2x2: My Unexpected Surgery

Hello! Welcome to this week’s edition of the 2x2 newsletter. Your premier Friday email for leaders, creators, and decision makers like you who want to manage their tasks, time, and ideas better. So, crazy story… About two weeks ago my team and I [hosted]( our annual Focus Unconference here in Kansas City. We had a few dozen community members and business owners in town for two days and it was awesome. The first day, went great! But most of the day I wasn’t feeling very well. I thought it was just stress or that maybe I had pulled an abdominal muscle the day before during my workout. By the time I got home after the first day, I was feeling even worse. I skipped dinner and went to bed at like 6pm. The next morning, was supposed to be Day Two for the event. This second day I was supposed to host an all-day mastermind that was just for the business owners… This was the BIG day for me! And it was the first time we’d hosted a high-level mastermind like this here in KC. I’d been looking forward to this day for months. Not to mention we had clients and attendees who had spent thousands of dollars to be there. I wanted everything to be perfect. Things were scheduled to start at 10am. But I was still feeling pretty bad. So my wife suggests that we swing by the ER just to rule out anything serious. Assuming all was fine, then I would just load up on Tylenol and tough it out for the day. We get to the ER at 8:30 in the morning, and within 3 minutes the doctor tells me I have appendicitis and I need surgery that day. I wasn’t going anywhere. Noooo! I asked the doctor if there was any way they could schedule me for surgery in 24 hours so I could go host my event. He just laughed. So I texted my team to update them. They would have to do everything without me. They had to host the whole mastermind, at the last minute, with zero prep and zero warning. Fortunately, we had systems and training in place already, so they were able to follow the plan. And they did absolutely amazing! And I got a bunch of messages and emails from the attendees saying how well things went without me. All this to say, if you want to have a business that can run without you, then you need clear systems and good people. Also, life goes on. There is no one singular event or opportunity upon which everything hinges. As Ben Franklin once said: “Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.” * * * Check this out 1: [The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People]( My routine is probably the most similar to Le Corbusier or Victor Hugo. But not quite. How about you? 2: [Let’s Get Lost]( After my appendectomy, a friend sent me this book to read while I was recovering. It’s an absolutely stunning photography book, and if you like landscape and/or adventure photography then this should be required reading. Something to think about 1: Focus is a SkillOne misconception around focus is that it’s a personality type — that you’re just good or bad at it and there’s nothing you can do about it. But the truth is, focus is a skill. And there’s different ways that people focus and different types of it. Focus has a much broader definition than simply meaning you can sit at a desk and work on something, undistracted, for hours and hours and hours. Focus means two things: Maximum Clarity and Alignment. If you can get clear on what you want / need, and if you can align your attention and your time to it… then you can focus. 2: How I schedule my day (80/20 version) Toward the end of my work day (usually around 4:30pm), I have a short shut-down routine. During this time I plan my tasks and schedule for tomorrow. - I write down the three most important tasks I need to accomplish. - I make note of how much time I need to work on each of those tasks. - I schedule the time for when I will work on those tasks. Then, the following morning, I simply show up and get to work. * * * — Shawn P.S. In a few weeks we’ve got a significant update coming to our most popular productivity training of all time: All the Things… More details soon. 👋 Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways we can help you up-level your tasks, time, and ideas… 1: [Take the]([Focus Assessment]( to get your personalized pathway with (free) tools and training. 2: Undo your to-do list with maximum clarity on your goals, your schedule, and your habits with lifetime access to the self-paced [Focus Course](. 3: [Join the growing Accelerator Membership]( and get your all-access pass to our entire course and resource library as well as a thriving community. (Recommended.) 4: Business Owner? Hit reply if you’re interested in learning more about our private mastermind community. [In-Depth App Training for Power Users]( To unsubscribe, click [here](. Blanc Media, 714 Main St., Grandview, MO 64030, United States