Finding Focus:Advice from Bestselling Authors Mathew McConaughey and Tim Ferriss

How do we maintain focus in a world full of distractions? We find answers from a best-selling book, written for entrepreneurs nearly 14 years, “The Four-Hour Workweek.” by Tim Ferriss and McConaughey’s best-selling new book “Greenlights”. Let’s start with McConaughey’s Greenlights.

Richard Markosian

March 29, 2021

In this episode of the Utah Stories podcast we depart from news, and we delve into a life philosophy. The main question we are seeking to answer is:

How do we maintain focus in a world full of distractions?

We find answers from a best-selling book, written for entrepreneurs nearly 14 years ago, “The Four-Hour Workweek.” by Tim Ferriss and McConaughey’s best-selling new book “Greenlights“. Let’s start with McConaughey’s Greenlights.

“Be more involved and less impressed”

It is a very simple statement but it is one of the key tenets of Actor Mathew McConaughey’s new bestseller Greenlights. Few Hollywood actors have had the staying power as well as the ability to transform and adapt their careers as McConaughey has from romantic comedies to serious subjects. And very few actors have the ability to handle their fame and success without self-destructing. We cannot live impressed with everything, everyone and that includes even ourselves.

Ferriss’ best-selling book is very different from what readers might assume from the title. It’s a book that goes more into the art of simplifying business operations, to simplify and free-up time in order to join the “New rich” who value time and experiences more than money or status.

Ferris offers a chapter in his book about “information dieting”. The concept relates to our limited bandwidth and the ability for absorbing useful information. If we expose ourselves to too much useless information we impact our attention in a negative manner that results in not having the ability to absorb or more importantly act upon useful information.

Everybody who is attempting to operate their own business, manage their own lives better, and maintain a better handle on focus could benefit from the two little golden nuggets I’ve gleaned from these books.

“Be more involved and less impressed.” -from Mcconaughey’s Greenlights
“Go on an information diet.”-from Ferriss’ Four-Hour Workweek

Utah Stories suggests you purchase these titles from your locally-owned bookseller.

Subscribe to Utah Stories weekly newsletter and get our stories directly to your inbox

Online Exclusives, Podcast

blog, career advice

Richard Markosian

I am a story teller and journalist. I have a passion for farmers, local craftspeople, and folks who aspire to create, build and grow their business in the local marketplace. Why local? By supporting locally-owned businesses we create more opportunity for entrepreneurs, and we claim our sovereignty to shape our communities how we want to see them. I aspire to build Utah Stories Magazine into a household Utah name, and assist Utah businesses and makers with marketing. On the journalism side of things my passion is investigative journalism that offers true insight into issues. I believe strongly in the forth estate: strong, meaningful, insightful journalism is essential to a free market Democracy.

Independent News

“We’re Criminalizing Homelessness”: Utah’s Growing Crisis and the Need for Collaboration

In the heart of Salt Lake City, where the LDS Church sends aid to every corner of the globe, a growing humanitarian disaster is unfolding just blocks away.
Homeless encampments are dismantled, lives disrupted, and still, there’s no lasting solution in sight.
So why can’t Utah’s political leaders get it right?
Homeless advocate Robin Pendergrast pulls back the curtain on the state’s broken system, revealing why temporary fixes like pods and camps are dismantled, and how grassroots efforts are the only thing keeping hope alive.

“Instead of helping, we’re tearing down camps, bulldozing lives, and offering no place for these people to go,” Pendergrast says.
Read on to find out why Utah’s war on homelessness is making things worse, and what needs to happen next.

To access this post, you must purchase Full Access Membership.
Utah Stories

The Battle Over Books in Utah: A Clash for the Future of Freedom

“Books don’t turn kids gay, but banning them just might turn them into adults who can’t think for themselves.”

With those words, Rebekah Cummings cut straight to the heart of Utah’s most heated controversy. As school districts across the state debate which books belong in children’s hands, the battle lines are drawn between parents who demand control over their children’s reading material and educators who fear that censorship will smother intellectual freedom. But behind the arguments about explicit content, gender identity, and family values, a bigger question looms: What happens when a society starts erasing the stories it finds uncomfortable?

To access this post, you must purchase Full Access Membership.
Podcast

Left Behind in Utah’s ‘Golden Age’: The Fight for Affordable Housing and Freedom

“If you’re not making $150,000 a year, you’re not feeling this golden age. Most people are just trying to keep up.” While Utah’s leaders celebrate a booming economy, many residents are left struggling with rising housing costs and economic inequality. Discover the untold story of how Utah’s ‘golden age’ is leaving its middle class behind and the fight for affordable housing and true freedom. Read more about the growing movement challenging the status quo.

To access this post, you must purchase Full Access Membership.
Podcast

Turning Lives Around and Challenging the U.S. Prison System’s Failures in Utah

Jordan Holdaway was a career criminal, facing his fifth long-term prison sentence, when he was given a shocking chance to escape a decade behind bars. Enter The Other Side Academy—a Utah-based program that has not only kept him out of prison but transformed his life. What began as an opportunity to avoid more jail time became a life-changing journey. Now, after four years in the program, Jordan has turned his back on his criminal past and is helping others do the same, proving that even the most hardened criminals can change.