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- Sep 08 2007
- 31 Comments
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Man, I love this blog.
I enjoy the give-and-take of this group as we hammer-out the challenges and issues in the Attention Age.
Your comments provide great material for Part 2 of The Attention Age Doctrine, which will be ready later this month. Thanks for your contributions and your patience. I promise, it’s going to be great!
As you may realize, one of the best attention-holding features of blogging is the opportunity to keep conversations alive. I do it here as often as I can.
While each blog post may survive on its own merit, it is also possible – and encouraged – to carry thoughts from one post to another as a viral thread.
After all, this is how some of the best ideas are spread.
That said, let’s return to the topic of Return on Attention (ROA).Return on attention is the performance metric by which we measure the value of the attention we "pay" to other people and ideas.
You’ll remember from a previous post that I asked about the return you are receiving from the attention you freely give to others. Thanks for your comments on this topic and keep them coming. You’ll see in a moment why I asked for them in the first place.
Think of ROA as a financial transaction.
When you pay for a product or service, you expect something of value in return:
- Pay for milk. Bring milk home and drink it.
- Pay for housecleaning services. Come home to a clean house.
- Pay for business coaching. Get Rich Schefren. :)
The return should always be of great value, otherwise, there’s no point in making the purchase.
Yet, as I’ve noted earlier, we tend to give our attention away to many things, asking little or nothing in return. Seems strange, especially if you are trying to succeed as an online entrepreneur.
Since attention is such a scarce resource, we should recognize its value and only exchange it for something of equal worth.
It’s like bartering diamonds for gold pieces. The value of each must be measured accordingly.
Yet each day, we let our mind and our attention wander away from our own business goals. We squander our intellectual capital and waste our energies on lesser subjects and ideas.
By doing so, we take our eyes off the ball with regard to our own business goals. We divide and subdivide our own attention to our detriment, diminishing our power to achieve.
Re-read that last sentence out loud. See if it applies to your own online business situation.
Giving away attention devalues its impact. It dulls the force of our competitive nature.
It’s like giving up diamonds for rubber bands. You probably wouldn’t do it if you were of sound mind – unless you received a helluva lot of rubber bands – so why do we constantly give away our valuable attention?
ROA often comes in the form of knowledge. It’s what we receive as a benefit for having paid attention to a customer, a client, a motivational speaker, or anything else.
What we derive from that experience should have its own reward for us, either in the form of financial gain, wisdom increase or future benefit.
Our goal, as always, is to convert that knowledge into wisdom.
Entrepreneurs are the alchemists of the online world. We are innovative enough to make gold out of straw. But we can’t afford to give away our well-earned wealth – in the form of attention – without receiving greater value for our efforts.
Global business strategist and author John Hagel III has his own take on ROA. He says it is "driven by the proliferation of options available to us in all domains of our life, increasing the relative scarcity of an increasingly valuable resource – our attention."
I couldn’t have said it better myself, so I didn’t. That’s why I’m giving him full credit.
Hagel suggests that virtual communities, such as this blog, can be powerful conduits in delivering ROA by enhancing good fortune.
In other words, you’ll become "lucky" just by paying attention to my blog. I completely agree.Don’t you get a rush of excitement when you "accidentally" discover a valuable, relevant resource of information that you didn’t even know existed?That’s what the StumbleUpon.com web site is all about. It creates value from other sites that we "stumble upon" as we navigate our way around the Web.
As a former baseball executive said a long time ago, "luck is the residue of design." You’ll be amazed at how lucky you’ll feel when you do things with real purpose – not just out of habit – like searching for knowledge to grow your business.
The challenge is to harness the power of these valuable resources and derive a healthy return on the attention we give during our quest.
How can you connect with others to grow? How can you take advantage of your skills for finding relevant "treasure among the trash" and use the materials as key building blocks for your success?
Your attention becomes an investment in that success. You have to mine the gems before you realize their value.
Let’s put it to the test on this blog.
Think like a big shot banker… Where will your attention receive the greatest "bang for the buck?"Share your attention wealth with my blog readers.
