You hear about a new AI tool. A competitor launches a new product. Someone says “you should start a podcast.” Suddenly, your brain lights up like a Christmas tree.

But here’s the problem: every time you chase something new, you lose focus on what actually moves the needle.

And that lack of focus kills more businesses than bad ideas ever will.

The distraction trap

Around 90% of startups fail, and a big chunk of that comes down to one thing — lack of focus.

When I started building Rare Founders, I was doing everything at once — events, sponsorships, fundraising, product ideas, side projects, social media. It felt like I couldn’t say no because momentum was building.

Spoiler: I almost burnt out.

Worse — I wasn’t moving forward in any meaningful way. That’s when I started trying to rebuild my focus muscle. I still haven’t nailed it (no one has), but I’ve learned a few things that helped.

Focus is the real competitive advantage

A report from First Round showed that 70% of founders say “knowing where to focus” is their biggest challenge. Not raising money. Not product. Not hiring. Just staying focused.

And it’s not just a startup problem. Every small business faces this daily:

• New clients demanding custom work.
   

• Shiny partnership offers.
   

• Endless social media trends.
   

• A hundred “urgent” emails.
   

Here’s a stat that stings — switching between tasks all day can cut productivity by up to 40%, and it takes 23 minutes on average to regain focus after each interruption.

Now imagine doing that 10–15 times a day. That’s your day — gone.

What helped us (and might help you)

None of this is fancy. Just things that worked.

1️⃣ Time blocking

We block 2–3 hours most mornings for deep work. No meetings. No calls. No Slack. Just doing the actual work.

When we treat my calendar like real estate — not a wishlist — things actually move forward.

2️⃣ Eisenhower Matrix

This one we stole from the corporate world. List all your tasks and divide them into:

• Urgent & Important → Do now
   

• Important but Not Urgent → Schedule
   

• Urgent but Not Important → Delegate
   

• Neither → Delete
   

You’ll be shocked how much time you spend on “urgent” things that don’t matter at all.

3️⃣ OKRs (Objectives & Key Results)

They sound boring but they work. Setting just one or two real goals helps me (and my team) stop drifting into random side quests.

The mindset shift

The real battle isn’t in your calendar — it’s in your head.

“Shiny Object Syndrome” is real. You go to an event, hear a new idea, and want to pivot your entire business by Monday. I’ve done it too — and regretted it every time.

The most successful people I know don’t chase trends. They stay heads down on one problem, one direction, for a long time.

That’s how real progress happens.

Short-term wins vs. long-term growth

Saying yes feels good. It gives you a quick dopamine hit. But not every opportunity is worth it.

That “exciting” partnership, that one-off client project, that trending feature — sometimes they just distract you from what you actually need to be building.

Ask yourself:

“Is this helping me build something sustainable? Or is it just a short-term hit?”

Focus means saying no — a lot. And that’s uncomfortable, but necessary.

Like Steve Jobs said: “I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.”

 

Final thought

Running a business is messy. There’s always more to do than time to do it.

But once you start spotting distractions for what they are, it becomes easier to pause and ask:

“Does this actually help me get where I want to go?”

If not — let it go.

Focus isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing what matters, consistently.

👉 Want more stories and lessons like this?

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