Focus is a problem I have been wrestling with for years. My problem went beyond the pop infatuation of having a problem with focus. You know what I mean if you goto college. Every dude and his buddy has a problem focusing.

But what does it really mean for a startup and entrepreneur? I don't know. I just know what it means to me and how I've been adapting over the past few years to cope with this.

Simply put, I've become OCD about Focus.

After being burned time and again from a lack of focus, I think I've developed a paranoia about it. The way I have come to deal with it is by realizing that at any given time, there is one thing that will make or break my startup. Of course, there are many things that can do that. But in that given time there is only one thing. If that thing does not happen, your company WILL DIE. So you've to focus on it like crap. 

This does not mean you robotically only think about that one thing. But it does mean you ALWAYS keep perspective. And anytime you find yourself swaying too far into a new idea or area than the one that needs attention, you stop yourself. Of course the obvious question is how do you stop yourself. I don't know. The way I learned it is by failing. Again and again and again.

One very apparent consequence of this is how you deal with it when you are working with others who may not be on the same page as you. More and more I find people that have advice. They might have some elaborate ideas on marketing. This is when I step in and tell them "yo, we've marketing nailed. but if we dont nail blabla we are dead." Of course I am making a lot of assumptions in this post because well...it is about my circumstances. In most organizations, what you need to focus on is probably not what you need the rest of the organization to focus on.

Find that one thing which you MUST nail otherwise you'll die.

I feel like I am comitting a crime when I say this. But what the hell, I'll say it anyway: I fear failing. Wayyyy more than couple years ago. May be it's part of growing up. Here's the thing though: I love this fear of failing! Because so far, it hasn't failed me...at reaching my goals.