Tell me your top three goals for getting a great return on your attention.
It is possible to find treasure in the trash, if you know how to pay attention.
Let’s see if we can turn that attention into business gold.
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- Aug 23 2007
- 71 Comments
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"Interruptions are in the eye of the interrupted."
This was a key point in The Attention Age Doctrine, and one that really struck a nerve with many of my readers.
Information that you think is important to your business, may simply be an interruption to your business goals.
Trouble is, you won’t realize whether or not the
information is important until you’ve given it your attention.Since the release of The Attention Age Doctrine, I’ve received countless e-mails and blog comments about the distinction between an "interruption" and a "distraction" as it relates to business efficiency. While there are "dictionary differences" between the two, I’ll just give you my quick analysis.
An interruption is external. It’s a break in continuity, something unexpected that "pops up" and causes you to divert your attention. Examples: Someone calling your name, an e-mail alert on your computer, a ringing phone, a raindrop falling on your head, a bowling bowl dropped in your lap. Interruptions grab our attention by diverting our focus.
A distraction is internal. It’s an emotional disturbance that requires our own compliance. It’s your mind thinking about lunch options while you are in an important business meeting. It’s a gaze out the window to watch the birds fly by or the feeling that you left your iron on in the laundry room. There’s an underlying cause for distractions that divides our attention in a subtle way. Distractions may seem like harmless "white noise," but they can be quite, well, distracting.
Workplace interruptions and distractions serve one disturbing purpose: They take us off course. Every time we "follow the bouncing ball," our business goals get pushed aside.
By taking your focus off the "big task" of what your business needs (more on this in a sec…), your vision becomes clouded, your message muddled, your decisions diluted and delayed.
What’s even worse is that it becomes a habit. You end up conditioning your brain to respond in a similar fashion in the future. In essence, you are re-wiring your brain to work against you [I'll share the research that supports this notion, and how you can re-condition your attention, in Part 2 of the Attention Age Doctrine, coming out next month.]
Look, there’s a real reason why many racehorses run with blinders on. It’s so they’ll stay focused on the task at hand – winning.
So why is it so difficult for entrepreneurs to do the same? Why don’t we work with blinders on, avoiding interruptions so we can focus on growing our business and achieving our goals?
Maybe it’s because you love being in the race more than you love achieving the results. You enjoy the "busyness" of your business, but are unwilling to get serious about doing what it takes to succeed. You’re allowing distractions and interruptions to pull you away from your business goals.
My coaching clients often ask: How can I avoid the interruptions that are distracting me from my work?
An easy answer is to work in solitary confinement, but that has its own downside. A better answer comes from asking a better question: Why am I allowing myself to be so easily distracted?
No one makes us answer e-mails. There is no law, under penalty of death, to respond immediately to instant messages or a ringing telephone.
We can avoid interruptions and distractions if we want to do so. So why do we allow this to happen?
It’s always easier to blame an outside source for our troubles – a computer, a colleague, a PDA – rather than take that terrifying look inside ourselves to see what is lurking among the cobwebs.
Are we are our own worst enemy when it comes to distraction? Are we the cause of our own interruptions that take us off the path to success and down a spiraling path toward procrastination and diminished productivity?
Think about it for a moment. Each time you sit down in front of the computer you should do so with an ultimate goal: task completion. But getting from Point A to Point B in your business is rarely a direct line of progression – at least, that’s what you’ve been telling yourself.
The demands on our attention are infinite, but our attention is finite. So we have to keep focused on the goal of winning.
Every time we turn our attention away from our purpose – task completion – and toward something else (i.e., reading e-mail, mindlessly surfing the Web, chasing butterflies, chatting on the phone), we imperil our business goals and do our customers a great disservice.
We can choose to blame technology, our neighbors, family and friends, but really the blame is our own. It is our own refusal – note, I did not say "inability" – to eliminate the interruptions and distractions that cause frustration and prevent us from achieving ultimate success.
By allowing interruptions to sidetrack us – by giving in to the pull of distraction – we simply delay our primary gratification: the knowledge and pride in a job well done and the financial reward that comes with it.
