Day,

   Rob
   Sales Eagles Soar Above the Competition!
   Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
3. Lynn Lane says:

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   Great food for thought. I stay so busy I don’t have a chance to have a lapse. That is my rhythm. :-)

   Lynn Lane
   http://www.Warriorofsuccess.com
4. Don Shepherd says:

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   That works for me. i take turns about every hour when i’m home between the marketing stuff and my other business. when i’m at work i try to take a short break every hour or so to get some reading done. Great advise.

   Don Shepherd
   oregon or bust
5. Pam Schulz says:

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   Yann – This make SO much sense!!! I can see where I would be much more productive if I organized my time as you suggested. I am definitely going to give this a try!

   Thanks for the great suggestion!
   Pam
   Great Minds, Great Wealth: How to Raise your Return, Reduce your Risk, Cut your Cost
6. Duane Cunningham says:

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   Hi Yann,

   That was a superb post on getting things done with an awesome amount of practical advice from someone who obviously knows how to get the most use of his time!

   looking forward to the next installment

   Duane

   Learn Winning Persuasion
   Techniques that Work Like Magic by Tapping Into the Psychology of
   the Mind with Persuasion Expert Duane Cunningham!
7. John Ho says:

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   Yann

   Good idea to see you differentiate what you propose Vs the “multi-tasking” zig zag approach!

   John Ho
   Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (WordPress)
   Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (Vox Blog)
8. JJ Jalopy says:

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   This really gave me food for thought.

   I’ve never thought about it like this. Fascinating.

   Thanks Yann. I’m going to have a think about this. I generally have one main project at any one time, and a number of “background” tasks to keep other projects sizzling along.

   This “chunking” approach has really given me food for thought.

   Thanks.
   JJ Jalopy
   Life Coaching and Home Business Advice with JJ Jalopy
9. Lisa McLellan says:

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   This is fabulous advice Yann. It’s something I can really use. You have described me so well here. I am positive I have ADD. Halfway through reading your post I jumped up to do something else. Not because it wasn’t interesting – because I found it extremely interesting, but because I have a really tough time focusing on just one thing. I am going to try to employ your advice immediately.
   Thank you. Oh yeah, and I never knew that about Agatha Christie. I love the – too!
10. April Braswell says:

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    BRILLIANT point

    well taken

    I also like to use new paragraphs
    CAPS
    bold
    italics
    and bullets or * if I can’t bullet

    to help for the scanning eye to PERCEIVE and take things in :)

    ? is also fun

    All the best,

    April Braswell
    Dating and Relationship Coach
    Online Dating Sites Review, Internet Dating Sites Guide
11. Sonya Lenzo says:

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    I didn’t know that Agatha loved dashes, but I DID know I had a short attention span. This was a GREAT post and a good idea. Thank you.
    Sunny Marie
    Glamour and Glitz
    wwww.sunnymarie.com
    http://www.sunnymarie.wordpress.com
12. mark mallen says:

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    Yann, Great advice for all of us like myself, that have so called ADD. I actually work that way. I even read 5 books at once. I read a few pages or 1chapter of each. Mark

    Marketingscoops

    Glacier Ice Cream
13. Time management tips to achieve financial freedom... | ProfitsTactics.com says:

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    [...] A dash of success? [...]
14. Pat Becker says:

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    Return on Investment ROI You have a very productive way of looking at ROI in our daily life. Good thing to keep in mind when I’m allowing myself to over or underwork a project.

    -Pat
    Business Owners Fast Track to Internet Profits
15. Darryl Pace says:

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    This is great advice that I need to consistently use myself.

    Health, Fitness — Darryl Pace
    Fitness Product Review
16. Mitchell Rehaume says:

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    Hi Yann,

    This is a great post. All your posts just popped up into my reader today. I have some work to do to get caught up on your posts.

    Mitch
    Mitch
    BlackBerry Mobile Education
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