Michael Hyatt is one of the top influencers in the leadership space today. His books consistently reach the New York Times best sellers list and his company helps millions of leaders a year become better.
In this interview, Michael explains how to focus with far greater effectiveness in a world filled with distraction, how to work less and accomplish more, and shares dozens of practical productivity tips. Plus, he talks about succession and where he’s heading next in life.
Welcome to Episode 261 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
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Guest Links
Michael Hyatt | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Free to Focus
Episode Links
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Getting Things Done by David Allen
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
3 Insights from Michael
1. Stop total work and find freedom through productivity
People are going crazy with work, some would call it Total Work, and it’s consuming everything in our lives. Productivity should not lead to more work, but, unfortunately, it often does. Different types of freedom should be found through productivity, not more work.
Freedom to focus – which offers margin for problem solving and creativity.
Freedom to be fully present – both at work and at home.
Freedom to be spontaneous – interruptions offer opportunities.
Freedom to do nothing – breakthrough ideas don’t always come with an agenda.
2. Cut the things someone else should be doing and focus on your zone
Michael’s new book, Free to Focus, is all about achieving more by doing less. One way to do that is to make sure to stay in the right zone, the Desire Zone. We achieve the results we’re expected to produce when we apply passion and proficiency.
The Desire Zone: your work produces the most results and leads to more freedom because there’s clear focus.
The Drudgery Zone: your work has no passion or proficiency. Plenty of other people on the team could do what you’re doing, so it’s not the best utilization of your time.
The Disinterest Zone: you’re good what you’re doing, but possess no joy in the work.
The Distraction Zone: you’re not good at the job, but enjoy doing it. It’s a place to get lost in busy work and hide from more important responsibilities – the most dangerous zone.
3. Act with intention in order to be proactive instead of reactive
Imagine your ideal week. If you could design your schedule so that you had 100% control of your time and resources, what would it look like?
While it’s rare to be able to fully consolidate your calendar there are ways to structure it to better suit your work week in order to be more proactive rather than reactive.
Divide your time into 3 categories: Front Stage, Back Stage & Off Stage.
Front Stage: time for you to deliver the results you have been hired to do.
Back Stage: time necessary to prepare in order achieve Front Stage work.
Off Stage: time where work is off the table so that you can rest and rejuvenate in order to get back on the clock.
Quotes from Episode 261
Focus is the superpower in the distraction age. @MichaelHyatt Click To Tweet
People can handle no. What they can't handle is a lack of response. @MichaelHyatt Click To Tweet
Productivity should not lead to more work, which it often does...The goal is freedom. @MichaelHyatt Click To Tweet
Vision always precedes the resources. You've got to get clear on what you want, before you try to figure out how you're going to make it happen. @MichaelHyatt Click To Tweet
It's easy to leave failure behind, but it's harder to leave success behind. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet
Never do anything that someone else can or will do when there is so much of importance to be done which others cannot or will not do. -Dawson Trotman Click To Tweet
Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 261
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Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.
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Next Episode: Nona Jones
Nona Jones works for Facebook and shares about what most leaders are missing when it comes to getting people to engage on social media. Nona is also pioneering a way for churches to go beyond social media and dive deeper into social ministry. Plus she shares a host of tips and insights on best and worst practices on social media and where social is heading in the future.
Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 262.
