Title: “Are you Busy, but not having a big impact”? — How to Focus on What Matters
By Tom Reynolds
When we ran innovation labs or led large-scale turnarounds, one pattern showed up again and again:
The teams that were busiest were often the least productive.
Motion was high. Progress? Not so much.
We often create activities that have zero value, but busy sometimes feel good — a kind of organizational adrenaline where everything was urgent but nothing was essential. I am sure this happens everywhere.
It happens in personal life too.
Your calendar is full. Your inbox is jammed. Have you ever spent hours responding to and writing emails, and you get limited answers. You’ve checked many boxes this week — and yet, the needle hasn’t moved on what matters most.
You feel like you are constantly busy but you are not sure if you are getting results.
Being busy feels like momentum, but it often hides fear, distraction, or lack of direction.
The fix? It isn’t more hustle.
It’s STRATEGIC SUBSTRACTION — removing what doesn’t matter so you can double down on what does.
Innovation in Action: Distraction vs. Direction
We worked with a commercial team that was drowning in data. They were tracking dozens of KPIs and still felt behind.
So we did something radical: we shut off 80% of the reports. We cut the noise and isolated three key signals — the ones that actually drove market impact.
The result? Focus sharpened. Energy returned. The team stopped reacting and started executing.
You can do the same in your life.
Stop trying to manage everything. Start designing what actually counts. AND ONLY A FEW THINGS WiLL MOVE THE NEEDLE
Cool Exercise: The Focus Filter
Take 10 minutes. Write down 10 things you did this week — tasks, meetings, obligations, errands, habits.
Now ask for each:
- Did this move me toward the life I want?
- Will it lead to the result I am targeting?
- Or did it just maintain appearances?
Circle the essentials. Cross out the noise.
Now choose ONE thing you’ll stop doing next week — and one thing you’ll double down on.
This is how you create space for your cool to return. THE FINAL CHECK IS THAT WHAT YOU FOCUS ON MUST MOVE THE NEEDLE TOWARD SUCCESS IN A WEEK. IT COULD BE A SMALL MOVEMENT BUT IT MUST HAVE AN IMPACT.
Innovation Insight: Simplicity Scales, Clutter Kills
In the most successful systems we built, the common denominator was simplicity.
Simplicity isn’t laziness — it’s leadership.
It requires clarity, boundaries, and courage to say: “No, not this.” Recently listening to Warren Buffet speak it is amazing how he can break down billion dollar investments into the most simplistic rationale on why he invested and why it is a great investment.
The same applies to your habits, your calendar, your goals.
If everything matters, nothing matters.
Cool people know how to focus and focus on what is important to them.
Quote to Reflect On
“Being busy is not the same as being productive.” — Tim Ferriss
Final Thought
You weren’t built to manage everything.
You were built to move something meaningful forward.
If your life feels chaotic — it’s may be because your energy has been split too many ways.
Reclaim it.
Focus it.
And give yourself permission to stop being busy and start prioritizing better.
Because cool isn’t a result of doing more.
It’s the art of doing what matters most — on purpose.
PERHAPS SETTING YOUR PRIORITIES TODAY AND FOCUSING ON THE THINGS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU WILL BE YOUR BIG WIN THIS WEEK.
Lead Like a Leader 
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