“Success is a catalyst for failure,” says Greg McKeown in a recent Harvard Business Review article. The basic premise of his statement is that once someone has a taste of success, a world of opportunities opens up and the temptation to pursue all of those new opportunities is too enticing to ignore. This loss of focus and discipline ultimately leads to a loss in purpose and clarity. According to Jim Collins, this is how companies eventually fail.

To maintain success, individuals and teams must develop the purposeful, strategic ability to say no. That’s easier said than done. Practically, how do you keep your focus?  McKeown outlines three suggestions:

Use extreme criteria  

Clutter in our lives builds up fast. Opportunities can also grow quickly. For example, even in a recession, an unemployed person may have to choose between different opportunities, including volunteering, taking a lower-salaried position, or waiting for a job she thinks matches her skills and passion. McKeown says that when your best skills and passion align with market need, a significant contribution can be made to society. So use extreme criteria to keep your focus on these three areas.

What is essential?

Do you have a to-do list for today? Let’s do a little experiment. Instead of doing the seven things that are on your list, narrow the list down to the two or three most important tasks. Did you still survive the day? Were you able to focus and finish those tasks earlier than intended? Often when I take a few minutes to sit down and prioritize the essentials, it makes it easier to get those first few tasks done. However the real struggle comes when I feel the urge to multi-task. The result? I often become less productive and my work quality begins to decrease.

Beware of the endowment effect

This refers to the tendency of humans to value an item more once we own it. At work, this could apply to a pet project or a job that you have had for many years. Are you unable to let something go, even if it’s not working as well as originally intended? That’s the Endowment Effect in action. To counter this, McKeown suggests asking, “If I did not have this opportunity, how much would I be willing to sacrifice in order to obtain it?”

As you mull over these ideas, I recommend you read the comment section for the book McKeown references, How the Mighty Fall. There are some interesting perspectives on the need for organizations, teams, and individuals to diversify, as well as strategically evaluate long-term goals and pursue less. Remember: Less is more!

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