How To Let Your Dragons Train You By Paul Shirley

Every big project comes with three fire-breathing enemies: distraction, difficulty and self-doubt. Speaker Paul Shirley argues you don't have to slay them once and for all — you can let your dragons train you instead. Here's the focus system he teaches, and how each dragon becomes a coach for the next project.

I help people build systems. They use these systems to create periods of focus. They use these periods of focus to accomplish big projects.

It sounds simple enough until we see the enemies in the way. Standing between us and the goal are three fire-breathing dragons.

In the fight for focus, your biggest enemies can become your best friends.

Meet the Three Dragons

The first is the dragon of distraction: all the dings and dongs and emails and texts that can feel like actual flames on the human brain.

The second dragon is the dragon of difficulty. These projects aren't just big. They're also hard, although not hard in the way we thought of hard for centuries. We don't have to move bricks or stones or piles of firewood. Instead, we have to move information, which is a hard job because it's abstract. And even the best dragonslayers have trouble with abstraction.

The third dragon is the dragon of self-doubt, which might be the scariest dragon of all. We're not sure we can do the thing because we've never done the thing before, whether it's a blog post, a pitch deck, or a podcast episode. There are so many ways it could go. An infinite number, in fact. No wonder this dragon is so scary.

Letting Your Dragons Train You, Not Just Fight You

But there's hope for the fight with these dragons. If I can help someone build a system for regular focus — one they can count on no matter where they are or how they're feeling or if they didn't get any mutton or mead last night — then they can slash their way through the dragons like a professional swordfighter: artfully and swiftly.

The problem — the dragon I have to slay — is that people think they'll only have to slay these dragons once. They're tempted to throw all their swordfighting energy at the three dragons they can see, unaware that the real challenge with these dragons isn't that they're so fierce. It's that there are so many of them.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Turning a dragon into a trainer isn't complicated, it's just deliberate. Before opening a laptop or a notebook, name the dragon you expect to meet: distraction, difficulty or self-doubt. Set a fixed block of time, protect it from interruptions, and treat the first sign of resistance as proof the system is working rather than a reason to stop. Do this often enough and the dragons stop feeling like ambushes. They start feeling like sparring partners you already know how to handle.

This is also why the system matters more than the motivation. Motivation is unreliable; a system for focus that runs on a schedule doesn't need to wait for the right mood to show up.

The Dragons Never Stop Coming, and That's the Point

There will always be another post, pitch, or podcast, which can seem exhausting. Until we realise that these dragons — the ones that terrify us each morning — aren't actually our enemies. They're our friends: trainers, coaches, and allies for the fight we'll face again tomorrow.

There will always be another post, pitch, or podcast, which can seem exhausting. Until we realise that these dragons aren't actually our enemies. They're our friends: trainers, coaches, and allies for the fight we'll face again tomorrow.

The supply of dragons is endless. But also, the supply of dragons is endless. There's always another chance to practise — and another chance to let your dragons train you.

More Speakers on Focus and Productivity

Paul Shirley isn't the only PepTalk speaker exploring this territory. Oliver Burkeman writes about accepting the limits on our time and attention rather than fighting them, Greg McKeown's work on essentialism is about protecting focus for what actually matters, and Niamh Moynihan studies how wellbeing and productivity reinforce each other rather than compete. If you're booking a speaker to help your team build a real focus system, explore PepTalk's productivity speakers.

For more on turning obstacles into strengths, see Comfort Zones and Courage, Mindset: Thriving Under Pressure At Work, and Say Goodbye to Imposter Syndrome.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three dragons that get in the way of focus?

Distraction (the constant pull of notifications and messages), difficulty (the abstract, information-heavy nature of most modern work), and self-doubt (not knowing whether you can do something you've never done before).

How do you turn a dragon into a trainer?

Build a system for regular, protected focus time rather than relying on motivation. Name which dragon you expect to face, ring-fence the time, and treat resistance as a normal part of the process rather than a signal to quit.

Can Paul Shirley deliver this as a keynote or workshop?

Paul has spoken to organisations about building focus systems that hold up under real workloads, using the same dragon framework outlined here. Contact the PepTalk team to check current availability and formats.

Interested in booking a speaker on focus and productivity for your next event? Get in touch with the PepTalk team and we'll scope the right format for your event. You can also call us on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US). Remember, it's always a good time to get a PepTalk!