“Just focus on one thing at a time and you’ll be fine.”  That’s something I would to say to myself or anyone who could use some encouragement.  It’s meant to be a pat-on-the-back, a sincere, heart-felt support for each other, especially when we feel overwhelmed or find ourselves in the midst of a tough job.  Well, I wish it was always the case.  

There were dozen of times I got into trouble from concentrating too much on one thing.  Ironically when I’m focusing on one task my other senses tend to shut down.   I often couldn’t smell a thing from a burning pot even if I was just 10 feet away busy with something else.  Or, if I paid too much attention to the traffic I would forget to check the fuel tank indicator.  One time my car ran out of gas and ended up decelerating involuntarily on the freeway.   Thank goodness it came to a stop a few feet right before the exit.  And I was 3rd-trimester pregnant at the time!  Over the years, I realized there are flaws behind this well-intended guidance — focusing on one thing at a time could lead us into a unexpected downward spiral if we aren’t careful.  

It’s easy to get mixed up between having a laser focus to reach a goal vs. focusing on just one thing at a time.  We’ve all heard success stories from athletes to musicians, from scientists to large corporations.  We’ve heard testimonies of how they reached their amazing achievement by tirelessly maintaining a laser focus.  Those are great stories and very admirable.  In fact, it’s often the successful VIPs who exhibit the highest level of dedication on their job.  They have personal assistants handling everything else for them, from speeches, to scheduling, to dry cleaning, and even setting up special dates with their significant other. Wouldn’t it be ideal to outsource everything to focus on just one thing?

The reality is that hardly anyone on this planet can wear only one hat during their entire life.  We all have our important roles and commitments.  Those are the choices we made which became our priorities today.  As much as we don’t want to over-commit ourselves, there’ll always be a layer of tension in meeting different expectations.  It’s easy to swing from crazy multitasking, trying to instantly satisfy each request, to locking ourselves in one single task for an extended period of time.  We know that neither extreme will do us any good in a long run.

For some of us, it may be easier to stay away from multitasking because it’s so visible, we can’t be everywhere for everyone at the same time.  Eventually people around us or our own health will stop us from constantly running in parallel.  For others, trying not to be too focused could even be a harder lesson.  It’s very tempting to push everything else down the list to concentrate on that one thing we’re most comfortable with, or have most progress with, least criticism, or most freedom.   After all, isn’t staying focused a good habit so we are not easily distracted?  How can we possibly un-learn being focused?

Actually, focusing on one thing at a time itself is not the issue.  If we have the self-discipline to attend to one thing after another without losing the big picture, that’s great. But what often got us into trouble is that we lack flexibility and focus on a single area way too long.

So, what’s considered a reasonable period of time so we don’t run into trouble?   It depends on our roles, our current season of life, and other commitments besides that one big thing in our mind.  Everyone’s reasonable block of time is different, and it changes over time.  

The good news is, we each get to decide what a reasonable block of time looks like, because it all ties back to what we ultimately want — health, finance, family, vocation, our overall well- being.   It could be a good chunk of time for a special project outside of normal work, or when our kids are at school, or a couple of hours to connect with friends at the end of day (assuming no one is waiting at home to start dinner together), or a few minutes here and there just to read something inspiring because there are little ones at home that we can’t lose sight at any time.   When we honestly consider our circumstances, we’ll know what is reasonable and appropriate.  And we won’t need to feel guilty concentrating on that one thing at the time, knowing that we haven’t lost sight of the rest of our world.  

As much as it’s a terrible idea to overly devote ourselves on finances but neglecting our health, or vice versa, it’d be a bad habit to focus on just one thing but ignore the rest.  The next time when you feel like concentrating on just a single area, consider setting an alarm clock mentally or physically.   It’s much better to pause and come back to where you left off, than spending extra time to clean up the messes that crept up while you were just trying to be focused earlier.  

OK, my block of time is up now–gotta go!

Where in your life do you need a mental (or physical) clock the most?   Which habits do you need to adjust, and how would that benefit you and everyone around you?

You’re welcome to share your thoughts and experience in the section below.  Until next time, enjoy your course and Thrive on the Learning Curve!