Hi, I’m Peter from Amsterdam. I’ll help you get organized and be more productive. Every Sunday, I send a productivity-themed newsletter to 10,000 people. Join us!
One of the most valuable skills you can have
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The other day, I was coaching a well-connected client. She told me about meeting the CEO of a Fortune 500 company: I was sitting with this CEO and I was struck by how incredibly present he was during our entire 90-minute meeting.
It just seemed like his entire attention was on our conversation and nothing could distract him.
At one point, I asked something he didn’t know the answer to.
He pulled out his iPhone, tapped on it for 15 seconds, then put the phone back in his pocket.
An hour after the meeting, he got back to me with the answer.
My client asked me: how did he do that? I said I hadn’t met this CEO, but we could go ask him. She replied that this man does not have time to answer such questions. Fair point. Perhaps, I speculated, he used a to-do app like Things or Todoist. Perhaps he took a note in Apple Notes. Or perhaps he just texted his executive assistant. We don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he has a system that allows him to be laser-focused on what’s in front of him, while also capturing to-dos for later. And you don’t need CEO-level resources to achieve this. Using a well-organized to-do app or even just Apple Notes will do the trick. Being present and reliably following up is one of the most valuable skills you can have. Practice it. |
Peter Akkies
Hi, I’m Peter from Amsterdam. I’ll help you get organized and be more productive. Every Sunday, I send a productivity-themed newsletter to 10,000 people. Join us!
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