Focus Course Workbook 2

FOCUS COURSE
Coursebook
This very important workbook belongs to: _____________________________________________
thefocuscourse.com
focus | fo•cus
NOUN Maximum clarity.
VERB Bring something into alignment.

Direct one’s attention on something.
Focus is a valuable skill in life and

a competitive advantage in your career.
When you possess the skill of focus you have a superpower!
✓ You are able to manage yourself.
✓ You can set clear goals.
✓ You can achieve your goals.
✓ Your calendar aligns with your core values.
✓ You follow through on your commitments.
✓ You have clarity about when to say “yes” and when to say “no”.
✓ You have a reliable system for getting “unstuck” and back on track.
✓ And so much more…
After completing Focus Course, you will have the skills and the tools necessary to live a focused life.
Before you begin…
1. Why did you join Focus Course?
Something from the Course that I am hoping for is:
2. Write a note to yourself of what you will do as a reward to celebrate once you complete the course.
After completing the Focus Course, something I will do as a reward for myself is:
Some ideas and suggestions for ways you may choose to celebrate (with no comment or judgment toward practicality or legality): Go out
for a meal; have a celebratory cigar or drink; invite friends over for pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread); watch a favorite movie; get a
high five from a friend or family member; call or text a friend; write a congratulatory note to yourself in your journal; order 50 balloons to
be delivered to your house; share your progress on social media; buy yourself a pair of silly socks; skip leg day; play your favorite song
from high school at full blast while dancing around in your underwear; go get donuts; cozy up with a good book; hire a babysitter; go on a
quick weekend getaway; light up the backyard fire pit; ask your neighbors to all drive by your house in a parade while honking and waving.
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Course Overview
We suggest you take 4 weeks to move though the Course, doing two sections per week.
Vision Week
Sections 1 & 2: We will go through The 5 Components of a Focused Life plus the 4-Focus Method; you will
identify two core values; and you will write a draft of your Life’s Mission and Vision.
Assignment: Complete Sections 1 and 2 in the workbook, unto writing a draft of your Life Vision using the
template provided.
Strategy Week
Sections 3 & 4: Goal Setting and more. You will identify life goals for each area of your life and discover how
small actions tie in to the larger desired outcomes you have.
Assignment: Complete section 4 in your workbook, creating the goals and desired outcomes for each area of
your life.
Habits Week
Sections 5 & 6: You will brainstorm and identify habits that can move you forward in each area of your life (from
section 4), you will also learn about calendar and task management.
Assignment: Sections 5 and 6 in your workbook, unto an ideal schedule that allows time for your lifestyle
practices and focusing on the most important roles and responsibilities of your life.
Margin Week
Sections 7 & 8: We will learn more about resistance and distractions, margin, the importance of having
boundaries in our life, and how to use the 4-Focus Method to keep things on track.
Assignment: Take the resistance assessments in Section 7, complete any other unfinished sections of your
workbook, and craft your Focus Declaration.
.................................................................
The Focus Course and all material within this workbook are copyright Shawn Blanc and Blanc Media LLC. All rights are reserved. (v2205)
Please enjoy this class and pass along any bits of inspiration and wisdom you receive. But do not reproduce, redistribute, or teach any
portions of this course (written or recorded) aside from brief quotations, photos, or text-shots for use in reviews, blog posts, newsletters,
tweets, or Facebook or Instagram posts. Thank you.
4
Section 1: Foundations 9
WEEK 1 : PAGE 7 The 5 Components of a Focused Life
The 4-Focus Method (Intro)
Section 2: Honesty 19
Your Roles, Responsibilities, Values, and Legacy
Your Life’s Mission and Vision
Section 3: The Laws of Focus 41

WEEK 2 : PAGE 39
Critical concepts and mental models
Section 4: Life Goals 47
Six Areas of Your Life
Life Goals and Action Plans
Section 5: Lifestyle Practices and Habits 73

WEEK 3 : PAGE 71
Using Habits to Your Advantage
Choosing Habits to Change Your Life
Section 6: Time Management 83
The Ownership Matrix
Your Ideal Schedule
Section 7: Resistance 95
The Seven Areas of Resistance

WEEK 4 : PAGE 93
Inbox Addiction & Urgency Mindset Assessments
The 4-Focus Method (Recap)
Section 8: Margin 113
The Five Areas of Margin
How to Restore Margin
Appendix 127
Additional Worksheets
Conclusion 139
Next Steps
Focus Declaration
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VISION WEEK
Sections 1 & 2
✓ The 5 Components of a Focused Life
✓ The 4-Focus Method
✓ Identify your core values
✓ Write a draft of your Life’s Mission and Vision
Success for this week: Write a draft of your Life’s Mission and
Vision using the template provided at the end of Section 2.
After completing week one of the Focus Course and drafting my Life’s Mission statement, I want to celebrate by…
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SECTION 1
______________
Foundations
9
There are a few important skills that help you to live a focused life. We will be referencing
these throughout the class.
Personal Integrity
Your internal muscle that gives you the ability to keep commitments to
yourself and follow through with your goals and routines.
Focus
Day-to-day focus provides you with the clarity to know what to do and
the skill to persevere with the task at hand.
Creative Imagination
Your creative imagination and mental toughness both help you stay
focused on difficult tasks, find solutions to challenges and problems,
and do your best creative work.
The Progress Principle

Your productivity, motivation, and morale are all improved when you
are able to see that you are making progress on meaningful work.
10
To strengthen your creative imagination, create a list of
10 things you are thankful for right now…
10
11
The 5 Components of a Focused Life
12
Which of the 5 Components of a Focused Life feels strongest to you right now?
Circle the one area that feels the strongest.
Habits &
Vision & Values Goals Action Plan Schedule
Routines
Why do you think that is? ____________________________________________________________
Which of the 5 Components of a Focused Life feels the weakest to you right now?
Circle the one area that feels the weakest.
Habits &
Vision & Values Goals Action Plan Schedule
Routines
Why do you think that is? ____________________________________________________________
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The 4-Focus Method
A Flywheel for Living a Focused Life
Identify
Goals
Review
Celebrate Plan
Recognize Systems
Act
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1: Identify
Many people struggle to identify that which matters because they lack clarity about the bigger
picture of their life’s mission and vision. (“People perish with lack of vision.”)
2: Plan
When you have identified what is important, you must set aside time for it. Otherwise all you
have is a wish or a hope that gets no traction in your life.
3: Act
This is where you do that which you said you would do. It will naturally include your tasks and
actions, but it also includes things such as meaningful moments with your family, resting and
recharging, and more.
4: Celebrate
When you’ve done that which you set out to do, that’s cause for celebration! Reinforce your
positive actions and recognize that you’ve just done something that matters.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Which, if any, of the 4 steps in the flywheel are your strongest or favorite?
Identify Plan Act Celebrate
............................................................................................
Which, if any, of the 4 steps in the flywheel do you most often skip or ignore?
Identify Plan Act Celebrate
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Four Symptoms of a Busted Productivity System
Busywork
Spinning Your Wheels
Frustrated Reactive
Burnout Overwhelmed
& Anxious Work
Behind & Stressed
Procrastination
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1: Busywork (Spinning Your Wheels)
Doing tasks and activities that are not rewarding, they don’t add up, they don’t compound into
anything substantial over time, and they don’t really move things forward. Simply put, they’re
not the best use of your time. This happens when you lack clarity.
2: Reactive Work (Feeling Frustrated & Anxious)

When you find yourself reacting to the needs of others and unable to follow through with your
own priorities. There is always something else coming your way that you have to react to, and
you’re not able to proactively focus on the things that you know you should be doing. This
happens when you have no system for reliably planning and scheduling how to spend your
time.
3: Procrastination (Feeling Behind)

When you and/or your team have a hard time following through on your commitments. Tasks
get put off to the last minute or skipped altogether. This happens when you lack personal
integrity and/or a system of execution.
4: Burnout (Feeling Overwhelmed)

When you feel like you are on the hamster-wheel of hustle. You are feeling burnt out,
unmotivated, and can’t see how your current activities lead toward your desired outcomes.
This happens when you do not regularly recognize your progress and celebrate those small
wins.
.................................................................
Which, if any, of the 4 symptoms in the flywheel do you most relate to?
Busywork Reactive Work Procrastination Burnout
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SECTION 2
______________
Honesty
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Meaningful Productivity
Meaningful Productivity is the state of consistently giving your time

and attention to the things that are most important.
1. True productivity and time management are not based on efficiency,

but rather on vision and values.
This is why you must start with your life vision and goals before seeking to define what it looks
like to be intentional and productive (not just busy) in each area of your life.
2. Productivity “tricks” that promise lasting change apart from a

foundation of personal values, vision, and integrity are merely skin
deep and will not last.
It is important to identify what matters to YOU before you set goals, change your schedule, or
start new habits and routines. Life can be tedious, hectic, and full of challenges. If you are
spending your time on things that don’t matter to you, it will be nearly impossible to maintain
motivation and joy through the midst of life’s tensions.
3. The starting line for focus, productivity, and time ownership is to

have clarity on your values.
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Meaningful Productivity means bringing your
calendar into alignment with your values.
21
What are some of your most important relationships?
In the list below, write down the names of the most important relationships in your life, along with who you are to that
person. For example: Under Person’s Name I would put “Larry” (my dad), and under Who are you to them, I would put “I am
a son”.
Person’s Name Who are you to them?
22
What are some of your most important responsibilities?
In the list below, write down your role within your most important areas of responsibility. For example: student, boss,
parent, breadwinner, teacher, spouse, etc. Also, don’t forget to put down some of your personal responsibilities to yourself:
consider writing down “self-development,” “learning,” “exercising,” and/or anything else that is a responsibility.
23
Where are areas you make a contribution?
For example: being a spouse and/or parent in your home, doing community service, neighborhood chairman, HOA board
member, mentor, volunteer at church, a website where you write to entertain or teach, a podcast you produce, a book club
you host, a mastermind you attend.
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Your Roles
Review the three lists you just created (pages 22 – 24) and see if you can consolidate all of
your relationships, responsibilities, and areas of contribution down into 7 or fewer roles:
Your MOB
Without Margin, Ownership, and Boundaries (MOB) then it will be difficult to lean into, and show up for, your most
important roles. You will discover more about the MOB throughout the course.
Margin
Do you have the breathing room, health, and strength you need in order to lean into each area of your life? Margin exists
for relationships and thus it enables you to be present for your most important roles in life.
Ownership (is a mindset)

