In business, chaos is a given. Your to-do list is a mile long, fires are breaking out left and right, and everyone’s looking to you for answers. You’re juggling strategy, execution, and people’s egos—and if you’re not careful, you’ll crash and burn.
But here’s the truth: You don’t need to solve everything at once. You don’t even need to look beyond the next step. Success isn’t about controlling everything—it’s about focusing on what’s right in front of you and executing with ruthless efficiency. That’s the power of the 3-Foot World paired with Prioritize and Execute. When you own these principles, you stop spinning your wheels and start dominating your space.
Rule #1: Own Your 3-Foot World
Forget the big picture for a second. When you’re overwhelmed, thinking about the entire mountain only slows you down. The 3-Foot World is your zone of immediate control—what you can grab, fix, or move right now.
Here’s the deal: Focusing on anything outside your 3-foot world is a waste of energy. Your competitors? Outside your control. Market volatility? Outside your control. The board’s unrealistic expectations? You guessed it—outside your control. But what is in your control? Your next call, your next email, your next decision. That’s where the battle is won.
Instead of stressing about what might go wrong, ask yourself: What can I actually do right now to move the needle? If it’s not within your 3 feet, it doesn’t exist. Period.
Rule #2: Prioritize and Execute—No Mercy
Knowing where to focus is only half the game. The real money is in execution. This isn’t about doing everything—it’s about doing the right thing. In the SEAL Teams, the mantra is simple: Assess, prioritize, execute. And do it fast.
Here’s how to make it work in business:
1. Stop the Bleeding First
What’s your biggest threat? What’s the one thing that, if it doesn’t get handled immediately, takes everything down with it? That’s your priority. Lock on to it like a missile and act.
Example: Your sales funnel is broken, and leads are drying up. Forget everything else—fix the funnel. Forget redesigning your website or writing a new blog post; those won’t keep the lights on.
2. Think ROI—Not Emotion
Too many business leaders waste time on tasks that feel urgent but don’t move the needle. Learn to separate noise from signal.
• Noise: Replying to non-critical emails, micromanaging team members, or attending another useless meeting.
• Signal: Closing deals, fixing process bottlenecks, or resolving key conflicts.
Ruthlessly prioritize the highest ROI actions and delegate or eliminate the rest.
3. Pull the Trigger
Once you know what’s important, act decisively. Second-guessing wastes time and kills momentum. The market doesn’t wait for you to feel ready. Execution beats perfection every single time.
Applications: How to Dominate Business with These Principles
1. When You’re Buried in Work
You’ve got deadlines, a team that’s dragging their feet, and a CEO breathing down your neck. What do you do?
• Own your 3-foot world: Start with the most critical task. Don’t try to multitask or split your attention. One thing at a time.
• Prioritize and Execute: What will drive the most immediate impact? Focus there first.
2. When Your Team Is Stuck
Leaders who try to fix everything themselves lose. Empower your team by teaching them these principles:
• Encourage them to focus on their 3-foot world instead of worrying about the entire project.
• Push them to prioritize critical tasks and take action without waiting for you to hold their hand.
3. When You’re in a Crisis
Markets crash. Key clients leave. Competitors outmaneuver you. How do you stay in the game?
• 3-foot world: Don’t panic over what’s outside your control. Focus on the immediate problem.
• Prioritize and Execute: What’s the one move that stabilizes the situation? Act on it now.
Why This Works: A Bias for Action Crushes Paralysis
In business, the only sin is standing still. Overthinking is death. The market rewards speed and decisiveness, not perfect plans. That’s why these principles work—they force you into action.
When you focus on your 3-foot world, you kill overwhelm. When you prioritize and execute, you kill inefficiency. Together, they create a bias for action that builds momentum, solves problems, and delivers results.
Here’s the reality: You’re not going to climb the whole mountain today, but you can crush the next 3 feet. And those 3 feet, repeated over and over, are how empires are built.
Final Command
Stop overthinking. Stop hesitating. Stop wasting time on what you can’t control. Start owning your 3-foot world. Start prioritizing what matters. Start executing like your business depends on it—because it does.
The chaos isn’t going anywhere. It’s time to embrace it and dominate. Your move.