Erik Qualman - The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less

Whether youre a programmer, mother, executive, teacher, or an entrepreneur,

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF...

1. You feel stretched too thin by trying to do too much.
2. Theres no time for relaxation or deep thin king.
3. Youre completing thousands of tasks without achieving your goals.

Welcome to The Focus Project, a book designed to provide answers and solutions to the challenge of focusing in an unfocused world. Combining street science and institutional research alongside his own personal focus project, Qualman delivers practical advice on doing the important things instead of a bunch of th ings.

The following is a guide to pursuing less in order to achieve moreboth personally and professionally. We will realize that leading an overly busy life is a choice, but its not a wise one. Being overscheduled isnt something to be proud of; its something to avoid at all costs. Instead, we should choose to focus on what matters most.

This choice determines our success, happiness, health, and fulfillment. Successful and happy people understand its not about getting more things done, its about getting more of the big things done.

The pages within will help you learn the not so simple art of doing less.

If youre ready to start focusing on your best life, then please continue reading...

THE FOCUS PROJECT by Erik Qualman

Equalman Studios
Cambridge, MA
www.equalman.com

Copyright 2020 Erik Qualman

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or part, in any form without permission of the copyright owner.

Cover design by Anthony Ortiz, Illustrations by Sahiti Rudravajhala

ISBN: 978-0-9911835-7-9 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-9911835-8-6 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

For my wife and two daughters.
You are my light.

My Footprints

As a youth with little a plan,
My dad oft-asked,
What footprints are you going to
leave in the sand?

It meant little then,
But with time,
it became a motivating line.

If up to me,
What will be,
My ultimate legacy?

A legacy for me,
It would seem,
A far off, lofty dream.

After all, who am I?
Im just average,
Somewhat shy.

Then I realized something, you see,
It is up to me,
My ultimate legacy.

My grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
What will they see and think of me?
What is my legacy?

Will they see that I pursued my dreams,
Or that I settled,
For something in-between?

That I lived a life doing what I loved,
Or one filled with,
Shouldve, couldve?

Footprints remain for all time,
So I cant commit,
The ultimate crime.

What is that crime, you say?
It is, of course,
Not seizing the day.

Yes, before I die,
Id rather fail,
Than not even try.

I will reach for the sky,
Laugh,
And cry.

Ill cry from joy, not sorrow,
Because I lived for today,
And planned for tomorrow.

My legacy,
You see,
Is truly up to me.

Thats my view,
But now I ask,
What will you do?

Poem by Erik Qualman

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Following my keynote on Digital Leadership at the National Confectioners Conference, I found myself, as I often do, at the conference cocktail reception. However, this was not your average party. CEOs and business owners in the room had last names such as Mars and Cadbury. They lived in cities called Hershey. Intimidating. I decided my best plan was to grab a martinishaken with three olivesspeak very little, and ask many questions.

Bumping into a family founder whose name lands in every kids Halloween basket, I asked her to explain the key to her familys sustained success. Her answer, without skipping a beat, was f ocus .

Fascinating. I then asked for her greatest challenge. Her answer? Staying focused . Others in the room nodded in agreement. The words seemed to linger in the air: Focus. Staying Focused.

The next day I boarded a flight to India to keynote a Google client event. Everyone therefrom the interns to the executivesshared the same response to my question. Focus was the answer. This was also true as I visited with Facebook, IBM, Huawei, and Samsung. Trying to focus topped the list of challenges for tech companies. This issue wasnt limited to those in the Silicon Sisterhood. The same held true for school teachers, start-ups, parents, financial institutions, charities, stay-at-home dads, lawyers, health care professionals, consumers, government officials, and entrepreneurs. The same held true for me. I, too, was struggling with focus. Thats when it dawned on me. Those who will win today and in the digital decades ahead will be those with the ability to focus in an increasingly unfocused world. Winners will be able to focus while everything around them is constantly changing.

Which begs the question: Can focus be learned? Can it be trained like a muscle? Can focus become a habit? I would devote the next twelve months to finding these answers. I would test, discover, and uncover.