The Focus to Say No

Focus, as Steve Jobs said, is about saying no. The only dangerous competitors are focused ones. Ergo there are things that even the most dangerous competitors say no to, and it would be worth thinking explicitly about what those are.

Saying no doesn't mean you'll never do anything interesting or innovative or spontaneous. It just means that you say yes in a focused way. Once you have knocked out the distractions, it can make sense to say yes to any opportunity that could potentially move you in the right direction. You may have to try many things to discover what works and what... See more