Imagine if you could get some advice from an oracle. Yes, the kind of being whose advice in ancient times was valued because it was believed that being had direct access to some form of divine wisdom.
That kind of advice, believe it or not, is still available, because even in 2017 there are still beings on Earth who folks refer to as oracles.
One of the best known and beloved oracles is the ‘Oracle of Omaha,’ aka Warren Buffet, aka one of the greatest investors of all time.
(A friendly reminder: Warren Buffet is called the ‘Oracle of Omaha’ because he lives and works in Omaha, Nebraska.)
One of an oracle’s superpowers is the ability to tell powerful stories in a short amount of time. What follows is one such story about achieving focus and mastering priorities, which Warren Buffett shared with the pilot of his private plane, Mike Flint.
In short, Flint once asked Buffet for his advice on how to focus and prioritize. Buffet suggested that Flint start by taking a piece of paper and writing down his top 25 future goals.
So, Flint did. Then, Buffett asked Flint to review his list and circle his top 5 goals.
Again, Flint made his way through the list and eventually decided on his top 5 goals. At this point, Flint had two lists. The 5 items he had circled were his ‘List A,’ and the 20 items he had not circled were his ‘List B.’
Flint then thanked Buffet for this simple yet useful advice and said that he’d start working on his top 5 goals right away.
And that’s when Buffett asked him a question he did not expect. It was about Flint’s second list. He said something like, “And what about the ones you didn’t circle, Mike?” (You saw this coming, right? Because powerful questions are another one of an oracle’s superpowers.)
Flint replied, “Well, the top 5 are my primary focus, but the other 20 come in close second. They are still important, so I’ll work on those intermittently as I see fit.”
To which Buffett replied, “No. You’ve got it wrong, Mike. Everything you didn’t circle just became your Avoid-At-All-Costs list. No matter what, these things get no attention from you until you’ve succeeded with your top 5.”
Over to you: Do you have an Avoid-At-All-Costs list?