Are you taking personal ownership over the things that you can control? Without ownership and personal integrity you
may find yourself ignoring activities and roles that only you can do.
Boundaries
Do you have clear and healthy boundaries around what is yours to manage (and what is not yours to manage)? Without
boundaries you may take on more than you can handle.
25
Journal: Ask yourself the following questions about your roles
How often do I nd that I am consumed by one or two roles in my life, and that the others do not
receive the time and attention I’d like to give them?
................................................................................................................
If so… what are the roles which currently consume most of my time and attention and which
are the roles that I would prefer to give more time and attention to instead?
................................................................................................................
If I were to list out the tasks and goals that matter most to me in my life right now, how many of
them are aligned with the roles that are currently receiving most of my time and attention?
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What di erence would it make in the quality of my life to consider these roles on a regular basis
and to ensure that my activities are balanced?
................................................................................................................
Do I believe that it is within my control and ability to change which roles receive and require
the majority of my time and attention?
27
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Find and Circle 10 Core Values
From the list below, circle about 10 values and virtues that stand out to you as those which
you consider most important in your life right now.
Action-Oriented Adaptability Adventurous Ambitious
Assertive Authentic Belonging Caring
Cheerfulness Communication Community Compassionate
Consistency Con dence Conviction Courageousness
Courteous Curiosity Decisiveness Diligence
Empathy Excellence Excitement Faith
Focused Forgiveness Friendliness Full of Integrity
Generosity Grace Gusto Happiness
Hope Humility Independence Joyfulness
Justice Kindness Knowledge Leadership
Listener Loving Loyalty Mannerly
Open-Mindedness Organized Parenting Passionate
Patience Personable Promptness Respectfulnes
Rest Self-Su ciency Sober-Mindedness Sound Judgment
Stewardship Studious Sympathetic Teachable
Tidiness Trustworthiness Uniqueness Unity
Unsel shness Usefulness Vision Vulnerability
Wealth Wholeheartedness Wisdom Wonder
__________________ __________________ __________________ __________________
__________________ __________________ __________________ __________________
Write your own, unique values in the spaces provided if you don’t see some of your core values already listed.
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Phone a Friend
As you consider your core values and the vision for your life, it can be incredibly powerful to
hear from other folks in your life. (It can also feel awkward and difficult to ask them for input. But I
know you can do it!)
Group One: Friends and Family
1. Reach out to a few close friends or family members.
2. Ask them: “What unique character traits or values do I bring to our relationship?”
Example Script (feel free to copy and paste this into your own email / text message to a friend or family member):
Hey, NAME. I’m going though an online class, and I’m supposed to reach out to ask a friend about their perceptions
of my values. If you have a minute, I’d love to hear from you.
What unique character traits or values do I bring to our relationship? What is a value that you think I carry most?
Thanks!
Group Two: Peers and Co-Workers (Past or Present)
1. Send an email or text message to a few people whom you have worked with.
2. Ask them: "What is my unique capability? What do I naturally do better than most people?”
Example Script (feel free to copy and paste this into your own email to a co-worker):
Hey, NAME. I’m going though an online class, and I’m supposed to reach out to ask a peer / co-worker about their
perceptions of my talents and values. If you have a minute, I’d love to hear from you:
What do you see as my unique ability? Are there any values that I commonly express?
Thanks!
29
Phone a Friend Replies
In the spaces below, summarize the replies from the people you reached out to on page 29.
Person:
Their statement about me
Person:
Person:
Person:
30
Your Legacy
Look back at your list of roles on page 25.
Identify a few relationships that fit within those roles.
Now… imagine that each of those people are speaking at your funeral…
Using the spots on the following pages (32 – 33), for each of those few people from your roles,
write:
1. Their name (Jane Smith) OR their anonymous role (co-worker).
2. A character trait, value, or legacy you hope you’ll have passed on to that person.
3. What is something related to that character trait, value, or legacy that you would want
them to say about you at the end of your life?
Sample Legacy Statement
Person: G i (m s )
Character trait, value, or legacy I passed along
G i
M a a ag sm , n t a o a n v o m .I v o a
m g i n b s, n a a h v p n .
t o e g i o t u m c g s w . n
w 't s g s t i m . a a w v i m u f n
p h n i h .
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32
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Choosing Your Top 2 Core Values
Looking back at the previous pages and the values you circled (pg. 28), the values your friends,
family, and co-workers identified (pg. 30), and the values you identified for your most
important roles (pg. 32 – 33)….
Pick the two values that mean the most to you.
First, list the two values which you feel are the most important in your life and the most
influential toward your decisions and actions. Write them in the blank spaces below.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Now, assign a priority ranking of 1st and 2nd for the values listed above (with #1 being the
value that you consider to be MOST important to your life right now).
Choosing your top 2 values may feel impossible! But rest easy. By identifying these top values does not mean you are
ignoring all other values that you consider important. You are simply recognizing that these 2 values play the most critical
role in your life right now. Your values can (and probably will) change. Different seasons of our life, we often hold different
values to be more or less important.
Also, consider if there is a value that serves as a larger “umbrella” value — one which encompasses or includes several
other values that are important to you.
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How Do You Express Your Top 2 Core Values?
Describe how you express your core values as if you already live each value out exactly as you would
want to. Many of us see our faults all too well, or we are still maturing in our ability to express our
values; that’s okay. In this spot, I want you to describe it as if you do it perfectly all the time.
Value (example): L
Description (example)
I al p .I v m l t r h ,l g, s m e , n
n b o r h s m I e m .I v o l p t n a
o w n b p ,k ,j ,h , n t f t t .
Value # 1:
Description
Value # 2:
Description
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Your Life Vision and Mission
Using your answers from the previous worksheets, plug them into the template below.
This will get you started with a first draft of your life’s mission statement. You can always edit and
rewrite it or completely start over from scratch with something else entirely.
In my roles as a [your roles from page 25], I want to express, impart,

and exemplify the values of [values from page 34], by [paraphrase your
value descriptions from page 35].
Write your life vision and mission in the space below:
Your life vision and mission is something you can do no matter what season of life you are in. It should not matter what
your job is, where you live, what your financial situation is, or what relationships you have, etc. You should be able to walk
out this vision and mission in any situation and under any circumstance.
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Notes
__________________________________________________________________________________
37
VISION WEEK
Wrap-up
Most Important
I drafted my life vision and mission
Bonus
Identified my core values
Bonus
Celebrated the completion of Vision Week
My key takeaway from week one:
38
STRATEGY WEEK
Sections 3 & 4
✓ The Laws of Focus
✓ The Six Areas of Life
✓ Goal Setting
Success for this week: Complete a goal setting worksheet for

at least two areas of your life, but ideally for every area.
After completing week two of the Focus Course and setting goals and action plans for important areas of my life,
I want to celebrate by…
39
40
SECTION 3
______________
The 8 Laws of Focus
41
The 8 Laws of Focus
When defining what it means to “be focused” or to “have focus”, what are we seeking to
clarify? What does it mean?
There are a two primary expressions of focus in our life. One as a noun and the other as a verb.
1. There is the attainment of focus in the form of a clear vision and priorities.
2. There is the skill of focus in the form of our ability to direct our attention on to that
which matters.
The former, big-picture, high-level clarity comes when we know who we are and what we
value.
There is also the daily skill of being able to focus on the task at hand and give our attention to
that which is happening in the moment for us — from dinner with friends, a conversation with
a loved one, an evening reading a book, or a morning spent doing research for our job.
The power of living a focused life is found when we have clarity

about what is deeply important to us and we are able to
consistently spend our time each day on those things.
1: The Law of Clarity

The very definition of focus is maximum clarity. It is impossible to live a focused life without clarity.
This is true for the big-picture of your life, all the way down to the small tasks you do each day. You
must be clear about what is most important.
Without clarity, it is impossible to set boundaries and priorities. Without priorities, it’s impossible to
plan and to walk out your life’s mission. Without clarity, you will find yourself unable to focus on the
things which deeply matter to you and your schedule will be filled with other people’s priorities for your
life.
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2: The Law of Boundaries
Those without clarity will see boundaries as tedious restrictions that hold them back. Those who lack
focus will try to embrace a life without boundaries — they will try to do it all. They will say yes to
everything.
A lack of boundaries is a symptom of a lack of focus. And it leads to a lack of margin, which, in turn,
leads to burnout. When you are living in burnout, you are unable to give your time and attention to that
which matters. You are unable to walk out your values.
Boundaries liberate you to live a focused life! Proper boundaries protect the things which you care most
deeply about. Boundaries empower you to stay focused on that which is most important and to avoid
the pain of burnout and the frustrations of unfocused responsibilities.
3: The Law of Ownership

