As business owners, we’ve learned that we can’t do our best work sandwiched between meetings and phone calls. We need focused time for strategizing, writing, and working out difficult problems. You probably do too. But how many times do you get distracted in a typical day? Ten? Fifty? A hundred? Research indicates that the average worker is distracted once every three minutes. We’re swimming upstream against a flood of emails, notifications, texts, and drop-in visitors. You just can’t be productive in that environment. The good news is that regaining your focus is easier than you think. Just a few simple practices can slam the door on distractions and interruptions and give you the focused time you need for high-leverage work. I’m talking about things you can start doing right now, today. Here’s happening in this episode— You’ll get practical tips for getting in the “alone zone” so you’re not interrupted. You’ll learn about “meeting free Thursdays” and how that’s boosted our business. You’ll learn how to fight fire with fire, using technology to block distractions. You’ll learn what types of food are scientifically proven to increase mental acuity. You’ll see the connection between listening to music and problem solving, backed by solid research. You’ll hear the best method for ensuring that you take frequent breaks to keep your mind fresh. You’ll learn how the one tool you use every single day can become your firewall against unwanted meetings and visitors. Plus, our producers surprised us a pop quiz about our own favorite productivity hacks. It was a ton of fun! After you listen, we hope you’ll choose at least one or two of these simple hacks and start using them today. You’ll be amazed at how it will boost your productivity. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Books Rework by Jason Fried and David Hannson When by Daniel Pink Deep Work by Cal Newport Platform by Michael Hyatt Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Digital Resources Gail Hyatt’s Spotify Playlists to Improve Focus Classical Music for Studying, Writing and ConcentrationWriting and Concentration Film Scores for Studying, Writing and Concentration Soundtracks, Film Scores, for Studying, Writing and Concentration Freedom app Focus at Will site Focus Booster Pomodoro app Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you a Lead to Win subscriber? If not, you’re missing a major opportunity to get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen. If you need help, click here now for simple instructions. And if you’re really loving the show, we’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review.

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We are so excited to announce the release of my (Michael’s) latest book, Free to Focus: A Total PRoductivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less! In fact, we’re having a party! You can read the first chapter of Free to Focus here. Here’s what’s happening inside the episode— We outline the 3-part system of productivity: Stop, Cut, Act. We tell what makes this system different from the many other task- and time-management approaches. You’ll hear from actual users of the Free to Focus method, who talk about the transformation it made in their lives and businesses. We show you the surprising power of getting more done by focusing on just three tasks per day. You’ll hear how to claim up to $798-worth of free bonuses by ordering the book this week. We announce the winners of our free giveaway of all Michael’s books from among  those who shared this podcast on social media last week. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Free to Focus: A Total PRoductivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less Free bonuses for buying Free to Focus by April 13. Read a chapter of Free to Focus Michael’s Instagram Megan’s Instagram Subscribe & Review in iTunes If haven’t yet subscribed to our podcast in iTunes, do it today. You’ll get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Click here now to subscribe in iTunes. We’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review.

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We're so excited that Michael's new book is coming out on Tuesday! It's called Free To Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less and today you're getting to listen to the first chapter here on this bonus episode of Lead to Win.

Also, as a special extra bonus for our listeners, we’re giving away five bundles of Michael's best-selling books, Your Best Year Ever,  Living Forward, Platform, No Fail Meetings, and Free to Focus. For your chance to win, share this podcast episode on social media with the hashtag #FREETOFOCUSBOOK. We’ll announce our five winners on the podcast on April 9th. So tune in next week to see if you’re one of our five winners.

This episode is brought to you by the new book Free to Focus. To pre-order and receive $498 dollars in free bonus content, visit www.freetofocusbook.com.

 

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What’s your biggest distraction? Be honest! For us, there’s no question about it—our biggest distraction is ourselves. Too often, we find ourselves responding to text messages or jumping from low-priority task to another instead of tackling more demanding work. Well today, we’re going to show you how to beat distractions and make yourself more productive than ever! Research shows that the typical worker is interrupted about every three minutes! Worse, we often distract ourselves by checking social media or surfing the web. All those “little” breaks undermine your productivity. Today, we’ll tell you how to— Silence the noise (literally) that interrupts your focus. Gently but firmly discourage drop-in visitors from breaking your concentration. Use technology to fight technology, which so often interrupts your work. Increase your frustration tolerance so resist the temptation to bail on a task. Heighten your focus with music scientifically proven to help you concentrate. Use social cues to signal your unavailability for a “quick question.” Wean yourself off of dopamine, brain chemical that produces a momentary high when checking messages. This episode is sponsored by my (Michael’s) new book, Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less. This proven system has helped thousands of people end the overwhelm and regain their margin at work and at home. You can pre-order the book now and claim a ton of exclusive bonuses. The bonuses are for a limited time, so order now. Subscribe & Review in iTunes If haven’t yet subscribed to our podcast in iTunes, do it today. You’ll get practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your device every week. Don’t miss a single episode! Click here now to subscribe in iTunes. We’d be super-grateful if you’d also leave a review on iTunes. That’ll help others find this program so they can benefit too. We read every single review too. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’d love to hear what you think. Click here to rate the podcast and leave your own review. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Freedom app Google Voice Focusatwill.com “4 Ways to Turn Off Annoying Notifications on Your Android Phone or iPhone”

