Exercise #3: Focus on Five Core Projects One of the simplest ways to overcome procrastination is to narrow your
attention by focusing on a handful of projects. The method that I
recommend is the 25–5 Rule. With this strategy, you’ll list 25 projects or
areas of your life that sound compelling, identify five that you want to
focus on, and make a commitment to completely ignore everything else.
To figure out where to direct your attention, I suggest completing a
seven-step exercise to identify the values in your life:
1. Get in the right state of mind by challenging every belief that comes
from an outside source. If you feel that a thought has been
influenced by someone else (parents, friends, religious institutions,
media, and so on), then take a few minutes to reexamine your
thoughts to see if they are something that you truly believe in.
2. Reflect on the times in your life when you were the happiest. Ask
yourself, “What was I doing? Who was I with? Why did I feel
happy?”
3. Think of the times when you were proud of yourself. What did you
accomplish? How did that achievement make you feel? What was it
about this activity that made you feel fulfilled?
4. Identify what has made you feel fulfilled or satisfied in the past.
How and why did the experience give your life meaning?
5. Determine your core values based on your past experiences of
happiness, pride, and satisfaction. Review the previous steps and
identify the common elements of these peak moments.
6. Align these experiences with value words like accomplishment,
enjoyment, philanthropy, and creativity.
7. Prioritize these values in order of importance.
After you’ve identified your values, complete another 30- to 60-minute
exercise where you identify your five core projects:
Write down (at least) 25 projects or activities you could focus on.
Take 30 minutes to examine this list and narrow down your focus
to only five projects.
Commit to focus only on these five items for the next few months.