It is a personal choice to live a focused life. And you must take personal responsibility for walking out
your vision and values. As such, your goals must flow from your values because your needs are your
responsibility - it is your job to take care of yourself and to do the things that only you can do.
Without ownership and personal integrity, you may find yourself ignoring the activities and roles that
only you can do, or placing wrong expectations onto others in your life.
4: The Law of Margin

Margin is necessary for a focused life. Margin in our life means we have breathing room. Without it,
you will be unable to give your time and attention to that which you care deeply about.
Akin to the Law of Tradeoffs, to recognize the Law of Margin is to celebrate your limits. When you
have Margin in your life, you will have strength to lean in to your values, accomplish your goals, and,
ultimately, to be present for the relationships in your life.
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5: The Law of Sowing and Reaping
While you cannot control your outcomes, you can control your input and your effort. There are many
factors at play in the Law of Sowing and Reaping. You will only ever reap what you sow… but, at the
same time, not all outcomes are guaranteed.
Additionally, over time, as you develop routines and habits, they compound into significant results. A
singular action, done once, will not produce any significant results. Yet, over time, consistent action
compounds into significant results.
6: The Law of Tradeo s

As David Allen said, you can do anything but you cannot do everything. In order to give your perpetual
devotion to any one thing it will require the perpetual neglect of many other things. Focus, therefore,
requires tradeoffs.
You can only focus on so many things at a time. And you can only focus for so many hours during the
day. Instead of ignoring the limitation on your energy, embrace it and find ways to routinize and
automate the non-trivial areas of your life so that even when you are not giving them your full attention
and devotion, they are not being fully neglected.
7: The Law of Action

A focused life is a life of action. It means engaging with your values, pursuing your goals, and following
through with your commitments. It means proactively directing your attention on that which matters.
There is no such thing as a passive life of focus.
If you find that you are coasting through life, then it means you are no longer taking action. If you are
coasting then it means: (a) you are going downhill (rather than climbing upward); (b) you are living off
the momentum of your past effort; or (c) you are being towed along by someone else.
There is one thing that all successful people have in common: they have a strong bias toward action.
They don’t let ideas sit around. They don’t wait for their goals to just happen. They show up every day.
44
ff
8: The Law of Attention
Where you direct your attention, that is the direction you will go. Our mind does not easily differentiate
between “positive” or “negative” focus; we simply focus on that which we are giving our attention to.
For example, when driving in your car: If you stare at the lamp post and try not to hit it, you just might
drift right toward it. Why? Because that was the direction you were focusing on and giving your
attention to, and thus that is the direction you will naturally go.
The Law of Attention means what we direct our thoughts and focus on is what we will move toward.
Thus, direct your thoughts and focus on the positive directions and desired outcomes you want rather
than the negative directions and undesirable outcomes you wish to avoid. This is why the 4-Focus
Method starts with Identifying that which matters.
Notes
__________________________________________________________________________________
45
46
SECTION 4
______________
Life Goals
47
The Six Areas of Your Life
Physical
Career Relationships
Health
Rest &
Inner-Personal Finances
Recreation
All six areas of your life overlap with one another; they impact and affect one another.
When you are healthy and thriving in one area, it contributes to living
healthy in the other areas…
… conversely, when you are unhealthy and struggling in one area, it can have a negative impact
on the other areas.
Consider how The 8 Laws of Focus apply to each area of your life. Have you noticed how you
can only ever give your full focus to one or two areas at a time? And yet there are many areas
of our life that we want to maintain in a healthy state! (This is where habits and routines help.)
48
1: Career
The trajectory and legacy of your life’s work; your vocation. Naturally, the specifics of your job
description will change throughout your career; you may have more than one job active right
now; and/or you may also have a side-hustle or other type of vocational hobby.
2: Relationships
For relationships, this also can be subdivided into additional areas: your spouse / significant
other; your children; your family; your friends; et al. This is the social domain of your life. We
also know that different relationships are stronger than others or more important that others.
3: Physical Health
This is your physical body: your health, your strength, your physical energy.
4: Inner-Personal Life
Your inner-personal life can be subdivided down into three separate areas: your emotional
health; your mental health; and your spiritual life. Each of these areas of our inner-personal life
stand on their own and each of them play a critical role in who we are.
5: Finances
This area of life is more than just your budget, your bank accounts, etc. It also makes up the
items and things which you own and /or the things you are responsible for maintaining.
6: Rest & Recreation

This is perhaps one of the most neglected areas of our lives. There is much overlap here with
how rest impacts our physical health, our inner-personal life, our relationships, and more. True
rest is something that leaves us feeling recharged and rejuvenated. And, thus, it is often
something which requires a bit of energy (believe it or not). Similarly to how you spend time
on, in, and thinking about your vocation so too should you spend time on, in, and thinking
about rest and recreation.
49
TODAY’S DATE:
NOT GOOD… AMAZING!
MY INNER PERSONAL & 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SPIRITUAL LIFE
MY EMOTIONAL STATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY MENTAL STATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY PHYSICAL HEALTH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SPOUSE / SIGNIFICANT OTHER

MY RELATIONSHIP
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
WITH MY KIDS

MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH
FRIENDS & FAMILY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY REST TIME, DOWN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TIME, AND “PLAY” TIME
MY HOBBIES &
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SIDE-INTERESTS
MY JOB / CAREER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY FINANCES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
50
MY INNER PERSONAL &
SPIRITUAL LIFE
What’s going well? What could be better?
MY EMOTIONAL STATE
MY MENTAL STATE
MY PHYSICAL HEALTH
RELATIONSHIP WITH MY
SIGNIFICANT OTHER
MY RELATIONSHIP
WITH MY KIDS
MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH
FRIENDS & FAMILY
MY REST TIME, DOWN

TIME, AND “PLAY” TIME
MY HOBBIES &
SIDE-INTERESTS
MY JOB / CAREER
MY FINANCES
51
The Power of Goal Setting For Your Life
Do you ever feel stuck? Not sure what to do next? Just totally bored and lacking motivation?
Goals give you a direction and help you make progress.
When you can get clear about your goals, you can get clear about the action you
need to take.
Your actions matter more than your outcomes

Over the next several pages, you are going to define your long-term desired outcomes and
then begin to break those down into medium- and short-term goals, and then ultimately into
small daily actions.
You cannot control your outcomes.

But you can control your actions and your e ort.
Thus, the aim of this goal-setting section and the habits section that will follow is to
connect your daily actions to your long-term desired outcomes. This is the Law of Sowing and
Reaping in action.
52
ff
Two Types of Goals
1: Attainment Goals 2: Lifestyle Goals

An Attainment Goal is something that you A Lifestyle Goal is something that you
achieve or accomplish. “install” into part of your life.
Attainment Goals have a clear definition of Lifestyle Goals are systems, habits, or
completion. routines that you work to incorporate into
your everyday lifestyle.
Examples include things such as buying a new
home, graduating college, getting married, Examples include things such as working out
losing 5 pounds, refinishing the bathroom, for 15 minutes each day, having a quiet time
running a 5k race, getting a new job, writing a of reading and reflection in the morning,
book, paying off debt, etc. going to bed at a certain time, eating a
certain diet, keeping a budget, etc.
Action Brings Clarity
Decision
Clarity Motivation
Action
53
(Sample) Life Goal: Spiritual / Inner Personal Life
For my spiritual / inner personal life, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?
T v a s s d n s a l .
Based on my someday goal, what is one thing I could do 5 years from now that will put me on track to accomplish it?
B r i da e a n m h , n s v r p li t o I
a b n o Ir e a d e s o n c t .K r
a a o o e s n a d c o m .
Based on my 5-year goal, what is the one thing I could do in the next year that will put me on track to accomplish it?
C m q a t n i t a o o i d (p e a /o
n e ) a i .
Based on my 1-year goal, what is the one thing I could do in the next month that will put me on track to accomplish it?
B a e j i s r t m , s , n e s.
Based on my one-month goal, what is the one thing I could do in the next week that will put me on track to accomplish it?
B r h i a h o a ,c t , n s o a i e s.
T n m r h, t e , n o i a I a e s h r f .
Based on my one-week goal, what is the one thing I could do today that will put me on track to accomplish it?
S 5m j i n r e a a t n a e sa .
What other areas of my life would see significant benefits from the actions and milestones listed here?
___ Inner Personal ___ Physical ___ Financial

