You know the importance of distinguishing between the important and the urgent; between being busy and being effective.

Your capacity to keep your (finite!) attention on what matters most is a game-changer – especially when “what matters most” are your long-term projects.

How do we hold our attention where it needs to be?

One answer is to GAMIFY your attention. Try this:

Pick a goal that would benefit from a period of focus.

Gamify your attention with a scorecard tally sheet. Nothing fancy: pen and paper will do.

Track your metrics, such as the number of calls made, and relate them back to your original goal (each item on a separate line).

A quick reminder: refrain from attaching any story to your scores. It’s alright to see zeros. The objective is to guide your attention, hold yourself accountable, and turn the allocation of your focus into a game.

What deserves a place on your attention scorecard?