A force multiplier is a factor that dramatically increases the effectiveness of an item or group. The military uses this term to describe tactics or conditions that greatly enhance their army’s ability to overcome. Technology, for example, can be a force multiplier, allowing a smaller army to overcome a larger, less advanced army.
A Focus Multiplier is a factor that increases the focus of a group or individual. That increase in focus can result in an incredible amount of good things happening.
My wife is a talented and dedicated gardener. She has taken an acre of weeds and turned it into an Eden that constantly draws compliments from passersby. A couple months ago in early spring, I received an email from my wife. She was overwhelmed and stressed. She was falling behind. She laid out a 2 page list of things that needed to be done and asked for my help on Saturday. I took a look at the list and realized it was much more than one Saturday’s worth. I started on Friday, enlisted the kids and we piled into that list. By early afternoon, we had 75% of it knocked out and my wife happy and relaxed. She was back in control and has commented several times how much that focused effort helped her.
I have a shop for my woodworking, but for the last year, it has been such a mess that I could hardly move around in it, much less want do do anything in it. For the last nine months, I have said I need to get out there and clean it. I have even started a few times, but didn’t get very far before I gave up.
For the last three weekends, my wife suggested I not do anything in the yard for her, but clean the shop. I would go in there and move a few things around, shift a pile from one side to the other and give up and go work on something else. Today, though, she returned the favor of a couple months ago. She offered to come out and help me. She became my focus multiplier.
As you can see from the picture, my shop is now clean and arranged nicely. I wish I would have taken a ‘before’ picture so you could see the difference. I am so grateful to her for her help. Just having her there, quietly vacuuming, wiping (something I would never have done myself), arranging or organizing was enough to keep me going when I wanted to quit. And I wanted to. Several times at the beginning, I just about called the whole thing off. Since she was there, giving her time, I couldn’t do it. I had to keep going. She helped me find the focus I have been missing for nine months.
She is wonderful! I normally get very stressed by cleaning and organizing. I am a pack rat. I hold onto everything, just in case I might need it 20 years from now. Normally, she asks simple questions as she cleans – “Do you need this? Could we throw this away? What is this for?” Those questions usually cause me to hyperventilate and shut down. Today, she didn’t ask those questions, but quietly just started organizing my mess. It didn’t take too long for me to start identifying things that should be thrown away – without having a stress attack. I threw out more things today than I ever would have thought possible. Whether she meant to do it this way or not, it was wonderful and so relaxing.
Thanks honey, I really appreciate it. You taught me a lot today. Thanks for being my Focus Multiplier. I love you.
Our house is for sale and that means we get interruptions by real estate agents wanting to show the house to a potential buyer. Don’t get me wrong. We love the agents! We want more of them. Bring all your clients! We want an offer, please! However, each time the phone rings, we all stiffen just a little.