Three is the magic number. Seven is lucky for some. But if you truly want to get things done, nothing beats the power of One.
As a busy mother and shaker, it’s easy to get bogged down in a variety of tasks and projects. You keep adding items to that growing to-do list. Before long, you’re completely overwhelmed and wondering how you’ll ever achieve any goals.
Many women pride themselves on being multi-taskers. But recent research tells us that multi-tasking is largely an illusion. If you are constantly switching between tasks, it can take up to twice as long to complete just one of them. However, when you decide to focus on one thing at a time — also known as ’single-tasking’ — you are far more likely to finish it. You’ll gain a sense of purpose, clarity and freedom. Say goodbye to trying to hit three deadlines, while checking Facebook every five minutes and replying to emails every half-hour.
Do one thing every day that will move you closer to your larger goal.
This idea is so powerful that it’s the subject of a best-selling book by Gary Keller called The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Rule Behind Extraordinary Results.
Keller’s entire thesis is built around one focusing question: ‘What’s the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?’
To help you give this idea a go, we’ve got a free daily one thing planner.
Print it out and write your one thing for each day of the week. We’ve started the week on Sunday as our one thing on Sundays is always planning the week ahead. Also, you won’t find Saturday on the printable as we all need a day off, right?
The Power of Doing One Thing
Nomita, one of our founding members, says the method of doing one thing and focusing on it exclusively has been a game-changer for her. It’s helped clarify her weekly goals and, most importantly, take action.
‘If I have a blog post in mind, I only work on that one post, even if it takes me the entire day. I get such a feeling of completion afterwards, and then I can move onto the next important thing.’
Most of us are guilty of putting way too many things on our to-do lists. We call ourselves #motherhustlers and then struggle with keeping so many balls in the air.
Sure, there are real-life jugglers who can balance anything from fruit to furniture in a dazzling display of skill. But guess what helped them reach that level of proficiency? FOCUS. To be more precise, they focused on doing one thing: mastering the art of juggling.
The most important habit you can master is to choose one thing and commit to following through on it. The trick is to pick just one essential task, rather than creating a checklist of stuff that never gets finished. Otherwise, you end up in the procrastination trap. ‘Ah well, half the day’s gone and I’ve achieved nothing, I’ll just work through a pack of chocolate biscuits instead’. This type of thinking only leads to more self-doubt, guilt and regret (and unnecessary calories).
Here’s how to break the cycle: Focus on what matters and do that first.
When you focus, it’s like shining a spotlight on what matters. You can actually give attention to two things, but that is what’s called “divided attention.” And make no mistake. Take on two things and your attention gets divided. Take on a third and something gets dropped. – Gary Keller
The Benefits of doing One Thing
- It reduces overwhelm.
- It lessens stress and anxiety.
- It makes you more productive.
- It gives you a sense of satisfaction.
- It puts you in a state of Flow.
- It helps you develop laser focus.
- It teaches you to manage your time like a boss.
Uju’s Example
How does this work in real life? I’ll take you through a Before and After of my typical day.
Being a writer/blogger/consultant, I have any number of things I could be working on: creating copy for clients, crafting blog and social media content, designing workshops, writing or editing screenplays, working on a novel manuscript, drafting email newsletters or promos for our brand new BLOGGING COURSE.
Before I tried this method, you’d often find me flapping around like the proverbial headless chicken. Up all hours, bags under my eyes, a perpetually dazed expression. Not a good look.
However, using Do One Thing as my theme, I have started blocking off a time slot between 9am (after the school run) and 12.30pm (around lunchtime) that is exclusively for content creation. Content creation is the bulk of how I express my core gifts, so that’s my main priority. After lunch, I can schedule other stuff like client catch-up, emails, social media, Skype meetings etc. But my creation time is sacred. This way, I’m far more productive before the boys come home at 3pm and take up my remaining headspace.
Finding your Flow
Timers are very useful for productivity and focus. But you don’t have to restrict yourself to a set time for this to work. Just choose one key task or project every day and make it your priority to get it done, no matter how long it takes. It doesn’t have to take up your entire day either.
If your One Thing for the day is to do yoga, then do that, check it off your list and move onto something else. Maybe doing more yoga is one of your Life goals for the year. In which case, you could make it your One Thing for a series of days (it takes 66 days to build a habit). Your main objective is to keep moving forward towards your ultimate goals, but take one step at a time.
There is also a particular sense of joy and personal fulfilment that comes from truly immersing yourself in a project. Choosing to go deep rather than wide. As Cal Newport says in his book Deep Work: ‘To build your working life around the experience of flow produced by deep work is a proven path to deep satisfaction.’
If you’re not familiar with the concept of Flow, it’s basically that feeling of being utterly absorbed in something wonderful, that sense of ‘time standing still’ that we experience when we’re doing something we love. When we are doing our One Thing, our deepest work, we are in a state of flow.
Ask yourself, what is the one thing you are committed to achieving this year? What will bring you more fulfilment, more focus, more flow? What action can I take today to get me closer to my ideal life and business?
Some tips to get you started:
- What matters to you? Do a brain dump, writing out all the tasks and dreams and goals you have in mind.
- List your major goals under Life Goals, 3 Years, 1 year, 90 Days, 1 Week.
- Brainstorm all the things you could work on for the week ahead.
- Circle one thing that you are committed to working on today in some way.
- Do that one thing. Do not stop until you’re done.
‘The truth about success is that our ability to achieve extraordinary results in the future lies in stringing together powerful moments, one after the other. What you do in any given moment determines what you experience in the next. Your “present now” and all “future nows” are undeniably determined by the priority you live in the moment. The deciding factor in determining how you set that priority is who wins the battle between your present and future selves.’ – Gary Keller
Don’t forget to grab your free one thing a day planner below. Print it out, write down your one thing a day and keep it somewhere visible.
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