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What’s the true state of your business? We’re convinced most leaders don’t have a good grasp on that question. But you can! In this episode, we conduct a live coaching call with Andy Bond, a business owner from Chattanooga, Tenn. Andy recently took our Business Health Assessment, and we walked through his results and gave some pointers on Vision, Focus, Team, and Self-Leadership. This was a blast! We had a great conversation and dug into some of the key areas where nearly every business needs to grow. By the way, you can take the Business Health Assessment for yourself right now. It’s free and only takes a few minutes. We guarantee you’ll gain greater clarity on the state of your business. In this episode, we offered some practical next steps in these areas: How to align your business with your vision for your personal and family life. How to align your team around your vision for the company. How to regain focus after a busy season in your business. Why it’s vital to prune your business, even when it’s growing. How to attract and keep A-level players. How to scale your own effectiveness. How to delegate effectively. Andy reported that he gained a lot of clarity from this call, and we know you will too. This episode is sponsored by my (Michael’s) new book, Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less. This proven system has helped thousands of people end the overwhelm and regain their margin at work and at home. You can pre-order the book now and claim a ton of exclusive bonuses. The bonuses are for a limited time, so order now. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Andy Bond on LinkedIn Andy’s business, the Lea Team. Business Accelerator Business Health Assessment Free to Focus, Michael’s latest book “Vision Leaks” article by Andy Stanley “How Steve Jobs Saved Apple,” on the need for pruning a business Tell Michael & Megan What You Think There’s still time to take our brand-new listener survey. We want your feedback to keep making this show practical and enjoyable for you. You can take the survey right now. It’ll just take a few minutes and it’s totally anonymous. Don’t wait, because we’re going to close the survey in a few days. Give Your Feedback Now  

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What’s the best way to recover from a whirlwind of a day? How do you get the leaders you manage to take more responsibility? What’s the right number of goals to set in one year? Michael and Megan answer these and more questions from our listeners.   You will: Learn how to set expectations for your team members. Understand why setting too few goals is as bad as having too many. Get helpful tips for keeping work discussions from invading family time. Find out how to gain joy in a position that doesn’t totally suit you. See how the Full Focus Planner compares to the Getting Things Done methodology. Make sure to visit http://leadto.win for complete show notes.

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Leaders have to be super productive. The problem is that the digital environment is filled with distractions, interruptions, and repetitive tasks. It can be frustrating to get the simplest tasks done. It doesn’t have to be that way!

In this episode, Michael Hyatt rates and reviews his top 10 tech tools to increase productivity. Install these tools, and you’ll finally escape the distractions and interruptions that hamper your productivity. You’ll gain mastery and focus will help you get more of the right things done.

Pre-order Michael's new book, Free to Focus, at www.freetofocus.com.

For complete show notes, visit http://leadto.win.

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What would be possible if you were able to conquer your fear? Megan Hyatt Miller gives five simple actions that will help you conquer the fear that holds you back and tackle your most most audacious goals this year.

This episode is brought to you by www.focusedleader.com.

For complete show notes, visit http://leadto.win.

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Leaders never have all the help they need. But most of us have an aversion to asking for it. It invasive an awkward to ask for a favor. But it doesn’t have to! We’ve got 5 simple tips that will enable you to get more help—for free. Use them in your business, and you’ll never feel awkward about asking for extra effort again. You’ll gain the help you need to achieve your company’s goals, and you’ll create a happier workforce in the process.

This episode is brought to you by www.focusedleader.com.

For complete show notes, visit http://leadto.win.

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Healthy terminations make for a healthy company. Leaders inevitably must fire people occasionally. The problem is that most of us hate conflict and shy away from confrontational situations. That makes terminations incredibly stressful. But it doesn’t have to be. We’ve identified three simple guidelines that will help you turn a termination into a win for your company—and even for the person you fire. Use these in your business, and you’ll never shy away from managing performance again. You’ll gain the confidence you need to prune your workforce so it achieve at an even higher level.

This episode is brought to you by LeaderBooks.

For complete show notes, visit http://leadto.win.

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