When you ask someone how they’re doing, have you noticed they usually say, “I’m busy!”

Being busy is like a badge of honor. It’s like a new way of being in the world.

The new normal.

But when is it ever okay to be busy all-the-time?

When I was in Times Square in New York, surrounded by the lights, the colors, the people and everything that was going on around me, it suddenly hit me… sometimes life can feel like being in Times Square.

When you’re surrounded by so much going on at every second, how do you stay focused? How do you keep your attention on what really matters to you?

I’ve learned a ninja tactic that lets me do all of that.

It’s called compartmentalization and it helps me stay 100% focused no matter how much distraction and activity is happening around me.

Here’s how compartmentalization works…

Imagine your brain is like a bento box with all of these different compartments and you can put different things in each of the compartments.

So, if something comes up and you don’t want to focus on it at that moment, you can put it in one of the compartments in the bento box.

Then you go ahead and focus on the entrée, the main “dish” — the task or project — that you want to be working on.

When you take this compartmentalization approach, you’ll start saying things like, “You know what? I don’t have time to solve this problem right now. I’m aware of it but really my focus needs to be on something else that’s more important right now.“

Keep using compartmentalization and you’ll start to notice your attention, your focus, your momentum and your productivity shoot through the roof. You’ll move forward with all those important projects — launching products, holding live events or anything else you have going on — and you’ll start making a lot more money and creating a lot more impact.

Just to be clear… all those little problems and issues clamoring for your attention all day, every day? They aren’t going to disappear. They’re still going to be there but you’ll see they’re not urgent and you don’t need to solve everything immediately.

The truth is…

If you’ve got a big message and you know you’ve got something important that you’re here to do, you must master the skill of compartmentalization.

As an entrepreneur, your time, your focus and your attention are the most valuable assets in the world!

And they’re non-renewable resources. They’re more valuable than stocks, more valuable than gold, more valuable than real estate…

And more valuable than advertising in Times Square!

So, guard those assets, those resources, as if your life depends on it because it truly does.

And the next time someone asks, “Hey… how’re you doing?” you can honestly say, “I’m doing great! I’m focused. I know what I’m working on and I’m making things happen in my business.”

So, next time you have distractions coming at you, put them all in that “bento box” in your mind and close the freakin’ lid. Reclaim your time, reclaim your energy, reclaim your attention and take charge of your life because you’ve got a LOT to give!

Let’s start making things happen right now…

What’s one thing you want to focus on this week? And what are some of the things you need to put into that bento box and close the lid?

Let me know in the comments 🙂