Curt Steinhorst - Can I Have Your Attention? : Inspiring Better Work Habits, Focusing Your Team, and Getting Stuff Done in the Constantly Connected Workplace

1. Chapter 4
2. Chapter 8
3. Chapter 13
4. Chapter 17
5. Chapter 18

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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To Rand and Reed.

The moment you came into the world, you brought it all into focus. You will always have my attention.

This may sound crazy, but I love chaos. I love noise. We all do. But noise is terrible for focus. Focus matters. The what, when, and why of focus shapes every part of our life. In a world where no one can focus on anything, being capable of it is an increasingly critical and unorthodox differentiator.

If you were to read my resume, the last thing you would think is this guy is focused. I've always had an unorthodox approach to business and life in general. I have had a rap career (YouTube Jesse Jaymes for proof). I cofounded a private jet company that we sold to Warren Buffett. I partnered on a coconut water venture that was bought by Coca-Cola. Most recently, I hired a Navy SEAL to live with my family and wrote a book about the journey called Living with a SEAL.

Regardless of the optics, focusing on what's important is perhaps the single guiding tenant of every major life decision and stage. Life is too short to waste it on the unimportant. Yet the potential for distraction is always there for me. And I've fallen into that trap many times. I still do. That's why I recently went to live in a monastery. To get away from all the distractions. To shut off all the noise. However, living in a monastery isn't a realistic solution for most of us. That's what I love about the book you have in your hands.

Curt Steinhorst was introduced to me as someone who could help me focus my speech messages. He, in turn, helped me focus what I stand for. He is thoughtful. Not only as someone who has thrived in the distraction agefounding four successful start-up companies, speaking internationally on distraction and leadershipbut as someone who has wrestled with the beast of distraction his entire life. Curt is not merely showing us how to cope. He knows distraction. Curt has not only had to overcome ADD, he has learned to overcome ADD in a time when the entire world has become immediately available, and he, in turn, immediately available to the world. Curt has not only learned to manage the demands of constant connection and technology, he has overcome them.

I like to encourage others: March to the beat of your own bongo drum. Can I Have Your Attention? is pioneering a new mindset. It's far too easy to let the noise of the world dictate the futures of our family, organization, community, and personal life. We can and must make intentional decisions about where we focus our attention, and put it toward the important things. That starts with you. I often remind others that they must cut the pie before sharing it. Take control of your time. You'll be surprised how much time you have to give to your family, your friends, your business when you eliminate the nonessentials. This book helps us get there.

Your business is a reflection of you. The better you are, the better your business will be. What's unique about Can I Have Your Attention? is that its concern is not so much distraction as it is the reason why we can't stay focused. Curt's goal isn't to create attention obsessed drones. With his eyes toward industry leaders and professionals, his goal is to help others become Focus Wise; to help leaders, professionals, spouses, and siblings reclaim their ability to focus.

In other words, no need to move in to the monastery full time. Can I have Your Attention? has the answers we need today.

Jesse Itzler
New York Times bestselling author
of Living With a SEAL,
Co-Founder of Marquis Jet
and an owner of the Atlanta Hawks.

CURT STEINHORST

with Jonathan McKee

Everyone at work loves Harry, and it's easy to see why. He responds right away, at all hours (when does the guy sleep?) and in all places (including vacation, if necessary). Team player isn't strong enough to describe him. No one in his office makes phone calls anymore, but if they did, there's little doubt he would pick up.

Harry is the ideal of reachability in the digital age. Harry is a digital saint.

At 9 AM on Wednesday, Harry tackles a major case study due Friday. He's starting a day early, leaving nothing to chance.

By the third line, Harry stops midstroke. He needs Rachel's numbers from yesterday. After a quick Control S, he switches to e-mail and finds, among the 74 messages waiting there, an invite for a department meeting this afternoon. Is he even available?

Switching to his calendar, Harry sees Vegas. He winces. The trip is only two weeks away, and he hasn't arranged travel yet. But Harry isn't just responsive; he's also responsible, which means he can't book a flight nownot without comparing prices (on a site that aggregates airlines and faresonly it's weird to him that they point to competing sitesor maybe they just