Do one thing (the art of single-tasking)

Our world (myself included) is big on multi-tasking and killing two birds with one stone. If I can get my hair cut while doing my laundry; plan my grocery shopping list while talking to mom on the phone; cook dinner while watching the news; there is a feeling of being productice.  However, I am beginning to wonder if this multi-tasking approach does more to hinder than help.

For example: I have a stack of about 8 books on my night stand. At any given time I am reading through 3-4 books simultaneously. It is only possible to read one book at a time. (If you know of a way to read multiple books at the same time, please let me know)! So I pick up one book and put another down, and slowly but surely work through the stack of books. But it usually takes a few months to accomplish this and I often lose focus over time. I may only finish 1 or 2 of the books that I start!

What if I would choose one book to read, finish it, and then start a new one? Could I actually read more books this way? Could I accomplish more by doing less?

This is the art of single-tasking. We often start so many projects that it is hard to bring them to completion. We think that if we are working on multiple tasks and busying ourselves with lots of things that we will get more done. Over time however, we lose focus and passion for what we are doing. This results in minimal impact and may eventually lead to burnout. (Burnout is the state when you feel like a piece of licorice). But what if we could focus on a single task, get it done, and then move on to the next thing. How much more could we accomplish if we did less?

Use this as an exercise: focus on one thing, do it well and finish it before moving on to the next thing. If you could accomplish one thing each day, that would be 365 things a year! Could you look back on your past year and name 365 things that you accomplished?

• Do one thing today…
  Identify the one thing you need to do today. It could be something as simple paying your electricity bill or doing the dishes. Do this at the beginning of each day and you will be certain to accomplish one small task each day.
• Do one thing this week…
  This is for larger tasks or project like shopping or cleaning the house or writing your next blog post! Plan what you are going to do and set aside time this week to do it.
• Do one thing this month…
  Plan to do something major like a special trip or outing. Visit family, go see a movie or show, visit a museum or take a history tour. Plan ahead and don’t let anything take up this time.
• Do one thing this year…
  And choose one thing that you would like to accomplish this year. This is BIG! For me I am thinking about taking a course in Spanish. If I could look back a year from now and say, “Wow! Yo puedo hablar español.” I would be thrilled!

What would be your one thing this year?