The Art of Becoming is about turning obstacles into opportunities. Drawing from philosophy, resilience, and real-life experiences, I share lessons on navigating adversity, cultivating wisdom, and living with purpose. Because in the end, life isn’t about avoiding hardship—it’s about becoming someone who thrives in it.

We won’t always have the answers, but we can search for them together.

Today, we learn how to replace busyness with focused, meaningful progress.

I hope you’ll join me.

In five minutes or less:

Most people don’t fail because they’re lazy.

They fail because they’re doing too much of the wrong thing—focused on goals and to-do lists that are ineffective and unempowering.

Success isn’t about hustling harder, filling out every block of time, or checking off as many of life’s boxes as possible.

More isn’t the answer.

That’s where the Kanban technique and Warren Buffett’s 5/25 rule come in. By themselves, they’re powerful. Together, they’re a system that helps you:

• Eliminate distraction

• Focus on your highest goals

• Stop starting and start finishing

Systems are more important than goals. Where goals provide direction, systems are mission-critical for establishing progress. Successful systems lead to more impactful results over the long term.

As James Clear writes:

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

Let’s get to it.

The Kanban Technique: Visualize Your Work and Limit the Chaos

Kanban was developed in the 1940s by Taiichi Ohno, an engineer at Toyota, to improve manufacturing flow. The word kanban means “signboard” in Japanese—it was used to visually signal the status and stage of work in the production process.

Ohno created it to help teams limit their tasks, prevent overwhelm, and focus on completing what mattered most.

Today, the Kanban technique is used for everything—from product development to personal productivity.

Core Principles:

• Visualize your work. Create a board with columns like “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done.” For me, I use: Goals, Working on, and Achieved. I purposely use the ‘achieved’ to feel like I’m continuously improving, even if it’s as small as writing a 50-word post.

• Limit Work in Progress. Too many tasks at once cause friction and failure.

• Focus on flow. Move tasks forward steadily, without overload.

Kanban isn’t about doing everything—it’s about finishing what matters.

The 5/25 Rule: Develop ruthless clarity on what you want

The 5/25 Rule is simple:

1. Write down your top 25 goals.

2. Circle the five that matter most.

3. Avoid the other 20 at all costs.

The other twenty? They’re not bad goals—but are dangerous distractions. They drain your time, scatter your energy, and slow your progress—the opposite of what a successful system will do.

Here’s one way to think about a successful system:

The 5/25 Rule isn’t just about prioritization. It’s about focus and the discipline to say no.

How to Combine Kanban and the 5/25 Rule

From Endless Tasks to Focused Execution

To-do lists don’t distinguish between what’s essential and busywork. This system does.

Step 1: Use the 5/25 Rule to Set Your Priorities

• List 25 goals

• Circle the top 5

• Lock in your focus

• Ignore the other 20

This gives you clarity.

Step 2: Build a Simple Kanban Board

Create three columns:
Top 5 Goals | Working on (max 3) | Achieved

1. Write your top 5 goals.

2. Place your top three most important tasks in the Working On column.
   For example, if one of your goals is to write a book, your task might be outlining the chapters or developing your main character.

3. Move all finished tasks to Achieved.

Here’s a visual of how it works:

Step 3: Work on One (or Two) at a Time

Inspired by Tim Ferriss, I work on no more than two mission-critical priorities per day.

“Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important but uncomfortable actions.” —Tim Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek

My daily process:

• I choose the single most important task that moves me closer to my most important goal. No multi-tasking. It is impossible to do anyway.

• I work on that task until it’s finished. This idea comes from Brian Tracy’s book Eat That Frog! —which teaches you to tackle your most important task first, before doing anything else.

• Only after I finish my most important task for the day will I consider working on anything else.

• When I move a task to the Achieved column, I take 30 to 60 seconds to celebrate. It’s my way of rewarding consistent, meaningful work.

• I never have more than two mission-critical priorities in a day. I also distinguish daily routines from a mission-critical task. My training is part of my daily routine. So running 10 miles or doing 200 burpees is not a mission-critical priority. I do them no matter what, like eating and brushing my teeth. Writing my book, posting on Substack and LinkedIn are examples of mission-critical tasks.

The way I work forces depth over breadth and eliminates distraction. There are days I slide and don’t get anything done. I recognize the error, forgive myself, and move on.

Progress doesn’t require perfection—just consistency. Show up and do the work. Start over the next day. It’s that simple.

Why It Works

This system isn’t just practical—it’s grounded in cognitive science and human behavior.

• Less decision fatigue: By limiting your focus, you conserve mental energy, enabling more effective decision-making and action.

• More real progress: It aligns with Stephen Covey’s Quadrant II—focusing on important but not urgent tasks, which is the zone where meaningful growth occurs.

• Deeper work: Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of flow, a state of complete immersion and enjoyment in an activity. Achieving flow leads to enhanced performance and satisfaction. Here’s his TED Talk.

• Visible momentum: The Zeigarnik Effect, identified by psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, explains our tendency to remember unfinished tasks more than completed ones. This phenomenon creates a mental push to complete tasks, and visualizing progress (like moving tasks to the "Achieved" column) can alleviate this cognitive tension.

A Simple Weekly Practice

Step 1: Write your 25 goals

Be honest. Be specific. Think big.

Step 2: Circle the 5 that matter most

This is your new compass. Your North Star.

Step 3: Build a simple Kanban board

Columns: Top 5 | Working On (max 3) | Achieved

Step 4: Work on no more than 1–2 things per day

These are your mission-critical priorities. Start with what matters. Don’t move on until you have completed your most important task.

Step 5: Review Weekly

• What worked?

• What got in the way?

• What will I focus on next week?

• When you achieve your first two or three goals, move to #4 and #5.

My final thoughts

Robert Collier said, “Success is the sum of small efforts—repeated day in and day out.” It happens when you’re consistent and show up to do the work every day.

Don’t build a life to please anyone but yourself or to chase status. Build it around what matters—your values, your vision, your family, your purpose. Then show up for it every day.

That’s how success is earned.

Thanks for reading. Do what truly matters to you.

Love to you and yours,

Michael

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