Why Working on One Thing Will Make You More Effective
Learn This Powerful Concept That Highly Productive and Successful People Apply
Working on one thing only is a habit that will make you more effective and accomplish what you want with greater efficiency.
Productivity and effectiveness is not about being busy or how much you get done. It’s about what you get done, in the time available to you.
Many people believe doing more than one thing at a time makes them more productive. Appearing to be busy is different to doing things that will move you closer to what you want.
Why Don’t We Work on One Thing?
Most of us falsely believe the ability to multitask is a valuable skill. We’ve tried to impress our employers by doing many things, hoping that will make us perform better.
In today’s workplace, working on one thing is challenging, because employers expect you to take on multiple responsibilities and work on many projects.
To hang onto our jobs, we go along with how things have always been and how employees are supposed to work. Fear for our jobs is a big reason why people don’t work on one thing at a time.
Another reason why working on one thing is not common is because it is boring. Our brains need variety and stimulation. When we only focus on one thing, the desire to feel stimulated kicks in, and we look for other things to meet that need.
Multitasking is stimulating because our brains enjoys the variety associated with it. Even though we may feel productive, the quality of our work and what we produce will not be as good compared to when we work on one thing.
Consider this situation. On a bright, sunny day, if you take a magnifying glass and hold it over dry leaves, and keep moving it around, nothing will happen. This is because you are not focusing the heat from the sun.
If you hold the magnifying glass over one leaf only, you will harness the power of the sun. That will cause the leaf to catch fire and burn.
This simple example shows what will happen if you can train yourself to work on one thing. This will require you to develop your will, which the mental faculty that allows you to focus.
5 Ways Working on One Thing Will Make You More Effective
Here are five ways working on one thing will make you more effective, so you can accomplish what you want a lot easier.
- You will produce higher quality work. When you work on a single task, you are not distracted and will not spread yourself thin. That means you will give more attention to what you are doing and will do a better job. This will lead to higher quality work.
- You will develop your focus muscle. As you practice working on one thing, you are training your brain to avoid the need to be constantly stimulated. This will strengthen your ability to concentrate longer, which means you can better direct your attention to what you are doing.
- You will increase your creativity. If you give more attention to a single task, your brain has a better chance to come up with solutions or ideas to help accomplish what you want. The more you practice working on one thing, the more creatively you will work.
- You will generate less stress. A benefit of working on one thing at a time is you will reduce overwhelm. This means you will get things done faster. When you see faster progress, you won’t experience as much stress, which will also help you produce higher quality work.
- You will create more free time. When you accomplish things faster, you will have more time for other things. That means you can take time out to refresh and recharge, which will continue to help you be more effective.
The Costs of Not Working on One Thing
The downside of not working on one thing at a time include:
- You are more likely to forget things.
- Your happiness will decline.
- You will feel mentally tired more often.
- Your outputs will be lower, which means you won’t be as productive.
- You will experience overwhelm and generate unneeded stress.
How to Get Started Working on One Thing at a Time
Here are ways to get started with working on one thing at a time.
- Eliminate all distractions. This includes turning off your phone or putting it on silent, closing browser tabs and having a clean workspace.
- Practice working on one thing, in small segments. This can include using a timer and working in 25- or 50-minute blocks.
- Recharge after each segment. This includes standing up, doing simple stretches, and staying hydrated.
- Review your progress regularly. You can only improve if you track how you are performing. Track your daily outputs and adjust as needed.
Final Thoughts
If you want to become more effective, produce better work and have greater satisfaction daily, practice working on one thing at a time.
If you work on multiple things, you won’t be as productive, which means you will take longer to get things done.
A surprising thing is when you slow down and focus better, you will progress faster. That is one secret to higher productivity.
Action Step: Schedule time blocks in your calendar for the next few working days to work on one thing at a time. Also remember to remove as many distractions as you can. Monitor how much you get done and adjust as needed.
Question: What are other reasons why working on one thing will make you more effective?
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