x Relationships
___ x Rest & Recreation
___ x Career
___
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(Sample) Life Goal: Physical Health
For my physical health, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?
I n e n h n p lc o a I a v e n v y e
m y n f n p n e t l s v er n .
H ah e a s o b , n d r w s n m t r
n d l l .
L r a h e n r t ap lt h a l d r h r
w s o t n .
D o n w t ad a n t .
R hd a n t s l e (o n e a a r t r yo ).
P a m w h x e a I l h r h o at .
What other areas of my life would benefit or be impacted by the actions and milestones listed here?
x Inner Personal
___ ___ Physical ___ Financial
x Relationships
___ x Rest & Recreation
___ ___ Career
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Spiritual / Inner Personal Life: Prompts and help for goal setting
• Your inner personal life can be sub-divided into 3 smaller areas: Your mental health,
your emotional health, and your spiritual life.
• Looking at the roles you listed on page 25, do any of those relate to your spiritual /
inner personal life? If so, do you already have a short- or long-term goal for that role?
• What other short- or long-term spiritual goals do you have?
• What makes life special and meaningful?
• What do you want to do?
• Who do you want to be? (Use your vision statement as a plumb line and apply it to
your spiritual / inner personal life -- how can your life vision complement your
spiritual / inner personal life, and vice versa?)
• Are you pleased with where you are right now in your spiritual / inner personal life?
• If you keep doing for the next year, 5 years, and 20 years what you have been doing for
the past 1, 5, and 20 years, will you be pleased with who you are, where you are, and
what you have?
• As you consider your someday goals, do they lead to a life that is exemplifying the
values you listed on page 34?
• What spiritual / mental / emotional activities will give you strength for the other areas
of your life?
56
Spiritual / Inner Personal Life (Life Goal)
For my spiritual / inner personal life, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?
Based on my someday goal, what is one thing I can do 5 years from now that will put me on track to accomplish it?
Based on my 5-year goal, what is the one thing I can do in the next year that will put me on track to accomplish it?
Based on my 1-year goal, what is the one thing I can do in the next month that will put me on track to accomplish it?
Based on my one-month goal, what is the one thing I can do in the next week that will put me on track to accomplish it?

___ Relationships ___ Rest & Recreation ___ Career
57
Physical Health: Prompts and help for goal setting
• Is there a physical goal that, if attained, would bring joy and some level of ease to the
other areas of your life?
• As you consider your someday goal, does it lead to and align with the values you listed
on page 34?
• What do you want to do?
• Looking back at the roles you listed on page 25, do any of them relate to your physical
life and/or physical health? If so, do you already have a short- or long-term goal for that
role?
• What other short- or long-term physical goals do you have?
• Can you use your vision statement as a plumb line and apply it to your physical life?
• Are you pleased with where you are right now with your physical health and state?
what you have?
58
Physical Health (Life Goal)
For my physical life, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?
Based on my someday goal, what is one thing I can do 5 years from now that will put me on track to accomplish it?
Based on my 5-year goal, what is the one thing I can do in the next year that will put me on track to accomplish it?
Based on my 1-year goal, what is the one thing I can do in the next month that will put me on track to accomplish it?
Based on my one-month goal, what is the one thing I can do in the next week that will put me on track to accomplish it?

59
Relationships: Prompts and help for goal setting
• What are some of your most important relationships?
• Do you already have a short- or long-term goal for any of them?
the past 1, 5, and 20 years, will you be pleased with the state of those most important
relationships?
• What are some of your most precious memories with people?
• What sort of person do you want to be to others? (Use your vision statement as a
plumb line and apply it to your relationships — how can your life vision complement
your relationships, and vice versa?)
• Do you feel that you’re able to give 100% to your most important relationships without
feeling burnt-out and overspent?
• Are you pleased with where you are right now in your most important relationships?
• As you consider your someday goals, do they lead to stronger relationships, generosity,
kindness, serving others, and providing value?
• Your Relationships can be further broken down into important sub-groups of

relationships, including your marriage and significant other, your children, your parents,
your close friends, your family, those you work with, etc.
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Relationships (Life Goal)
For my relationships, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?

61
Rest & Recreation: Prompts and help for goal setting
• What makes life special and meaningful? Can you incorporate that into your goal for
rest and recreation?
• What does “rest” mean to you?
• Do you think you might be spending too much time in Counterfeit Rest? If so, what
would things look like for you if you were resting differently and in a more healthy
manner? (For more info on Counterfeit Rest, see Section 7.)
• Do you already have any short- or long-term goals related to rest & recreation?
• As you consider your someday goals for rest & recreation, do any of them help you
become more generous and kind? To better serve others and provide value?
• Looking at your values from page 34, what ways can you rest that will give you the
strength and opportunity to walk out and exemplify those values?
• If you keep your same habits of rest & recreation for the next year, 5 years, and 20 years
that you have had for the past 1, 5, and 20 years, will you be pleased with who you are,
where you are, and what you have?
• As you look back at how you have spent your time on rest & recreation over the past
few months, are you proud of that time or do you wish you would you have spent it
differently? Why?
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Rest & Recreation (Life Goal)
In the area of rest & recreation, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?

63
Job & Career: Prompts and help for goal setting
• Who are some people whom you look up to in your field of interest?
• What does “meaningful work” look like to you?
• Of the roles you listed on page 25, do any of them relate to your career?
• What do you want to do? What skill do you want to learn?
• Does the idea of craftsmanship and mastery applied to your current vocation sound
exciting to you?
• Who do you want to be?
• Are you pleased with where you are right now in your career?
what you have?
• As you consider your someday goal for your career, does it lead to a life of exemplifying
the values you listed on page 34?
• How can your vocation empower your other goals (spiritual, physical, relational, rest,
etc.)?
64
Job / Career (Life Goal)
For my job / career, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?

65
Finances: Prompts and help for goal setting
• Are you pleased with where you are right now as it relates to finances?
• Do you have a budget and are you living within your means?
the past 1, 5, and 20 years, will you be pleased with the state of your finances?
• Do you want to give money away and serve / help others with your finances?
• As you consider your someday goals, do they lead to generosity, kindness, serving
others, and providing value?
• Do you already have a short- or long-term goal for your finances and economics?
• What makes life special and meaningful? How can your finances help make that a
reality?
• Use your vision statement as a plumb line and apply it to your finances — how can your
life vision complement your finances, and vice versa?
• Consider what the circumstances of your life will be in 5 years from now for the obvious
things. Such as:
• How old will your car be in 5 years?
• Will your house be paid off?
• What grade will your kids be in?
• At your current rate of saving / investing / debt elimination, what will your finances look like?
• How old will you and your spouse both be? What year of marriage will you be on?
• How old will your parents be?
66
Finances (Life Goal)
For my finances, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?

67
Life Goal: ________________________
For this area of my life, what is one thing I want to do, be, or have someday?

68
Life Goal: ________________________

69
STRATEGY WEEK
Wrap-up
Most Important
I filled out two or more goal setting worksheets
Bonus
I took the life assessment on pages 50 – 51
Bonus
I celebrated the completion of week two
Of the six areas of my life, the one area that stands out as being the most important to me right now is:
My key takeaway from week two:
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HABITS WEEK
Sections 5 & 6
✓ How to use habits to change your life
✓ How to set priorities and boundaries
✓ Lifestyle habits toward your goals
✓ Building an ideal schedule
Success for this week: Identify six lifestyle habits you would
want as part of your life and which would move you toward your
goals and desired outcomes from the previous week.
After completing week three of the Focus Course and developing an ideal schedule for myself, I want to celebrate by…
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“We do not rise to the level of our goals,
we fall to the level of our systems.”
James Clear
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SECTION 5
______________
Lifestyle Practices & Habits
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Using Habits and Routines to Your Advantage
With so many areas of responsibility with our life, it can feel impossible to get it all done.
Habits and routines are like bowling alley bumpers that help us to keep moving forward in every
area of our life even when we are busy, tired, and can only focus on one big thing at a time.
Habits and routines are valuable because goals don’t complete themselves.
Goals give you a direction to go. Your habits and routines will keep
you moving toward progress and results
By focusing on your habits, you’re able to focus on incremental improvement. And slowly, over
time, your habits and disciplines become a source of joy and delight.
People are Lazy Habits are Smart
✓ We run out of energy ✓ They automate the inconsequential
✓ We take the path of least resistance ✓ They help us stay healthy
✓ We make emotional decisions ✓ They save us energy
✓ We don’t follow through ✓ They compound over time
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List Any Current Habits or Routines (Positive or Negative)
Are there any areas of your life which already have positive or negative habits? If so, list below
any that come to mind. (See page 25 for your roles and page 51 for your areas of life.)
Area of Life (or a Specific Role) Current Habit or Routine
On the following pages, brainstorm habits for each area of your life.
These habits / routines / systems should serve two purposes:
1. They should provide you with regular space and momentum in your life to make progress
toward your goals.
2. They should be something that in and of themselves would be a healthy and enjoyable thing to
do — something that flows from your values and your vision.
3. You can include any of the current habits you already listed above.
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SPIRITUAL / INNER PERSONAL
Habit / Routine / System / Activity Frequency
J i 5m e d
PHYSICAL HEALTH
D a 3 -m w 3 w
RELATIONSHIPS
D N 6h e w
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REST & RECREATION
R ab 1 m e d
JOB / CAREER
W o m E d
FINANCES
G d j W n t I’m t l o c d
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Why pick a habit for each area of your life?
Consider each of the following areas of your life, and what they may look like 5 years from now.
1. Emotional and Spiritual Life

2. Physical Health
3. Relationships
4. Career
5. Finances
6. Rest & Recreation (personal interests and down time)
A singular, small action will not produce significant results in the

short term. But, over time, small actions lead to big change.
• Smoking one cigarette will not degrade your health overnight.

