In an interview, Kevin O’Leary talked about the concept Signal to Noise Ratio. The oversimplified version is that things that move your life forward are signal, and everything else is noise. I had never heard it put like this, but it is definitely something I work on every day.
I do it with the power list. What are the five critical tasks I need to do today to move my life forward? Once I have my list, those items are the signal and everything else is noise. As long as the list gets done, the noise isn't a problem. I'll be free to do other things.
The problem is when the noise keeps me from getting it done. Noise can come in a lot of forms and some are even things that need to get done, but the list is critical. If you get five things done every single day that move you closer to your goals, imagine how far you'll come in a year.
— Bus