Instead of doing what your business needs you to do, you end up doing what you want to do.
Let’s put that in perspective. You may not want to change diapers, but your children need you to do it. You may not want to pay taxes, but it’s probably a good idea to complete them on time each year. In both cases, you just have to hold your nose and get it done.
Successful entrepreneurs (in the right business) love their businesses. They shouldn’t "have to" do the job; they should "want to" do what is best for business development and ultimate reward.
This creates another immediate concern:
Do you know what your business really needs of you?
If not, all of the time you waste through "distraction" may really be the fault of your own "indecision." You must decide what your business needs from you (in a step-by-step list of tasks) and eliminate the interruptions and distractions so you can get it done.
Two days ago I attended a networking event in Texas that will most likely go down in history as one of the biggest gatherings of influential men and women in business and marketing. It was hosted by my good friend Stephen Pierce. Some of the powerful people in attendance were T Harv Eker, Jay Abraham, John Reese, and Jeff Walker; Tim Ferris, Armand Morin, Russell Brunson, and John Carlton; Mike Filsaime, Tom Beal, Jerry Clark, and Shawn Casey; Eben Pegan, Mike Litman, and Dave Lakhani; Janet Switzer, Yanik Silver, and Lori Morgan Ferraro.
At the event I had a great conversation with Internet Marketing legend John Reese. Besides getting some great marketing advice from him regarding our upcoming seminar in February, we also compared our approaches to getting our work done. And we both had a similar approach.
We both think about the goal we are trying to accomplish and list all the steps we need to do in order to accomplish it. Then, we get to work. John said (and I agreed) that often people get sidetracked or procrastinate because they haven’t taken the time to layout all the steps they need to take to accomplish their goals.
The list of steps helps grab and focus their attention.
Early radio and television programs used to be interrupted by breathless announcers with a familiar refrain: "We interrupt this message to bring you a special announcement…" The message grabbed your attention and wouldn’t let go until you absorbed it, at which time you were "returned to your regularly scheduled programming."
It’s time to get clear about what you need to do, focus your attention and "get with the program" of working on what matters.
So, why are you not achieving your business goals faster?
Do you have an interruption problem, a distraction problem, or an indecision problem? (Share your thoughts on this here)
Sometimes introspection can be a painful journey of discovery, but one we all must take.
So do it right now, right here… Then get back to work!
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- Aug 20 2007
- 70 Comments
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I was startled out of sleep the other morning by my 5-year-old daughter Ava. It was 6 a.m. and still dark as she ran into our bedroom screaming the ‘F’ word.
The word flew out of her mouth as if it was launched by NASA.
"FRIDAY! Today Is Friday!!!!"
What a great word… Friday.
Do you remember back when you were in school, how happy you were to finally get to Friday?
Unfortunately, for far too many entrepreneurs, the word has lost all its power. Even worse, that special "Friday-feeling" has also disappeared from our busy lives.
Yet, for self-described cubicle slaves and school kids alike, no matter how heavy the burden or workload, there is always Friday. For them it’s more than just a day; it’s an attitude.
- Friday is freedom from worry.
- Friday is fun, which should be part of every day.
- Friday moves us forward.
- Friday feels fantastic.
Any day can be Friday. It’s a landmark event that signifies triumph: It’s time to race to the FINISH (another favorite ‘F’ word) and begin the process of recovery from a batch of productive work.
I’m sure you’ve used the ‘F’ word on more than one occasion as your grow your business. Sometimes just one word like that can determine your attitude for the entire day.
In my coaching practice I’ve noticed that most entrepreneurs have completely lost the special feeling that comes from the anticipation of downtime after completing a task or project. It’s as if running their business has become a never-ending marathon with no finish line whatsoever.
If you don’t have a finish line, how will you know when the race is won?
So, what about you? How many ‘Friday’ moments have you experienced as an online entrepreneur?
What other words trigger action and emotion as you sprint to complete your projects and achieve your business goals?
