How to Unlock Focus to Accomplish More by Doing Less
- Ed Troxell
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
In today’s always-on world, focus isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s your superpower.
Neuroscience shows that deep work not only boosts productivity but also drives creativity and long-term growth (Newport, 2016). When you’re constantly context-switching, your brain burns out faster and you accomplish less.
Why Focus Matters for CEOs
A study by the American Psychological Association found that multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%. For women leaders building businesses, this means more time spent on busywork and less on strategy, vision, and growth.
The Science Behind Deep Work
Cal Newport’s research on “deep work” demonstrates that our brains are wired for periods of intense, undistracted effort. When we operate in this state, we’re not just more productive, we’re more creative and fulfilled.
Neuroscientists have found that focusing on a single task lights up the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and goal achievement (Harvard Health).
How to Harness Focus for Business Growth
Batch Your Tasks:
Block time for deep work and protect it fiercely. What you want to do here is take a look at your calendar, see what's taking up your time, and see where you can lump tasks together so that you can be more efficient with your time.
For example, instead of taking meetings every day, try to move all your meetings to a specific day(s) like Mondays are team meetings, Wednesdays are networking meetings. You can also do this with your follow-up tasks–Tuesday mornings are now your lead gen days. Doing this will help you mentally get in the game and stay ready for what you have to accomplish that day.
Use the Pomodoro Technique:
Research shows working in focused sprints (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off) helps sustain attention and avoid burnout (Cirillo, 2018). Bonus: if you've tried the Pomodoro Technique and felt like it didn't work, try my Just 15 Method (get anything done in Just 15 minutes).
Distractions are all around us, and you are a very important founder who has to be present, but you also have to get things done, which means you need to protect your focus. Look back at the batched tasks you just filled out, pick either the Pomodoro Technique or my Just 15 Method, and tackle a task. Trust me, you will make progress without being distracted by email, texts, Slack messages, and phone calls while still being present.
Limit Digital Distractions:
Use tools like RescueTime to identify and minimize interruptions. Bonus tip for iPhone users: You can set focus times in your settings so notifications don't interrupt you. Again, look back at your batched tasks to assoicate a specific task with a specific time in your calendar and you will be the most producitve CEO.
Prioritize Ruthlessly:
Apply the Eisenhower Matrix to focus on high-impact activities.
Figure out what is urgent vs not urgent and then decide what is important vs not important. Then you can decide what you need to do, delegate, decide, or delete. In fact, right now, practice implementing what we have talked about so far.
Set a timer for 15 minutes (focus, no distractions)
Implement the Eisenhower Matrix
Set time in your calendar to review your work so that you can figure out who to delegate items to, what to delete, and decide what comes next.
CEO Spotlight Example:
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, credits her success to “white space thinking”—blocking off time for deep, uninterrupted work. She’s not alone: Bill Gates is famous for his “think weeks,” and other high-performing CEOs swear by this approach.
Bottom Line:
Scaling your business doesn’t mean doing more.
It means focusing on what matters most, leveraging your brain’s natural strengths, and letting go of the rest.
The result? More impact, less overwhelm, and sustainable growth.
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