I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for seriousness, I can tell you I don't have any, but what I do have is a very particular kind of humor. A humor I have acquired over a long life. A humor that makes me ridiculous to people like you. If you laugh now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will tickle you.

Ok! Jokes aside, what a funny movie that was!! Oh Taken!! :)

So, I thought I’d put together a short list of thought provoking, productivity increasing, goal oriented things to really help refocus those who are battling with these trivially common, yet real attention seeking/competing gnats. But not before I say, hats off to you...you know...for wearing all of those hats! 

1. BEING AN EXPERT IN SOMETHING IS MORE VALUABLE THAN BEING A DABBLER IN EVERYTHING

Allow me to distill the title first with this opening line: nothing is more seductive in this day and age, no resume is sexier, no cover letter makes the human resource department weaker at their knees than a candidate showcasing his plethora of skills, in a curvy, bold, Verdana font, like a peacock with its tail unfurled who displays a rainbow of colors to attract the opposite sex.

Still with me? Good!

What I’m really saying is that most human resource departments suck.

Did I really just say that?

Yep! You can’t stutter when you write, right?

I’m serious.

Most HR Departments are made up of people who have no clue as to how to screen or attract new talent. Reason why, most people don’t really stick around that long. Just look at the retention rate of millennials: over 60% are ready to leave and find greener pastures.

And can you blame them?

But hey, maybe it's the coffee. Then again...

The very term company implies the existence of other team members. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I’m calling the shots, I’d like to surround myself with great people who have something substantial to contribute. However, this is not what happens. Besides hugely successful companies like Facebook, Google and Apple (just to name a few) who are on top of their shhh – game – the rest of the world is still running around through piles of papers and generic questions that anyone with a basic IQ can eventually rehearse to perfection.

So why am I being so harsh toward the HR departments of the world? I’m really not. Merely making a point - which brings me to my next one.

2. YOUR ABILITY TO MULTITASK WILL NOT EARN YOU POINTS IN THE LONG RUN

Really…Not even one?

Nope! :(

You'll burn out. Like that bulb over there.

With so many distractions and social media handles to handle, who can keep up with it all? If your job is to blog and churn out say 5000 words a day for your clients, and you also claim to grow their instagram following, their youtube channel, their twitter accounts and SEO optimize their website, would it seem unreasonable if I was suspicious of your super-hero-media powers just a teeny bit?

I didn’t think so.

But it’s not all hopeless. Your arrows may still be straight if your aim is true (sounds like something Hemingway would’ve said). Meaning it’s absolutely better to focus on a single task than to run around all day under the illusion of being productive and 10 shots of expresso. Just think of all the movies you watch. If Hollywood productions were assigned to dabblers based on their impressive resumes that described they could do about 20 different things, and tasks like make-up were relegated to editors, and special effects to the audio guys…you see where this is going? We probably wouldn’t have Blade Runner, or The Matrix or Meet Joe Black or The Gladiator or the Great Gatsby – just naming some of my favorite movies. Or Fight Club!

I believe that being laser-focused is an extremely valuable asset and discipline. Because when you focus for prolonged periods of time you’re much more likely to enter a state of “flow”. Say whaaa...?!

3. FLOW IS AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD CHASE IT LIKE A BEAUTIFUL MUSE

So flow, as defined in the Flow Genome Project by Jamie Wheal and Steven Kotler is a state of peak performance where you feel your best and you perform your best. But, in order to get in that flow state, to get in the zone, you have to meet certain prerequisites. One of which is your mind has to be relaxed. It’s got to be clear. And it can’t do that if you’re constantly on the edge; constantly multitasking! Makes sense right?

I think this Jamie Wheal is onto something here!

So, by letting go of the millions things passing through our minds like planes flying through LAX every second, we can set up the stage, or prime ourselves for an induced state of flow. Now this is a goal that every company should be working towards! And, as Jamie Wheal describes, there are different ways to achieve this. It can be either a individual experience, or it can be a group activity. The latter being even more potent in paving the way for some very powerful insights and enabling us to italicize these peak moments and experiences.

However, I won’t go into this too deep here, as the point of this article is to simplify why you should be wearing less hats, not more. But, you can read more about it at Flow Genome Project – if it tickles your fancy.  

4. FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE SMARTER THAN YOU AND DON’T TELL THEM WHAT TO DO

Working for company X for almost a decade, I witnessed the travesty of white collar employment.

Huh…?

Oh right! I saw some very smart creative people come on board – probably by accident rather than the good of their virtues – and watched them slowly get eaten alive by the industry fungus that we’ve sadly come to know as: micro-management.

I mean what’s the point of hiring a pro at say, writing, to help you grow your web traffic and then telling him how to write it, when to write, what to write it with (like it matters!). The point is to find people who can replace you in other areas of expertise and allow them to start wearing your hats.

And I get it! It’s hard to let go. Maybe it feels like you’re losing control, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Some years ago, whenever I’d go out with my girlfriend, I’d let her drive because she loved cars, knew how to change a tire (I didn't!), was a better driver (despite the stereotype that women have a poor sense of direction) and we always got to our destination. Trusting people isn’t only better in your relationships, but also in your business.

Because at the inception of every company is one common thread: YOU have to do everything!

Which is fine in the beginning. But slowly, you have to learn to delegate the tasks you’re not so good at and the ones you’re mediocre at, as well as the ones you’re fifty shades of crappy at and just getting by the skin of your teeth to more qualified individuals whose resumes doesn’t look like the encyclopedia Britannica - but something more succinct.

The less hats you wear the more time you will have to pursue the things you really love. For me it’s writing articles for my blog on topics that interest me and making videos on my youtube channel about not too dissimilar things using the elements of music, video and language to weave together what is hopefully a story that resonates with people, as well as making the best use of run-on sentences possible!

For you it may be social media marketing, or filmmaking, or painting - whatever. The idea is that you will be much more productive once you free up your time by trusting another human with a portion of your work.

And don’t worry! You’re not firing yourself. Just working smarter!

Let me know if you’ve enjoyed this read by leaving your comment/question below or by sharing it on social media.

Thank you!

&

Carpe Diem

Alex