I’m no wordsmith, but I’m beginning to pay more attention to language. I give my kids credit for this gift as they teach their dad a thing or two about ‘nice words’ and "bad words."
Watching my daughters learn new vocabulary words, and form their speech patterns, I marvel at the way their minds work. There’s a lot going on inside the brain of a 2-year-old when she tries to say “hippopotamus” for the first time. But the result of her accomplishment, however tortured the pronunciation, is a joy to behold.
I’ve also learned the power of words – their meaning and the images they project.
Some words hurt, others bring smiles. At times, simple words, and the rhythms they create in our minds when spoken, can be quite soothing.
Here are some examples:
Relax…
Replenish…
Recharge…Feels kind of nice, doesn’t it? Now, think about the meaning of those words and the images they place in our minds.
Relax… slow down, lie down, kick up your feet. Feel the ocean breeze and the warmth of the sun on your skin.
Replenish… cool water on a hot summer day, a refreshing dip in the pool after a long day at work. The feeling of nourishment we get after downing a fruit smoothie.
Recharge… the kick of an espresso to start your morning, the turn of an ignition key and the roar of a supercharged engine. You’re built for speed, baby, and ready for action.
Make it a point to incorporate these kinds of words into your business day today.
I know I’ve been talking a lot about information overload recently, but it’s important for you to realize how it will feel when you declare victory over it.
Where once there was information anxiety, now there is recovery.
Recovery is a very important word for all of us. And I am not talking about the type of recovery you get from a 12-step program either (Sorry, Lindsay Lohan fans).
Instead, I am talking about a time where you actually recharge well enough so you can come back with even more energy than before.
When you stop and think about it – and I strongly encourage you to do so – stress followed by recovery stimulates growth. Without recovery, continual stress leads to burnout or breakdown.
If you’ve ever been interested in weight lifting, you know what I mean. When you work out at the gym, you take your muscles past the point of failure. Then you must give your muscles enough time to recover so that they can rebuild and be better prepared for similar stress.
When training your body, if you don’t fully recover you’ll end up overtraining it. The net result is you get weaker instead of stronger: The exact opposite of your original goal.
This happens emotionally, too. Think about the traumatic events that were once devastating, but that you now recognize as empowering: Family crisis, the death of a loved one, the break-up of a relationship, the failing of a business venture, the loss of a job, etc.
The reason for this renewed strength is that you have fully recovered from the trauma and are now better prepared to handle similar stressful situations. But this time, you’ll handle them much better.
If you don’t allow for recovery, and you get hit with another crisis, it can be demoralizing for you, your family, friends and business.
If you’ve read the biographies of as many successful entrepreneurs as I have, then you’ve definitely seen this pattern of trauma, recovery, and victory in their lives. So many successful people go through some horrible reversal, but they recover, and later they’re stronger because of it.
Often, many battles are lost before winning the war.
That’s why the concept of recovery is vital to our growth. And you should strive to incorporate it in all that you do.
So how does this translate into your own life?
It means for every 14-hour workday filled with adrenaline and the promise of financial success, there must be rest and recovery if you want to be at your best.
It also means if you are struggling with information anxiety you’ll never get to experience recovery (and its resulting growth) because there’s no finish line – no end in sight. The race or pace just never lets up.
That’s why a “Just in Time” approach to information is superior to “Just in Case” methodology. By acting upon information as we need it, rather than hoarding information just in case we may need it, we train ourselves to be more efficient and successful. Because there is a finish line, there is a tangible goal by which to measure our growth.
Remember those soothing words: relax, replenish and recharge.
I’ll add another: RESPOND to this blog post and share your entrepreneurial challenges.
Let me know how your “recovery” stories have helped sharpen your business focus.
Some of the toughest times in our lives become the most inspirational. Some of our “lowest lows” provide our greatest life lessons.
Remember, Friday is a metaphor for recovery. With information overload, there is no real recovery, but there can be relief. And with no recovery comes burnout or breakdown. Relief brings its own reward.
As you experience “Friday” every day, let me know how your Friday moments are fueling your business growth.
Your attitude may be your greatest asset as you move forward.
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