Focus. You’re doing it wrong.
Most of the people I meet day-to-day are feverishly working towards attaining their dream life by focusing on some sort of home business.
And if I were to ask them if they are practicing extreme focus, nearly all of them would respond with an emphatic “yes”.
But MOST of them, I promise you, are not focused at all. At least not in the way that’s going to result in them achieving that dream life they’re hunting for.
Whether it’s real estate, network marketing, Internet marketing, blogging, or anything in between — simply working each day in your business or niche is not enough. That’s not focus.
Here’s an example.
Let’s take a typical day in the life of a network marketer. I actually have quite a bit of experience in the MLM world, so I can speak with confidence on the topic. But again, this example can be applied to just about any home business or entrepreneurial venture.
Sally, a moderately successful network marketer, wakes up and starts her day by checking her email, viewing her back office genealogy & commission report and prioritizing her callbacks for the day.
She then hits the phones for several hours, calling back her downline teammates to address their emergencies, does solo and 3-way recruiting calls to prospects, and fits in her personal errands for the day wherever she can.
That evening, Sally jumps on her company’s news and training call, which runs 2 hours, then caps her day off with the nightly 45 minute business presentation… which also runs several hours once she factors in babysitting the prospects and their questions afterwards.
Then it’s off to bed. Rinse and repeat the next day.
Sally is focused. Right?
As you might have guessed… the answer is no.
The act of working on a single business or opportunity does not equate to focus.
Here is my definition of focus. This is the definition that will immediately improve your results and get you closer to that dream you’ve been pursuing for so long.
Focus is when you’ve identified the various income producing activities (IPAs) & skills associated with your business or opportunity, and then focus on a SINGLE one of them… to the exclusion of ALL ELSE, until you have mastered it and/or automated it. Then move on to the next (IPA).
Each one of these might take you days.. or they might take you weeks.
Think about that for a second.
I spent a massive amount of my professional life “focusing” on whatever business it was at the time, yet getting jerked in a million different directions each day within that business. There was always something or someone that demanded my time, and felt important.
Then I began my first journey into the world of affiliate and network marketing.
I knew absolutely nothing and felt dumb as a rock.
There is only so much time in each day and it always seems to pass us by so quickly. I knew if I was going to succeed in this new world that I would need to focus on the core skills, one at a time, until I mastered each of them.
And that’s exactly what I did.
The company that produced the system I was following had published heaps of educational content on every conceivable Internet marketing topic there is. And this was in addition to the daily and weekly calls, presentations, and various other distractions they provided.
I ignored it all.. except for the one skill or activity I was focused on at the time.
I ignored the 2 hour long conference calls. The important information found its way to me eventually.
I ignored the hundreds of hours of video and audio. I would get to it eventually if it became important.
I ignored my phone and the “emergencies” pouring in. It’s funny how “emergencies” work themselves out without you.
If I were focused on email marketing, that is the ONLY thing I would work on. I would suck up the email marketing education. Implement what I learned. And repeat this process until I was seeing results with email and it became natural.
Then I moved on.
It’s interesting what happens when you get extremely good at ONE thing… the results from that activity start to grow exponentially.
I have a friend who is a master at using Facebook Ads to grow his lists and sell his programs. He became so good at using Facebook’s advertising platform, that he earns multiple six-figures a year from JUST this one advertising source.
Even if he weren’t also a master at LinkedIn lead generation, call center operation, and various other enviable skills.. his knowledge of Facebook alone would support a very nice lifestyle for him.
My focus last year was video marketing. I learned everything I could, devoted all of my days to it, and eventually became a master of it.
I still have a lot to learn of course! The day you stop learning is the day you might as well quit life.
But I focused on it so hard that I’m confident this one skill alone would support a nice lifestyle for my family, even if I threw everything else I’ve done out the window.
USE this approach and see what happens.
Get out a piece of paper or open a notepad window and jot down 3 skills or activities related to your business that produce the most income.
If you’re having a hard time or want a great tip on how to identify these skills or activities — look around you — what are the most successful people in your business doing to achieve their results. What are THEIR biggest income producing activities? Because they should probably be yours too!
Once you have your 3 things, pick the most important one. Then start right now on becoming an absolute master of that ONE THING! Do not stop or get distracted from that one thing until you could confidently speak in front of a room full of people about it.
Then make that one thing a permanent part of each day, or automate it somehow — and move on to the next one thing.
As the master says: “Your focus needs more focus”
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