Focal Point Summary – Brian Tracy

Emir Zecovic | Posted on May 12, 2018 |

5 min read ⌚

A Proven System to Simplify Your Life, Double Your Productivity and Achieve All Your Goals

If you are like most people, you are overburdening yourself with tasks that do not bring you significant results.

It is time that you change that.

Who Should Read “Focal Point”? And Why?

“Focal Point” is a book that teaches readers about the significance of focus and choosing one’s activities carefully.

Not everything you do in your life brings you closer to your goal, and if you want to live up to your true potential, it is important that you realize what these activities are and eliminate them from your life.

We recommend this book to all readers that feel like they are working hard, but not getting any results, as well as to those who want to simplify their professional life and make some more time for actual living.

About Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is a writer, a speaker and a consultant with vast experience in business, economics, and psychology.

“Focal Point PDF Summary”

Let us tell you a story.

Once upon a time (well not that long ago actually) a particular nuclear power plant faces some technical problems.

These problems reduced the efficiency of the operation and the energy generation of the plant.

Naturally, everyone was worried.

The scientists and engineers working on the plant tried to figure out what the problem was, but without much success.

Finally, severely worried, the top management of the plant decided to outsource the problem to one of the top consultants on the topic in the country.

The expert came to the plant and walked around scribbling and taking down notes in his notebook.

By the end of the second day he had found the source of the problem: he climbed up a ladder and with a black marker x-ed one of the gauges on the plant.

After he left, the workers on the plant followed his recommendation to fix the part he marked, and in no time the plant was back to functioning in its full capacity.

A few days later the plant manager got the bill from the consultant. He asked for $ 10,000 for his services.

What? Just for placing one simple X? He must be crazy.

That is exactly what the manager thought, and he asked for the consultant to break down his price, believing it is illogical.

Soon he got the reply.

“For placing “X” on the gauge: $1.00. For knowing where to place the “X”: $9,999.”

It is a fun story, isn’t it?

But, it is much more than just fun – it teaches you to the most important concept to reaching success in your work and your life: knowing where to place the X.

Pinpointing the problems that undermine your voyage to achieving your full potential is everything!

It does not matter what aspect of life we are talking about. In each situation, you are doing things that are slowing you down or keeping you back from achieving your goals.

In order to do anything in life, you have to be clear about what you want and where you want to be. Only then you can focus your efforts and energy to achieve that.

By visualizing the end goal clearly, you will be able to much more easily determine a set of steps that will get you there.

And even more importantly, you will be able to recognize the things you do and do not bring you any actual benefit and eliminate them from your experience.

When it comes to reaching your goals, you have to find your focal point.

You can focus your energy much better if you add more things that take you toward your goal and simplify and eliminate the rest.

Just think about your current life and ask yourself which things can be simplified, or even eliminated. That way you will be able to work the same amount of time, or even less, and double and even triple your results.

Of course, in order to be able to have more time for yourself you need to learn how to leverage. In other words, success can be only achieved if you look at it as a collective endeavor.

It is impossible for you to know everything and to have all the needed skills for a certain thing.

So, you have to learn how you can use other people’s time, money, skills, knowledge, and ideas in a way that can help you reach your goals.

And, let’s not forget the most crucial point of success: you have to take responsibility for your life and your actions.

What sets apart truly successful people from all the rest is their sense of personal responsibility.

Why?

Because when you are pointing the finger at other people or external circumstances, you are not only avoiding responsibility but you are also giving away your power and control over your life.

And only when you are in control, you can get where you want to be, and you can stop waiting for things to happen, and go and do them yourself.

Key Lessons from “Focal Point”

1. The Four Steps to a Focused Life
2. Double Your Results and Free Up Your Time
3. The Seven Rs of Simplification

The Four Steps to a Focused Life

There are four ways you can approach leading a more focused life. You can do more of particular things and do less of others.

You can start doing entirely new things that you have not been doing so far. And lastly, you can eliminate some things from your experience altogether.

Double Your Results and Free Up Your Time

It is possible that you do less work and have better results.

First, you need to identify which tasks and everyday actions contribute to your results the most.

Then, focus on these tasks and delegate the ones that do not affect your productivity as much.

Stop spending all your time working, and take a day off, on which you will focus solely on your personal life and yourself.

When you become comfortable with taking one day off, do not stop there! Instead, expand it, take two days, and then maybe three.

Opt for coming to a point when you take a three-day vacation every two or three months.

And lastly, do not forget to assess your activities regularly, in order not to fall into the trap of doing things that do not contribute to your results again.

The Seven Rs of Simplification

You can simplify your life by utilizing the seven Rs: rethinking, reevaluating, reorganizing, restructuring, reinventing, reengineering, and regaining control.

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