• Going on a walk will not improve your health in one day.
• Skipping dessert one time will not impact your weight.
• Writing for 30 minutes will not produce any body of work.
But…
• What if you were to smoke a cigarette every day for the next 3 years?
• What if you went on a brisk walk every day for the next 3 years?
• What if you wrote for half an hour every day for the next 3 years?
“We do not decide our futures, we decide our habits.

And our habits decide our futures.”
F.M. Alexander
78
Choose A Habit to Change Your Life
On the following pages (80 – 81) you are going to identify a single lifestyle practice or habit
that you would like to incorporate into your life.
Pick one idea from the list of habit ideas you listed on the previous pages 76 – 77.
For each activity list the time commitment it will require or that you want to give it, and also
list the frequency (since some lifestyle practices do not occur daily).
Then, fill in the value statement for that activity, giving the bigger context for why this activity
is valuable to you and your desired outcomes in that area of your life.
(Sample) Physical
E ga e n ig ro s xe ci e ha b il s y tr ng h nd ar io 15 m nu es D il
Habit / Routine / Lifestyle Practice Time Commitment Frequency
b e n h n p l
This activity will move me toward my physical health goal of ______________________________
c o a I a v e n v y e y n p o r n .
___________________________________________________________________________________
n h s i n f p lh n e r m t n
because ___________________________________________________________________________
e e. n s , I a b ar h e e— e s m a a — a
___________________________________________________________________________________
s n a l s n l o y c .
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Continue, by filling out the charts on the following pages…
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Spiritual / Inner Personal
This activity will move me toward my inner personal goal of ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Physical
This activity will move me toward my physical health goal of ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Relationships
This activity will move me toward my relationships goal of _______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
80
Rest & Recreation
This activity will move me toward my rest & recreational goal of __________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Career
This activity will move me toward my career goal of _____________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Finances
This activity will move me toward my financial goal of ___________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
81
“Starting small does not mean thinking small.”
Marie Forleo
82
SECTION 6
______________
Time Management
83
Consider your current schedule and break it up into
categories and activities.
You will start by filling out the Time Commitment Chart on the following page (85) and listing
all the individual activities and responsibilities you do on a regular basis. Below are a few
examples of things your Time Commitment Chart may include, along with some prompts and
questions to help ensure that you cover everything in your current weekly schedule.
When filling out your own chart, try to be as comprehensive as you can.
Activity Time Commitment Frequency Notes

M C 3 m D (M-F)
C 2h W (S )
G 4 m M, W, F
L 3 m E D
H l a 9 m O aw
W 8h D (M-F)
D n 4h T ye s
R ab 1 m M -F B b
F D 2 h E S
M h L 2h E S y
• What activities do you do in the morning before going to work?

• What activities do you do in the evenings before going to bed?
• Do you have any regular meetings during the week?
• Are you and/or your family involved in any extracurricular actives (sports, etc.)?
• What chores are you responsible for at home?
• What do you do for leisure?
• Are you a part of a book club, men’s group, women’s group, etc?
• Do you volunteer anywhere?
• Do you have any routines already in place for your health?
• Do you have any routines already in place for your work life?
• Do you have any routines already in place for your inner personal life?
• Do you have a regular time when you connect with your family?
• Do you go to the gym or have another time set aside for exercise?
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Activity Time Commitment Frequency Notes
85
Focusing on the Most Important (The Ownership Matrix)
Looking at your list of weekly activities and commitments from the previous page (85), place
as many of those activities as you can into the Ownership Matrix below.
I LOVE doing this
I DISLIKE doing this
ANYBODY can do ONLY I can do this

this for me for myself
86
Notes
__________________________________________________________________________________
87
Now, consider your normal, current weekly schedule. You can also look at your list of activities
and commitments from page 85… With that in mind are you allowing time to focus and grow
in each of the six areas of your life?
Are you currently allowing time to focus and grow in each area of your life?
My Job / Career Yes No
My Hobbies and Side-Interests Yes No
Relationship with my spouse / significant other Yes No
Relationship with my kids Yes No
Relationships with my friends Yes No
Relationships with my family Yes No
My Inner Personal / Spiritual Life Yes No
My Emotional Health Yes No
My Mental Health Yes No
My Physical Health Yes No
My Rest Time, Down Time, and “Play” Time Yes No
My Finances Yes No
For any of the areas of your life that you are currently NOT giving regular time to focus and
grow, why do you think that is?
88
Create Your Ideal Schedule
On the previous pages you have:
• Assessed your current schedule (see page 85)
• Listed your current areas of responsibility (see page 23)
• Come up with six preferred Lifestyle Practices (see pages 80 – 81)
• Identified things you can automate, eliminate, or delegate (see page 86)
Taking all of that information, use the schedule template on the following page(s) to fill out
what your ideal weekly schedule would look like.
Tips
• Try to create space for breathing room (margin) in your day.
• Be sure to allow the time you need to do what is important.
• Make a time for each of the habits and lifestyle practices you chose for the six major
areas of your life on pages 80 and 81.
Remember
• This is an ideal schedule. It may not be realistic or feasible right now, and that’s okay.
• The Law of Tradeoffs means you will not be able to do everything.
Fear not! Your schedule isn’t meant to be set in cement. If you can keep 75- 80% of your weekly schedule, then
we consider that to be an A+!
A schedule is meant to be a framework for how you intend to spend your time. It’s for helping you make sure
you’re spending meaningful and consistent energy on the things of your work, life, relationships, and health that
matter most to you.
Without a financial budget, how can you know if you’re spending too much money on entertainment and not
enough set aside for the future? You shouldn’t let your lack in one area be the signal that you’re spending too
much time in another. Be proactive, not reactive.
89
Time Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
59
90
59
91
HABITS WEEK
Wrap-up
Most Important
I came up with ideas for six different lifestyle habits (pgs 80 – 81)
Bonus
I created an ideal schedule (pg 90)
Bonus
I celebrated the completion of week three
Of my six different lifestyle habits, the one that stands out as most important / exciting to me right now is…
My key takeaway from week three:
92
MARGIN WEEK
Sections 7 & 8
✓ How to overcome the most common areas of resistance
✓ The 4-Focus Method (review)
✓ Understanding and restoring margin
✓ Your Focus Declaration
Success for this week and the whole of the course:

Crafting your Focus Declaration!
After completing week four, creating my Focus Declaration, and finishing the Focus Course, I want to celebrate by…
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SECTION 7
______________
Resistance
95
High-Level Areas of Resistance
Whenever you set out to make change, or to embark on a bold venture, there will always be
resistance. Here are the seven most common things that come against us in our efforts to live
a focused life.
1. Inbox Addiction
This is the urge to continuously check our news feeds, social feeds, and inboxes despite a desire to stop. Overcome Inbox
Addiction by removing external distractions from your devices and having a clear plan for how to spend your time.
2. Urgency Mindset
If you only spend time on the things that are urgent, you may never spend it on things that are essential. Overcome an Urgency
Mindset by identifying what matters, setting aside the time for that which matters, following through on your plan, and
celebrating your actions.
3. Distractions
The small and big things that pull our attention away from what we are focusing on. From a child interrupting us in our home
office, to a large side-project at work pulling us away from our primary responsibilities. To deal with distractions, do all that
you can to circumvent them before they even get to you. If you find yourself in the middle of a distraction, get out.
4. Lack of Planning
Without an intention of how you will implement that which matters, you are not likely to follow through. Overcome a lack of
planning by deciding when and where you will do an important task or follow through on a critical responsibility.
5. Counterfeit Rest
True rest will leave you recharged with more energy. Find restful activities that give you energy rather than draining it. We like
to say that if you work with your head you should rest with your hands (i.e. cooking, woodworking, landscape, etc.)
6. Busywork
Busywork consists of the non-essential actions we do that fill up our time in order to escape more meaningful activities.
Busywork also includes the shallow tasks we do when we don’t know what else to do. We believe that clarity cures busywork.
7. Perfectionism
With a perfectionist mindset we place too much emphasis on things having to be just perfect and just right. This applies to
projects and tasks as well as to relationships, experiences, and other areas of responsibility. Overcome perfectionism by
limiting the scope of how much time you are willing to spend on something; or by making the best choice you can with the
information you have and then enjoying and appreciating what comes as a result.
96
Inbox Addiction Assessment Quiz
The Inbox Addiction Assessment is meant to be a simple questionnaire to help give you a
better understanding into your usage of your smartphone and the frequency at which you
check email, social media, and other incoming messages / analytics.
There are many different Internet addiction tests that are used to assess and measure addictive use of the Internet from mild
to severe levels of Internet Addiction. The inbox addiction assessment used in The Focus Course is based on the IAT
developed by Dr. Kimberly Young.
For each question, circle the number that best represents your association with that question.
The scale is as such:
1: Rarely 2: Occasionally 3: Frequently 4: Often 5: Always
97
How often do you find that you stay on your smartphone longer than you intended?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you neglect or procrastinate minor responsibilities to spend more time on
your smartphone?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you check your email or social media timeline before doing something else that
you need to do on your smartphone?
1 2 3 4 5
How often does your job performance, school work, and/or personal productivity suffer
because of distractions on the Internet / usage of your smartphone?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you find yourself anticipating when you will check your social / news feed next?
1 2 3 4 5
When at your computer, how often do you have your email / Twitter / Facebook app or
website open (even if in the background)?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you snap or act annoyed if someone bothers you or interrupts you while you are
online or checking something on your smartphone?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you stay up late due to using your smartphone in bed?
1 2 3 4 5
98
How often do you feel preoccupied with social media and email when you’re “off-line?”
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you find yourself saying “just a minute” to someone else when you are online?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you get your smartphone out to check email or social media when waiting in line
at a store, at a stoplight, or other place?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you use your smartphone when going to the bathroom?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you check email and/or social media as the first things when you wake up,
before you’ve even gotten out of bed?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you check email, social media, and other stats as the first thing when you begin
your work day?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you interrupt a conversation you’re having in order to check the buzz from an
incoming notification on your phone?
1 2 3 4 5
Total Score: ______________________
99
The higher your score from page 95, the greater your level of addiction and draw to your
inboxes. Here’s a scale to measure your score:
15 – 39 points: You are an average online user. You may surf the web a bit too long at times and check your
phone a bit more often than you’d like, but you have control over your usage.
40 – 59 points: You are experiencing occasional problems because of your smartphone and your inboxes. You
should consider their full impact on your life and how you can seek to gain better control over your usage.
60 – 75 points: Your device usage is causing significant problems in your life. You should evaluate the impact of
your smartphone and your inboxes and address the problems directly caused by your usage and behavior.
What is Inbox Addiction?
Inbox Addiction is an urge to continuously check our news feeds, social feeds, and message
inboxes despite undesirable and even negative consequences or a desire to stop.
Fortunately, inbox addiction isn’t as destructive as urgency addiction (which we will discuss
next), nor is it as harmful and dangerous as problem gambling or alcoholism. However, it is
still a very real issue that can derail us from living a focused life.
Inbox addiction poses a serious threat to doing our best creative work and staying focused on
our essential tasks.
Here is a brief list of "inboxes" we have available to us to check in on: website stats, sales
stats, Facebook likes, Instagram likes, Twitter @replies, Facebook messages, new emails, new
articles in our favorite RSS feeds, updates in our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest
streams, incoming push and text message notifications, news headlines, stock market prices,
and so much more.
100
Reduce Your Inputs to Create More Focus
You need input, advice, and inspiration in order to make decisions, come up with new ideas, or take action on
something.
But with too many non-essential inputs then your ability to think clearly and make decisions is hindered. It uses
up a lot your energy to manage all the incoming. Thus reducing the amount of energy you have to make clear
decisions and take focused action. It leads to less progress, dual focus, and, ultimately, very little traction.
A plethora of inputs, As they all mingle together, As a result, you end up

