Story of the Week
The Attention War You're Fighting
Every time you open your phone, you're entering a battlefield.
On one side: your goals, your priorities, the things that actually matter to your future.
On the other side: an army of algorithms armed with infinite content designed to make you forget what you were originally trying to accomplish.
The algorithms are winning.
They know that a video about squirrel houses will keep you watching longer than a tutorial about the skill you're trying to learn. They know that outrage and controversy generate more engagement than practical advice. They know that "just one more video" turns into an hour of your life you'll never get back.
And here's the kicker: They're getting better at this every single day, while most of us are using the same willpower-based strategies that barely worked before smartphones existed.
And it’s not just social media.
It's the new course that promises to teach you everything about a topic you weren't even interested in yesterday.
It's the business opportunity that looks amazing until you realize it has nothing to do with what you're already building.
It's the productivity app that will supposedly revolutionize your life, but actually just gives you another thing to manage.
The problem isn't that these things exist — some of them are genuinely valuable.
The problem is timing.
When you're constantly switching focus, you never build momentum in any single direction.
The Just-in-Time Information Defense
Here's where Lean Learning becomes your secret weapon against distraction: the principle of Just-in-Time Information.
Instead of consuming information "just in case" you might need it someday, you only gather information when you need it for your immediate next step. This simple shift creates a powerful filter that protects you from 90% of the noise.
This isn't about being closed-minded or missing opportunities. It's about recognizing that every "yes" to new information is a "no" to progress on what you're already working on.
The Compound Effect of Focus
Here's what most people don't realize: The difference between focused and unfocused learning isn't just about speed — it's about compound growth.
When you stay focused on one area for an extended period, you don't just learn faster. You start making connections that scattered learners miss. You develop intuition. You begin to see patterns and opportunities that only become visible with sustained attention.
The person who spends six months deeply focused on email marketing will outperform someone who spends two years casually learning about marketing, sales, social media, and productivity. Focus creates expertise. Distraction creates the illusion of progress.
Your Anti-Squirrel Challenge
This week, I challenge you to implement the Just-in-Time Information filter:
Identify your current learning goal: What's the one thing you're trying to get better at right now?
Create your relevance filter: Before consuming any content, ask: "Does this directly help me with my current learning goal?"
Practice saying no: When something interesting but irrelevant appears, consciously choose to skip it.
Track your focus: At the end of each day, note whether you stayed focused or got distracted, and what triggered any diversions.
Celebrate focus wins: Acknowledge when you successfully ignore distractions and stay on track.
Remember, in a world designed to scatter your attention, focus becomes a superpower. The algorithms want you distracted because distracted people are profitable. But focused people are powerful.
The squirrels can build their own houses. You have more important things to do.
Here's to laser-like focus!
