At work and in life, I have found that my biggest obstacles are not real, they’re virtual–like the siren song allure of social media, TV, and video games when I should be working to accomplish an actual goal that matters.

And I have found that my biggest obstacles are not hard, but soft–like couch cushions and the appropriately-named La-Z-Boy that plies its strong, gravitational pull on my ample backside.

I had a busy May, so I limited all virtual distractions for large blocks of time, shutting off my phone entirely, ignoring email until the end of the day, and going on-line only when necessary, or for a rare reward. As a result, I wrote and prepped 4 new presentations while spending 20 plus days on the road.

I had a busy May, but I decided to take some of the blocks of time I used to call “down time” or “Scott time” and instead laced up my shoes and went running. I ran more than 60 miles that month. Do you know how many miles I ran the month before? It’s the same number I ran the month before that and the month before that: zero.

We don’t have a time problem, we have a focus problem. So today, do two things: shut down and get moving. You’ll find that you’re closer to reaching your goal than you think. And you’ll feel more engaged, happy and productive as really nice side benefits.

At work and in life, the greatest challenge is simply getting started. Go!