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Buffett’s Three-Step Rule of Focus for Success

To set you on the right course, take a coaching lesson from Buffett himself. He once walked his personal pilot through a life-changing exercise in goal-setting that's since become popular in productivity and career circles. It's a simple, three-step process to set boundaries, say no to distractions, and home in on success. It goes like this:

1. Write down a list of your top 25 career goals.

2. Circle the five most important goals that truly speak to you. These are your most urgent goals.
Now here's the real kicker.

3. Completely eliminate the other 20 goals you have listed. Just cross them off, despite if they hold weight or some level of importance.

Buffett says those 20 goals are lower and not urgent priorities, therefore, any effort invested in them steals away dedicated focus and energy from your five highest-priority goals.
The point is to say no to everything on that list except for what you have declared, in your heart-of-hearts, to be the five most important things. These are what you should put all your effort and focus into achieving. The rest are merely distractions that will get in the way of your reaching your ultimate success.

As seen in Inc and written by Marcel Schwantes is the founder and chief human officer of Leadership From the Core.

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