The Focus Funnel: How to Prioritize When Everything Feels Urgent
Curated from: vertexviews.wordpress.com
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Step 1: Eliminate
Yeah, I said it. Eliminate. Most of the stuff you think is “urgent” is just mental junk food, it makes you feel busy but leaves you bloated with stress and self-loathing.
Ask yourself: If I don’t do this, will the world implode?
If the answer is no, guess what, DELETE.
Don’t attend meetings with no agenda. Don’t reply to emails that feel like forwarded chain letters. Don’t do tasks that are there just because “it’s always been done that way.”
Most people don’t need time management; they need bullsh*t management.
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Step 2: Automate
If you have to do something repeatedly, automate the damn thing.
Set up calendar invites. Use canned responses. Auto-bill your subscriptions—Utilise AI tools for scheduling, drafting, or filtering out junk from your inbox.
You’re not lazy, you’re just not built to remember every single recurring task in your life. Use tech like a boss. Not like a caveman poking at Gmail with a stick.
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Step 3: Delegate
“But no one can do it as well as me!”
Cool story, bro. Enjoy your burnout.
Let go of the ego. Delegating isn’t about dumping responsibility; it’s about multiplying your time. Focus on what only you can do. The rest? Pass it on. Train someone. Trust them. And if they screw up, well… that’s part of the process too.
Control freaks die stressed. Delegators win long term.
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Step 4: Procrastinate (Intentionally)
What?! Yes. Procrastinate. But not the “watch 8 hours of Netflix and cry” kind. I mean strategic procrastination.
If a task doesn’t need to be done today, don’t do it. Push it to when it matters. You don’t need to be a hero and save the world by Tuesday.
This isn’t laziness. It’s called timing. Smart people delay tasks so they’ll have maximum impact. Not just maximum stress.
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Step 5: Concentrate
What remains after the funnel? The things you must do, the real value creators.
That’s where you go all in. Lock the door. Throw the phone into a drawer. Use noise-cancelling headphones if you have to. Focus is your superpower now.
Give the task your full attention, crush it, and move on.
No tabs open. No distractions. No checking Instagram for the 14th time in an hour.
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Final Thoughts
The Focus Funnel isn’t rocket science. It’s brutal honesty about what deserves your time.
You don’t need more hours in a day. You need fewer pointless tasks draining your life force.
So next time your brain’s screaming “EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT!!!”, pour all of it into the funnel. What comes out the other side is what you need to do.
The rest? Forget it.
Because being busy isn’t a badge of honour, it’s a sign you’ve lost control of your priorities. Time to take that control back.
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IDEAS CURATED BY
CURATOR'S NOTE
When everything feels urgent, everything feels impossible. The Focus Funnel slices through that chaos like a machete in a jungle of “ASAP” emails. It’s not about doing everything, it’s about doing the right thing.
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