Almost everyone misses the point of this quote.
And it’s why you struggle with focus in practice even though you know everything about it in theory.

Here’s how the quote continues:
“You have to pick carefully.”

That’s what is so often missed.

People quote Jobs and think focus is about saying no.

But saying no is meaningless when you don’t know what you say “yes” to.

→ What do you pick?
Can you articulate it with unmistakable clarity?

Chances are you can’t.
How do I know?
Because almost everyone glosses over this.

It’s usually “somewhat” clear, yet never razor-sharp.
But somewhat is insufficient when you want to truly focus.

Somewhat means you’re going to debate every “no”.
Somewhat means there’s never a clear path forward.

Jony Ive elaborated on how Jobs looked at saying no internally:
“What focus means is saying no to something that with every bone in your body you think is a phenomenal idea, and you wake up thinking about it, but you say no to it because you’re focusing on something else.”

Again, it looks as though the point is saying no.
But look closer.
What is that “something else”?

And again: Can you articulate it with unmistakable clarity?

Jobs worked relentlessly on that. It’s why his communication is still – to this day – considered as a peak example for clarity.

Find the yes and saying no will feel so much easier.

It might be the single best investment of your time at this time of the year. It might be the beginning of the year you finally focus.

Keep lighting the path,
Michael


PS: Two ways I can help with that. First, a fireside chat for your team where we discuss how to find yours. Second, the newest issue of “What the Best Leaders Say” digs much deeper on this.


PPS: To be fair, here’s the full quote: “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

So, at first sight it seems like a contradiction to what I said in the post. Jobs explicitly said that “saying yes” is not what focus “means at all”. But I think that’s not what he really meant. I still think that the point is in “you have to pick.” Which IS saying “yes.” And it IS what makes saying no to the 1,000 things possible.