Fight Overwhelm And Get Focused With Warren Buffet's 5/25 Method

I was a guest on a podcast recently and the host hit me with a question I get a lot.

"That's the problem...I have no idea where to start! How do you figure that out?"

Unfortunate fact: Most people are overwhelmed with too many decisions to make every day.

Between unrealistic societal expectations, long hours at work, attention-sucking screens, and caring for others in your life, it's easy to feel lost and overwhelmed.

I get it. I've been paralyzed before by the endless number of decisions that need to be made and it can cause you to just get stuck.

So this is how I stopped it.

Warren Buffet's 5/25 Method

It's never a bad idea to learn from the world's greatest investor, but this lesson isn't about money necessarily.

As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffet has to make even more decisions than the average human at a level of impact most of us will never begin to understand.

I read about his 5/25 method and started using it in my own life.

This is how it goes...

1. Write down your big goal(s)
2. Create a list of 25 things you need to do
3. Start whittling your list down to the 10 most important and urgent actions
4. When you get to the top 10, narrow it down to the top 5 by judging impact too

TIP: Step 1 is something I added, but it helps a lot when you are struggling to get your list down to 5 by asking the question "is this one of the top 5 most urgent, important and impactful things I can do to reach my big goal?"

This will provide clarity on what you need to be focusing your time and energy on to move you forward.

I find using this method in the short term is incredibly helpful (what do I need to do today/this week/etc) but it can also help people who are struggling to define long term goals.

Biggest Pain In Your...

The other way that I have found to decide what I should work on is by asking this question.

"What is causing me the most pain and frustration in my life right now?"

We all have pain. What's incredible is how long people decide to accept it versus address it.

• Garage door isn't working? Fix it.
• Rocky marriage recently? Schedule a therapy session and date night.
• Employee continues to be disruptive and underperform? Fire them.
• Bills are stacking up? Get professional help, take a course, listen to podcasts, etc
• Mental strain from financial uncertainty? Create long term goals and an intentional spending plan.

Humans are naturally lazy and many times we accept pain because it seems as if that's an easier solution compared to doing something about it.

Occasionally, that's true. But most of the time, its not.

We tend to underestimate the damage that pain is doing in our life and overestimate the pain that will be required for change.

Most people can be in a completely different place in life in 6 months. 

But it doesn't matter if you stay overwhelmed, remain unfocused and freeze in place.

Use the 5/25 method and solve your biggest pains. 

Tiny wins will drive you forward more than you ever thought!