opinions, and opportunities there is too much noise and with dual focus,
coming your way. not enough margin to think competing actions,
clearly and get focused. mixed motivations,
and busywork.
However… When you remove non-essential inputs, you give yourself more space and energy to think, find clarity,
and organize your thoughts. Thus enabling you to take focused action and see progress.
You now have space to think, Clear thoughts lead to

Reduce to only the
decide, and nd connections focused action and the
intentional, essential inputs
removal of busywork.
101
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Ways To Deal with Inbox Addiction
The continual activity of checking your inbox can rob you of your ability to focus and to do
substantial, meaningful work.
It can lead to a decrease in margin (Section 8) due to a sense of solitude deprivation, and it
can reduce your ability to think clearly due to an overwhelming amount of inputs .
Here are some ways we have seen a reduction in inbox addiction, and an improvement in
focus.
1. Reduce External Distractions

Turn off notifications for social media, email, news, etc.
Only have the absolute most critical options.
2. Eliminate Options
Remove email and social media from your smart phone.
3. Planning Ahead
This helps avoid decision fatigue, and can keep you focused throughout your day.
4. Establishing Better Default Habits

Create better options to fall back on when you are tired, overwhelmed, bored, or simply unsure
of what to do with yourself.
102
Urgency Mindset: Assessment Quiz
The aim of this questionnaire is to give you a sense of your current urgency mindset.
You have spent time during The Focus Course to discover how meaningful productivity relates
to consistently spending your time on things that matter.
But are there things getting in your way? If you are consistently spending time on the things
that are urgent, you may never get to the things that are essential.
In your pursuit of doing work that matters and keeping a healthy balance between your work
and personal life, it is helpful to know how prone you are to giving in to the urgent without
fighting for the important.
For each question, circle the number that best represents your association with that question.
The scale is as such:
103
Do you seem to do your best work when you’re under pressure?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you have to deal with issues that should have been taken care of by others?
1 2 3 4 5
How often is your day spent reacting and moving from one unexpected or pressing event to
the next?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you wait until due dates to get important things done because you are
overwhelmed with many competing and pressing events?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you feel frustrated at the end of the day because your most important tasks are
still not done?
1 2 3 4 5
Do you keep thinking that someday you’ll be able to do what you really want to do?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you feel frustrated by the slowness of people and things around you?
1 2 3 4 5
Do you feel guilty when you take time off work?
1 2 3 4 5
104
Do you assume people will naturally understand if you have to disappoint them or let things go
in order to handle a crisis?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you blame the rush and press of external things for your failure to spend time
alone to think, plan, and reflect?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you find yourself rushing between places and events?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you find yourself giving up quality time with important people so that you can
finish a project or respond to a crisis?
1 2 3 4 5
How often do you eat lunch or other meals while you work?
1 2 3 4 5
Do you feel anxious when you’re out of touch with your work?
1 2 3 4 5
When you go on vacation or take time off from work, does it take you several days to stop
feeling anxious about the work you have to do?
1 2 3 4 5
Total Score: ______________________
105
The higher your score, the greater your urgency mindset. Here’s a scale to measure your score:
15 – 39 points: Low urgency mindset — urgency likely does not control your life.
40 – 59 points: Strong urgency mindset — there’s a good chance urgency is your fundamental operational
paradigm.
60 – 75 points: Urgency addiction.
Understanding and Avoiding a Strong Urgency Mindset
Stephen Covey defines Urgency Addiction as this:
Urgency addiction is a self-destructive behavior that temporarily lls the void created
by unmet needs. And instead of meeting these needs, the tools and approaches of time
management often feed the addiction. They keep us focused on daily prioritization of
the urgent. […]
It’s important to realize that urgency itself is not the problem. The problem is that
when urgency is the dominant factor in our lives, importance isn’t.
If urgency is a dominant factor in your life, and the basis for which you prioritize your day, then
what is at stake?
An Urgency Mindset is at direct odds with focus and meaningful productivity because it relies
on external factors to dictate importance rather than internal values.
Urgency will destroy your goals.

Urgency will keep you from spending time on the essential activities that matter and which
move things forward — instead you will spend your time constantly responding to the urgent
issues of the day.
106
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How to Tell What is Urgent vs What is Essential
Urgency is usually defined by external factors.
Things that are essential are fundamentally important, regardless of

external factors.
Urgency, therefore is relative while essential is absolute.
With a clear understanding of what your essential activities and tasks are, then you can have
clarity on what urgent matters you should give your attention to and which ones you should
ignore. This liberates you to spend the vast majority of your day on only the essential activities
of life, rather than giving way to the tyranny of urgent issues that are not truly important.
107
How to Overcome an Urgency Mindset
1. Identify what is essential
2. Set aside time for the essential
3. Follow through with your commitments
4. Celebrate your progress
By using the 4-Focus Method and creating a flywheel of focus in your life, you will naturally overcome an urgency mindset.
The flywheel reminds you to identify and focus on that which matters most — not simply that which is urgent in the
moment. And, by both planning and celebrating your actions, you continue to prioritize and reinforce the positive actions
and habits you wish to be doing.
108
The 4-Focus Method
A Flywheel for Living a Focused Life
Identify
Busywork
Goals
Review
Celebrate Burnout
Reactive Plan
Systems
Recognize
Procrastination
Act
109
The 4-Focus Method
1: Identify
Step one is to get clear about what is truly essential. This goes beyond just knowing what
tasks are important. It also means knowing which roles of your life matter most to you. What
values you prioritize. Which lead measures have the greatest impact toward your desired
outcomes. Etc…
Many people struggle to identify that which matters because they lack clarity about the bigger
picture of their life’s mission and vision. (“People perish with lack of vision.”)
2: Plan
When you have identified what is important, you must set aside time for it. Otherwise all you
have is a wish or a hope that gets no traction in your life.
For some people, planning feels like a trap … they fear scheduling their day because they know
that there will be things which mess up the plan. And so they’d rather wing it in the moment
and allow their schedule to stay open and spontaneous.
3: Act
This is where you actually do that which you said you would do. It will naturally include your
tasks and actions, but it also includes things such as meaningful moments with your family,
resting and recharging, and more. This is the part of the flywheel where you are actually
spending your time doing and living life.
4: Celebrate
When you’ve done that which you set out to do, that’s cause for celebration! You want to
reinforce that positive actions and recognize the fact that you’ve just done something that
matters. That way, you can continue and repeat the healthy productivity cycle.
110
Four Symptoms of a Busted Productivity System
1: Busywork (Spinning Your Wheels)

Doing tasks and activities that are not rewarding, they don’t add up nor do they compound
into anything substantial over time, and they don’t really move things forward. Simply put,
they’re not the best use of your time. This happens when you lack clarity.
2: Reactive Work (Feeling Frustrated & Anxious)

When you find yourself reacting to the needs of others and unable to follow through with your
own priorities. There is always something else coming your way that you have to react to, and
you’re not able to proactively focus on the things that you know you should be doing. This
happens when you have no system for reliably planning and scheduling how to spend your
time.
3: Procrastination (Feeling Behind)

When you and/or your team have a hard time following through on your commitments. Tasks
get put off to the last minute or skipped altogether. This happens when you lack personal
integrity and/or a system of execution.
4: Burnout (Feeling Overwhelmed)

When you feel like your just on the hamster-wheel of hustle. You are feeling burnt out,
unmotivated, and can’t see how your current activities lead toward your desired outcomes.
This happens when you do not regularly recognize your progress and celebrate those small
wins.
111
112
SECTION 8
______________
Margin
113
Margin as a Necessary Component of a Focused Life
Margin is breathing room
Having breathing room in your schedule, your finances, physical body, emotional energy, and
your mental energy is paramount.
It’s the opposite of overload
When you are at capacity, there is no room for anything else. But when there is space left over
— when there is margin — that space enables you to breath.
Margin enables you to do your best creative work.
Margin enables intentional living.
Margin helps with stress and anxiety.
114
115
The Five Areas We Need Margin in Our Life
In a general sense, health in one area of margin leads to health in others.

