Why do we sometimes drift off course and get caught up in meaningless activity? We see people wandering at all levels, even CEOs at times. The need to stay focused and produce seems obvious, yet our efforts to create opportunities too often fall short.

A few days ago I had a conversation with a friend—a software architect by trade—who told me about how some of the product managers he works with focus too much in certain areas of the business, sales and marketing in this case, and not enough in others. He talked about how they’ve become distracted from their core work. The products for which they are responsible are not moving forward because of their lack of focus.

This lack of focus, or drifting, can have a negative effect if we let it. Fortunately we have control. I recently found out about the new book LIVING FORWARD—A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy. After reading the first few chapters I’m impressed with their vision in how we can get our live on track and significantly increase our productivity.

Here are a few quotes to pique your interest:

There’s no way around it—we live in the aftermath of our choices. But the good news is, our decisions are the one thing we can control. Today’s the day to make those choices really count.

You can’t change the past, but all of us have the power to change the future. The right choices today will radically alter the shape of tomorrow

You can pre-order Living Forward here and you can get additional bonuses with your pre-order.

Here’s one more quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes that introduces the ideas in Living Forward:

To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.

What are you doing to move your business, you work or your personal life forward? You can leave a comment below.

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The Product Management Perspective: Are you like the product managers my friend described? Are you too focused in a few areas and not focused on the well-rounded future of your products?  Maintaining the right focus is something we have to work at every day. Take a good hard look at your daily activities and work on the ones that will bring the most value to your product set.