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Concept

Focus

The discipline of concentrating energy on a deliberately chosen few things at the expense of everything else -- not trying harder, but choosing less.

Tensions

McKeown says focus harder on fewer things. Burkeman warns that the entire framework of "doing the right things efficiently" is itself the trap -- if focus is driven by the illusion of control over time, it is still playing the wrong game. Rumelt and McKeown align (corner solutions mirror the 90% rule), but organizational focus and personal focus may operate by different principles at scale.

Related Concepts

clarity | productivity | decision | strategy | leadership

Last updated: Apr 16, 2026