Remember the Pixar movie “Up”?

One of its most memorable running gags involved Doug the talking dog and his uncanny ability to spot a squirrel at any moment, drop everything, and scamper after the critter – no matter what else was happening.

Apparently, this inability to maintain focus struck a common nerve, and today the cry of “Squirrel!” gets used by just about everyone.

And why not? In today’s mass media world, we’re bombarded 24/7/365 by an unlimited number of images, sounds, videos, and other attention-distracting options. It’s extremely difficult to remain focused on any one thing.

And in the workplace, it’s especially important to guard against getting off-track. It’s so easy to get lost in the multitude of tasks and challenges, without really getting much accomplished when the day finally ends.

That’s no surprise according to John Lie-Nielsen, CEO of One Park Financial, who confirms there’s a big difference between being “busy” and actually being PRODUCTIVE.

He recommends that instead of measuring our days based on time spent doing stuff – we should rather reflect on whether those long days at the office are actually helping us get done what needs doing.

Lie-Nielsen recommends ditching the mad dash through the “to-do” list and instead “Prioritize quality over quantity – you’ll never get it all done, but you can get the things that really done and done right within 40 hours.”

Quality over quantity makes good sense to me.

One area where you REALLY don’t want to run off chasing squirrels is in your financial planning.  Building a solid portfolio that will set you up long term requires steadfast focus on goals and values. After all, it’s your future and only you can determine what matters most.

Helping you keep “squirrels” at bay is part of our mission here at Matson & Cuprill.  Call us today at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or book online for a free portfolio review to make sure yours remains focused and in line with your dreams.

Regards,
Dan Cuprill, CFP®