And conversely, crisis in one area leads to crisis in others.
116
Personal Margin Assessment
How much margin do you feel that you have in each area? How much space is there between
your load and your limit? Circle the amount of margin you currently have in each area.
Negative Little to no Okay, but Enough Plenty of

margin margin not okay margin margin
Time
My schedule is out of control. I am My days are spent on the things I

burning the candle at both ends. I have need and want to do. I have time for
no time for things that matter most. resting and recharging. I am exible.

Finances
I have a signi cant amount of debt, I I have a healthy emergency fund, I
struggle to live within my means, and I am debt free, I live within my means,
tend to make irrational nancial decisions. and I am planning for the future.

Emotions
I have very little margin for dealing I am emotionally present and engaged.
with anyone’s issues. I feel frustrated, I am able to engage people and
exhausted, and burnt out. circumstances with my heart intact.

Creative margin margin not okay margin margin
I can’t seem to focus on anything I am excited to work on challenging

these days. I am lacking inspiration. problems or to dream up new ideas.. I know
what inspires me. I am always learning.

Health
I don’t sleep well. I don’t feel well. There I consistently get a full-night sleep. I eat
is no consistency to my exercise or diet. well and incorporate exercise into my week.
I need co ee and stimulants to get me I have the energy I need to tackle life.
through the day.
117
ff
fi
fi
fl
Margin Must be Normalized In Your Life
You must see margin as the true definition of normal for your total capacity — not some
luxurious, unnecessary, extravagant thing.
As Dr. Richard Swenson writes, “margin is what you have in reserve for contingencies,
emergencies, and unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap you maintain between rest and
exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.”
Margin is countercultural.
Margin requires tradeoffs.
Margin is a moving target.
118
Margin Misconceptions
• “Margin is only for the financially independent”

• “Embracing margin is to embrace laziness“
• “A life with margin is the easy life“
• “Margin is a destination“
Trade-offs
Margin is about living within our limitations and recognizing we have a finite capacity.
We cannot do it all. Embracing trade-offs is to acknowledge our limitations.
Making hard decisions is about owning the outcome. When we refuse to make a decision,
we’re allowing someone else to make the decision for us.
Margin Enables Living at a Sustainable Pace

Would you be able to sustain your current efforts for the next 10 years? More importantly,
what would it cost you?
Redlining is a recipe for burnout. What margin do you need in order to thrive?
Liberating Truth: Margin is for __________________________.
119
Margin Exists for Relationships
Margin enables living into your values.
As such, Margin is about more than just YOU and your own healthy living.
As you are able to live a life with margin, you will be able to better serve those around you.
Margin enables healthier relationships and deeper interactions with our friends and family.
To fight for margin is to fight for your values.
As you get clear about margin as an enabler of your values and goals, that mindset will give
you motivation to fight for margin and keep it — even when it feels inconvenient and
frustrating to do so.
Margin helps remove the unnecessary stress and pressures of life. It allows you to be more
generous, present, and available to those around you. Which, in short, means that margin
enables you to live out your values toward others.
Look back to page 34 and write down your two core values again, here:
1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
Do you currently have the margin you need in order to live out your values?
120
Restoring Margin Through Increase and/or Decrease
Ways to Increasing Your Capacity Ways to Decrease Your Load
• Intentional Practice • Automate

• Deep Work • Eliminate
• Routine & Discipline • Delegate
• Saving • Self-Control
• Strengthening • Boundaries (“no”)
• Focus
121
Ideas to Restore Your Margin
In the space below, come up with an idea for how you can restore margin through
increasing your capacity and decreasing your load for each area of margin in your life.
_______________________________________________
(increase)
TIME
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
FINANCES
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
EMOTIONS
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
CREATIVE
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
HEALTH
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
122
Notes
__________________________________________________________________________________
123
MARGIN WEEK
Wrap-up
Most Important
I wrote my Focus Declaration (see page 144)
Bonus
I identified ways to restore margin
Bonus
I celebrated the completion of the Focus Course!
Of the five different areas of margin, the one that stands out as most important to me right now is…
My key takeaway from week four:
124
FINALE
Yay!
✓ Additional worksheets, templates, etc.
✓ Your next steps
✓ Your Focus Declaration (the very last page)
125
126
APPENDIX
______________
Extra Worksheets
127
In this Appendix you’ll find additional worksheets, templates, and more.
✓ The Ownership Matrix
✓ Life Assessment
✓ Blank Goal-Setting Worksheet
✓ Blank Weekly Time Blocking Worksheet
✓ Personal Margin Assessment
✓ Margin Restoration Worksheet
✓ Daily Habit Tracker
✓ The 4-Focus Method: Flywheel Checklist
Use these to re-do any of the assessments or other exercises from the course.
128
Looking at your list of weekly activities and commitments from the previous page (81), place
as many of those activities as you can into the Ownership Matrix below.
Consider your list of weekly activities and commitments. Place as many of those activities as
you can into the Ownership Matrix below.
I LOVE doing this
I DISLIKE doing this
ANYBODY can do ONLY I can do this

this for me for myself
82
129
MY JOB / CAREER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY HOBBIES & 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SIDE-INTERESTS
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SPOUSE / SIGNIFICANT OTHER
MY RELATIONSHIP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
WITH MY KIDS
MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
MY INNER PERSONAL / 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SPIRITUAL LIFE
MY EMOTIONAL STATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY MENTAL STATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY PHYSICAL HEALTH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MY REST TIME, DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TIME AND “PLAY” TIME
MY FINANCES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
46
130
JOB / CAREER
HOBBIES &
SIDE-INTERESTS
RELATIONSHIP WITH
SIGNIFICANT OTHER
RELATIONSHIP WITH
MY KIDS
RELATIONSHIPS WITH
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
INNER PERSONAL &

SPIRITUAL LIFE
MY EMOTIONAL STATE
MY MENTAL STATE
MY PHYSICAL HEALTH
REST TIME, DOWN TIME,

AND “PLAY” TIME
MY FINANCES
47
131
Life Goal: ________________________

___ Relationships ___ Rest & Recreation ___ Vocation
65
132
59
87
133
Personal Margin Assessment
How much margin do you feel that you have in each area? How much space is there between
your load and your limit? Circle the amount of margin you currently have in each area.

Time
My schedule is out of control. I am My days are spent on the things I

burning the candle at both ends. I have need and want to do. I have time for
no time for things that matter most. resting and recharging. I am flexible.

Finances
I have a significant amount of debt, I I have a healthy emergency fund, I
struggle to live within my means, and I am debt free, I live within my means,
tend to make irrational financial decisions. and I am planning for the future.

Emotions
I have very little margin for dealing I am emotionally present and engaged.
with anyone’s issues. I feel frustrated, I am able to engage people and
exhausted, and burnt out. circumstances with my heart intact.

Creative margin margin not okay margin margin
I can’t seem to focus on anything I am excited to work on challenging

these days. I am lacking inspiration. problems or to dream up new ideas.. I know
what inspires me. I am always learning.

