The 25-5 Rule: Stay Focused and Reduce Distractions

Suffer from shiny object syndrome? This should help.

Hey ,

Do you suffer from shiny object syndrome?

I do. Recently, I was ready for a majorly productive day. My strategy was set, my tasks well-defined.

And then it happened: I got distracted by an email offering to help get me newsletter sponsors, something I’ve been vaguely interested in exploring over the past year or so.

Three hours later, after setting up on three different platforms, my entire day was derailed.

Shiny object syndrome is when your attention is drawn to what is new, current, or interesting—the “shiny object.” Usually, this involves shifting your focus from what you should be working on to what’s less important.

As I sat in regret, I remembered an old rule that’s proved beneficial to me in the past—and it’s time that I started adhering to it again.

Here’s how it works.

The 25/5 Rule
The 25/5 rule is an urban legend about a billionaire named Warren and his personal pilot, Mike. (Yes, at one point people said the billionaire was Warren Buffett, but he’s rebuffed that.)

One day, Mike was discussing career priorities with his boss when Warren gave him a simple tip.

“First, make a list of your top 25 goals,” said Warren. “Now, circle the top five goals.”

“Ok,” said Mike. “Now what?”

“You need to focus on doing whatever’s going to best serve goals one through five. And you do whatever you can to stay completely away from goals 6 through 25.”

The goal: Finding focus, and eliminating distractions.

Accomplishing five big things is really hard. It takes time. It takes focus. It takes tons of smaller steps along the way, working together, building off of each other.

Goals 6 through 25, on the other hand, are typically “nice to haves.” They’re things you’re interested in, things that are exciting or promise short-term gains. But in the end, they’re only going to keep you from doing the things you want the most.

This is what makes the 25/5 rule emotionally intelligent: It helps you manage your emotions and exercise self-discipline.

When you recognize the short-term joy you experience from pursuing those lesser things doesn’t equal the regret you feel for failing to reach the more important things, you can achieve greater focus and control in how you spend your day.

Of course, your list doesn’t have to use the literal numbers “25” and “5.” The key is to identify what you really want to accomplish—for the day, the week, the month, or the year. Then, identify what types of things typically get in the way of you achieving those goals.

Because let’s face it. They’re distractions.

What happened to me a few weeks ago is a perfect example of why the 25/5 rule is so useful.

Of course, there was no use lamenting the fact that I had lost all that time. Instead, I could take a few minutes to create a new “25/5” list (mine was more like an “8/5”). This would help ensure that over the next several weeks, I wouldn’t keep making the same mistake.

I wouldn’t keep throwing away long-term success in exchange for short-term but risky rewards.

I wouldn’t keep getting distracted by the shiny object.

Instead, I’d keep focused on the more important things—the tasks and goals that provide the most value, but that also take the most commitment.

So, the next time you’re creating a list for your day, week, or quarter, remember:

Don’t just list the things you really want to do. List the things you kind of want to do, but know that you shouldn’t.

Because it’s the less important things that are keeping you from finishing the stuff that matters most.

Talk soon,
Justin