Dec 29
What is Your One Thing?
“Attend to all things and everything gets shortchanged.” Gary Keller
Many people brag about their ability to multi-task as if it were a skill everyone should aspire to learn. The reality is the act of multi-tasking is a less productive use of time and is a declaration that your activity is not worthy of 100% attention.
The word multi-task was derived from the simultaneous execution of more than one program or task by a single computer processor. Your brain is not a computer and, therefore, does not have the capacity to hold two conscious thoughts simultaneously. It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking you can multi-task because there are many unconscious actions you perform (i.e. walking, chewing) that can be done while doing something else. For everything requiring conscious attention, you are toggling from thought to thought or task to task but not doing them simultaneously.
What does it cost you to split your attention? “Researchers estimate we lose 28% of an average workday to multi-tasking ineffectiveness.” In the book The One Thing, Gary Keller perfectly describes the impact of multi-tasking on our perception of time, “It’s not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it’s that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have.”
Often the assumed answer for multi-tasking is discipline. However, Keller explains it is not about discipline. “In fact, you can become successful with less discipline than you think, for one simple reason: success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.”
The solution: One Thing.
“What’s the ONE Thing I can do, and by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
Yes, it’s that simple. Notice it took half a page to explain the misconceptions of multi-tasking and only 19 words to explain the power of focus. It’s easy to overcomplicate what needs to be done when we aren’t fully committed.
“Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you make your focus.”
Ask yourself:
What’s my ONE Thing? (big-picture)
What’s my ONE Thing right now? (small-focus)
Your ability to answer these questions is in direct proportion to your ability to reach your goals.
Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.
