--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A big part of doing your work is…" description: "\"A big part of doing your work is defending your time and your attention so you can do your work.\" — Seth Godin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png" --- # A big part of doing your work is defending your time and… ![“A big part of doing your work is defending your time and your attention so you can do your work.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png) > “A big part of doing your work is defending your time and your attention so you can do your work.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defending your time and attention is essential to productive work; protect them from distractions. **In simple terms:** Protect your focus to work effectively. Key Takeaway Guard your time, guard your work. Themes productivity focus boundaries Mood determined focused Type advice motivational When to use this quote - remote work - creative projects - learning - entrepreneurship Key Concepts time management attention economics Questions to Reflect On - How do you currently protect your focus? - What boundaries could you set today? A Different Perspective Distractions can be pervasive and hard to eliminate completely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-work-394468/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Defending Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defending-time-1319272/) [Doing Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-work/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-attention-626398/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Defending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-defending-1319271/) ## Related quotes > [People are enjoying my job. But at the end of the day, what I really want is to continue my work and keep defending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-pereira/people-are-enjoying-my-job-but-at-the-end-of-the-day-what-i-really/) [Alex Pereira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-pereira/) > [Are you doing work worth doing, or are you just doing your job?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/are-you-doing-work-worth-doing-or-are-you-just-doing-your-job/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The people that are doing work that matters aren't doing work thats popular. They're just doing work that changes some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-people-that-are-doing-work-that-matters-aren-t-doing-work-thats/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“The challenge is to focus on the work, not on the fear that comes from doing the work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-challenge-is-to-focus-on-the-work-not-on-the-fear-that-comes-from/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The first rule of doing work that matters: Go to work on a regular basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-first-rule-of-doing-work-that-matters-go-to-work-on-a-regular/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“The most important tool ultimately is the person and his or her makeup, and yet it seems to get the least amount of attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/the-most-important-tool-ultimately-is-the-person-and-his-or-her/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [I'm not going to complain about the fact that people are paying attention to my work. I suppose that wouldn't be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/i-m-not-going-to-complain-about-the-fact-that-people-are-paying/) [Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/) > [All fame ever does for you is get attention for the work you really want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-frid/all-fame-ever-does-for-you-is-get-attention-for-the-work-you-really/) [Jonathan Frid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-frid/) > [At some point you realize, I have dreams. I would love to be working on wonderful roles, in wonderful films, with people I respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/at-some-point-you-realize-i-have-dreams-i-would-love-to-be-working-on/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [You have to pay attention to the work on the page and make it as good as possible because it could be your last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-ventimiglia/you-have-to-pay-attention-to-the-work-on-the-page-and-make-it-as-good/) [Milo Ventimiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-ventimiglia/) > [Life is about being present. Sometimes your home will demand more attention, and you should be there. Sometimes your work is more demanding. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-neumann/life-is-about-being-present-sometimes-your-home-will-demand-more/) [Adam Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-neumann/) > [I have to pay attention to work on the weekends and always have my iPhone with me, but I don't mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-have-to-pay-attention-to-work-on-the-weekends-and-always-have-my/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [Pay attention to the work you want to do and everything'll work out fine. If you're in it for the ego, you might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/pay-attention-to-the-work-you-want-to-do-and-everything-ll-work-out/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [ To have \[Adam's Cohen\] microscopic attention to my work was really a great privilege. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/to-have-adam-s-cohen-microscopic-attention-to-my-work-was-really-a/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Once I began to hear and pay attention to my fledgling ideas, the biggest hurdle was to learn how to respect them. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/once-i-began-to-hear-and-pay-attention-to-my-fledgling-ideas-the/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. 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You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A big part of doing your work is defending your time and your attention so you can do your work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Godin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defending-your-time-and-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defending-your-time-and-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/seth-godin-152_attention_a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defendi_909467.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A big part of doing your work is defending your time and your attention so you can do your work.” — Seth Godin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Seth Godin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A big part of doing your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defending-your-time-and-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/a-big-part-of-doing-your-work-is-defending-your-time-and-your/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```