Health
I don’t sleep well. I don’t feel well. There I consistently a full-night sleep. I eat well
is no consistency to my exercise or diet. and incorporate exercise into my week. I
I need coffee and stimulants to get me have the energy I need to tackle life.
through the day.
113
134
Ideas to Restore Your Margin
In the space below, come up with an idea for how you can restore margin through
increasing your capacity and decreasing your load for each area of margin in your life.
_______________________________________________
(increase)
TIME
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
FINANCES
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
EMOTIONS
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
CREATIVE
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
_______________________________________________
(increase)
HEALTH
_______________________________________________
(decrease)
135
118
THE POWER OF A
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
FOCUSED LIFE
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
136
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________

The Focused Productivity Checklist
Ensure you are completing the whole 4-Step Productivity Flywheel.
1: Identify
I have identified (more or less) what is most important for me to focus on and/or do.
My most important task / project / area of focus is: ___________________________________________.
2: Plan
I have a plan for when and where I will spend time on the above.
I will do _____________________________ on _______________ at ____________ in _______________.

task day time location
3: Act
I have followed through with my simple plan.
I will keep myself accountable to my plan by telling _________________________________________.

person / group
4: Celebrate
I recognize my progress (no matter how big or small) and have celebrated.
By keeping my commitment and making meaningful progress on something that matters,

I will (or did) celebrate by: ___________________________________________.
© BLANC MEDIA 137 THEFOCUSCOURSE.COM / THESWEETSETUP.COM

138
CONCLUSION
______________
You Made It!
139
Congratulations!
Here is what you have accomplished during The Focus Course
✓ You have figured out who you are, what relationships are important to you, what values
you hold most dear, and what your vision for life is.
✓ You have looked at all the areas of your life to identify one thing you want to
accomplish for each of those areas, as well as a plan for how to tie your small actions
to those larger, desired outcomes.
✓ You brainstormed ideas for new lifestyle practices and habits that you could implement
into your day-to-day life that will help you stay on track, thrive in the midst of the chaos
and messiness of life, and find joy in the journey.
✓ You’ve learned about what Focus really means, and the importance of Meaningful
Productivity.
✓ You’ve created an ideal schedule that includes the breathing room you need to thrive
and which gives you the space to spend your time focusing on all the areas of your life.
✓ You’ve identified ways to restore margin and breathing room to your life.
✓ In short, you have given yourself a blueprint for how to manage yourself.
You are now able to get clear on what matters, set goals, achieve those goals, follow
through on your commitments, and celebrate your progress.
140
Whenever you’re ready, here are some ways we can help you.
• Coaching and Consulting

Personal and team coaching opportunities are available for those who want to get the
fastest results possible from the Focus Course frameworks, and ensure they are focusing on
the right things right now.
• Groups and Teams: Workshops and Private Training

If you have a group or team that you’d like to take through the Focus Course, we have
options as short as a one-hour presentations, to one- and two-day workshops, to month-
long Academy cohorts. We have worked with companies and firms such as Eversheds
Sutherland, Nine Labs, ConvertKit, and others.
For information and to dialog about any questions or ideas you have for coaching, further
workshops, and more, please email us:
desk@blancmedia.org
Introducing Your All Access Pass: The Accelerator Membership

The Accelerator Membership is our new monthly membership that gives you an all access pass to
everything. And it is only available to folks, like you, who have already done Focus Course Academy.
With your Accelerator Membership, you get:
• Retroactive access to any and all courses and products that already exist within the Focus Course brand
and on our sister site, The Sweet Setup.
• Automatic access to any and all future courses, products, and online events that we have planned.
• Mastermind small group calls with other Accelerator peers (weekly or bi-weekly).
• Office hours and other workshops hosted by Shawn, Isaac, Mike, and special guests (monthly).
• Future cohorts and challenge-weeks around margin, productivity, writing, creativity, leadership, and more.
• Early-access, priority registration for in-person workshops and retreats.
• Private, members-only Slack group.
Get Access Today

thefocuscourse.com/accelerator
141
Daily Habit Tracker (How to Change Your Life in 12 Months)
It takes roughly two months to form a habit.
Starting small and establishing change over time is the most effective way to build habits that
stick. Focus on just one area of your life and just one daily habit at a time so as to have the
best chance of success and to not get overwhelmed.
Instructions
Using the daily tracker on the following page, fill out the Focus and Habit lines with:
* One area of focus for your life (vocation, health, finances, etc..)
* Pick one daily habit / lifestyle practice to work on each day.
There are two rows of 60 checkboxes underneath that spot. The top row is for you to check off
each day that you do your daily habit. The 2nd row is for you to put the date of the month to
keep track of where you are. Spend the first 60 days focusing on just one new lifestyle
practice. Then, once it’s become a part of your everyday life, add the 2nd lifestyle practice
(without quitting the first one).
Now focus on doing the second habit for two months. Then, just like the first habit, once the
second one has also become a part of your everyday life, add the third lifestyle practice
(without quitting the first or second ones).
This tracker will take you 12 months to complete. This small, simple, and steady approach is a
way to establish a new standard of living that will take root and which will put you on track for
the rest of your life. Using the trajectory you set for yourself during the Focus Course, and this
habit tracker, you’ll have completely changed your life in one year from now.
Download additional copies of this Habit Tracker at: thefocuscourse.com/habit-tracker
Other options for habit tracking: Use a notebook such as a Baron Fig (baron g.com) or the Clear Habit Journal
(jamesclear.com/books) or any other notebook. Use an app, such as “Productive” or “Streaks” found on the iOS
App Store.
142
fi
THE POWER OF A
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
FOCUSED LIFE
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
143
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________
Focus: ___________________________________ Habit: _____________________________________________

How to Write Your Focus Declaration
Using all the assessments and worksheets from the Focus Course, you can now simplify it into
a Focus Declaration that will help you know what to focus on next and how to take action.
(Tip: You can use this template to craft what to focus on next after you have seen progress in your first area of
life. Or use this as a starting point to write a different focus declaration altogether.)
1. Get your top two core values (see page 34)
2. Get the area of life that matters most (see page 70)
3. Get the goal you have for that area (see pages 57 – 69)
4. Get the lifestyle habit you thought mattered most (see page 92)
5. Get the area of margin that mattered most (see page 124)
6. Get your two ideas for how to increase and decrease margin for the margin area that
matters most to you right now (see page 122)
Putting it together, your Focus declaration will look like this:
Because I value [VALUE 1] and [VALUE 2], I want to focus on my [AREA OF LIFE] and begin
moving toward my desired outcome of [LIFE SOMEDAY GOAL].
I know that small, consistent steps can result in big change. I will begin to make time in my
schedule for [LIFESTYLE HABIT].
In order to protect my ability to focus, I will work to restore margin in my [AREA], by [IDEA
FOR INCREASE] and [IDEA FOR DECREASE].
144
Components of Your Focus Declaration
Page 34: What did you list as your top two core values?
______________________________________ and ______________________________________
Page 70: What area of life did you identify as most important to you right now?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Pages 57 – 69: For the above area of life, what did you write as the one thing you want to do,
be, or have someday?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Page 92: For the above area of life, what is the one lifestyle habit you listed as standing out as
most important? (If this lifestyle habit is different than the most important area of your life,
decide which area + habit you will focus on first. (See also: pages 80 – 81.))
____________________________________________________________________________
Page 124: What is the area of margin that you identified as the most important right now?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Page 122: For the above area of margin, how can you restore it through increase
and decrease?
_______________________________________ and ______________________________________
145
Focus Declaration
Because I value __________________________ and __________________________,

VALUE 1 VALUE 2
I want to focus on my ___________________________ and begin moving toward my

AREA OF LIFE
desired outcome of _________________________________________________________.

SOMEDAY GOAL
I know that small, consistent steps can result in big change. Thus, I will begin to
make time in my schedule for _______________________________________________.

LIFESTYLE HABIT
In order to protect my ability to focus, I will work to restore and maintain margin
in my _________________________, by _____________________________________ and

AREA OF MARGIN MARGIN IDEA: “INCREASE”
______________________________________.
MARGIN IDEA: “DECREASE”
_________________________________________________ _____________________
Signed Dated
146

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FOCUS COURSE

This very important workbook belongs to: _____________________________________________

NOUN Maximum clarity.

VERB Bring something into alignment.

Focus is a valuable skill in life and

When you possess the skill of focus you have a superpower!

✓ You are able to manage yourself.

✓ You can set clear goals.

✓ You can achieve your goals.

✓ Your calendar aligns with your core values.

✓ You follow through on your commitments.

✓ And so much more…

1. Why did you join Focus Course?

Something from the Course that I am hoping for is:

WEEK 1 : PAGE 7 The 5 Components of a Focused Life

The 4-Focus Method (Intro)

Your Roles, Responsibilities, Values, and Legacy

Your Life’s Mission and Vision

Section 3: The Laws of Focus 41

Critical concepts and mental models

Section 4: Life Goals 47

Six Areas of Your Life

Life Goals and Action Plans

Section 5: Lifestyle Practices and Habits 73

Using Habits to Your Advantage

Choosing Habits to Change Your Life

Section 6: Time Management 83

The Ownership Matrix

Your Ideal Schedule

The Seven Areas of Resistance

Inbox Addiction & Urgency Mindset Assessments

The 4-Focus Method (Recap)

Section 8: Margin 113

The Five Areas of Margin

How to Restore Margin

✓ The 5 Components of a Focused Life

✓ The 4-Focus Method

✓ Identify your core values

✓ Write a draft of your Life’s Mission and Vision

The Progress Principle

Circle the one area that feels the strongest.

Why do you think that is? ____________________________________________________________

Circle the one area that feels the weakest.

Why do you think that is? ____________________________________________________________

Identify Plan Act Celebrate

Identify Plan Act Celebrate

Spinning Your Wheels

Behind & Stressed

2: Reactive Work (Feeling Frustrated & Anxious)

3: Procrastination (Feeling Behind)

4: Burnout (Feeling Overwhelmed)

Busywork Reactive Work Procrastination Burnout

Meaningful Productivity is the state of consistently giving your time

1. True productivity and time management are not based on efficiency,

2. Productivity “tricks” that promise lasting change apart from a

3. The starting line for focus, productivity, and time ownership is to

Person’s Name Who are you to them?

Ownership (is a mindset)

Action-Oriented Adaptability Adventurous Ambitious

Assertive Authentic Belonging Caring