Focus on What Matters—Not on What’s Urgent

What are some things you should say no to right now?

Have you ever felt that you “have to” do something? Maybe you spent long hours at work because your manager said they “need” you there.

Or attended a meeting to keep up appearances. Or made decisions solely to not disappoint your parents, friends, mentors, or anyone you look up to.

This happens to all of us. I see it all the time, especially with hardworking, success-driven people.

In his book, Essentialism, George McKeown talks about the “Paradox of Success.”The more we succeed, the more we prioritize what makes us successful — and the less we prioritize what’s really important to us In this way, success becomes a distraction, sometimes without us even noticing.

How does that happen? McKeown says it comes in 4 phases.

Phase 1: We have a clear purpose, which helps us succeed at what we do. This might be a degree, a promotion, or a new business.

Phase 2: Our success makes us a reliable “go-to” person in our field. We build a good reputation. People start coming to us. We receive more options, more opportunities.

Phase 3: More options and opportunities mean more demands on our time and energy. We don’t want to…