Running two races at once means you’ll lose two races.
We live in a world of multitasking and frequent task switching. We take care of emails while in a meeting. Take notes while on a call. Write while we fact-check. Monitor multiple social media accounts. Take on multiple projects. And if multitasking wasn’t bad enough, most of our days consist of switching between tasks.
Football, basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, volleyball, bowling, golf, hockey, rugby, table tennis, cricket, water polo. All these sports have one ball. Why? Because it’d be impossible for the athletes or spectators to watch or even enjoy a sport with more than one ball.
Why do we expect ourselves to manage more than a single task when it comes to our work? We might not be athletes, but it stands true, running two races at once means you’ll lose two races.
Instead of running multiple races simultaneously, take a step back, focus your time and energy on one race. Once you’ve completed that race, then focus on the next race.
If you do this, you’ll notice something powerful. Things get done. And in time, all the things you’ve accomplished will compound, and you will thrive.
“To succeed you have to produce the absolute best stuff you’re capable of producing, a task that requires depth.” — Cal Newport, Deep Work.
Stop running multiple races. Pick one and get across the finish line. And after that? Prepare for the next race.
Remember, make it a great day or not; the choice is yours.
