The word “multitasking” was first introduced by IBM in 1965 when it referred to it’s computers capabilities.
So it was not until after the 1960’s that people could claim that they were good “multitaskers.”
Now you see the phrase of being a great multitasker on just about every resume as if this is a badge of honor.
It’s not.
In fact, for the longest time my wife (who would admit without any hesitation she struggles with ADD) would get frustrated with me because I could zone out and go into tunnel vision mode for long extended periods of time.
Now that the world has more distractions than ever before, the people who truly have tunnel vision or an ability to focus for extended periods of time are beginning to separate themselves from the masses and enjoy more success than ever before.
Here is why:
-The average person is
- Hit with over 10,000 ads per day
- Checks their email on average once every 5 minutes which then takes on average 64 seconds to return to their original task
- Due to email alone we waste 1 in 6 minutes at work
He was ousted by Apple in 1985 when clashing with the board of directors and he went on to start other companies including NeXT that in 1997 Apple acquired as part of the deal to bring him back to save the company.
Apple was 90 days from insolvency due to their lack of focus and vision. They were spread too thin by having their brain power spread out over a wide array of average products thus diluting their brand.
Steve’s first task was to slash over 70% of their products and put all their eggs in one basket (iMac). The result? Apple is the richest company in the world due to Steve Jobs TUNNEL VISION and laser focus.
How can we apply this to real estate investing? I thought you would never ask.
Real Estate rewards those investors who take the long-game approach. Similar to a fruit tree that is nourished and pruned each year, it will continue to grow and produce fruit year after year. It is only when you neglect it or if you eventually cut it down (sell it) that it no longer produces for you.
My advice?
- Play the long game.
- Have a strategy in place to build your portfolio consistently each year.
- Do not become distracted by all of the shiny objects with investing. The buy-and-hold strategy for real estate is not a get-rich-quick gimmick. It is however a proven method to build wealth for the long term.
While tunnel vision can be detrimental in many situations, when it comes to real estate investing, it can be the single most important attribute to success.
