Guard Your Attention Like a Dragon Guards His Gold

What’s your most valuable resource? Is it time, money, your reputation? Even a damaged reputation can be rebuilt; just look at Steve Jobs! But once your attention is spent, it’s gone for good.

If attention is your most valuable resource, it follows that it must be worth more than gold. So treat it that way! When someone asks for a meeting or even sends you an email, ask yourself whether this task is worth the cost in time, attention, and energy.

The point here isn’t to blow off meetings or ignore your inbox – it’s to spend your attention deliberately. Don’t schedule a two-hour meeting when a memo will do the trick. Don’t get into a ping-pong email barrage when a five-minute call will do.

FACTS:

Attention is more valuable than gold.
As a leader, people are constantly trying to steal your attention.
If you let this happen, your attention will be squandered.

In mythology and fiction, dragons are hoarders, and they value gold more than anything else. They love their gold so much that they even sleep on it – and will fight off anyone who tries to steal it.

As a business leader, your attention is your pile of gold. It’s your most valuable resource, and everybody wants to steal some. So channel your inner dragon, and guard that gold!

SOLUTIONS:

Spend your attention deliberately. Perhaps use an Attention Budget

Guard it zealously from anyone who tries to steal it.

Silence the Sirens to limit Attention Hijackers.

The only factor becoming scarce in a world of abundance is human attention.”

– Kevin Kelly,

Founding executive editor of Wired magazine