I've been quite surprised by the results I got this last couple of weeks by really forcing myself to keep a new discipline - just doing one thing at a time.
As someone who runs my own business, manages my own investments, has a wife and kids, hobbies and interests, plus the normal challenges of life like sorting out your car when it breaks down, shopping for new clothes etc - life can sometimes feel like there's a lot going on.
Lots and lots of little things.
Some of these have deadlines, and some days it could feel like I didn't have enough time to get those things done.
When that pressure cooker starts, I would be trying to finish a few different things, and while I was working on one of them I would be worrying about the other ones. Or I would try and handle several things at once, switching between them and trying to sort both out.
There's also a part of me that just hates having unfinished things. I find it annoying.
A new habit
I realised this wasn't a healthy attitude, and so I've made a deliberate and concerted effort to really force myself to focus on one thing at a time, and push all other tasks and problems out of my mind.
I know they need to be done, I know they're not getting done (right now), and I'm going to leave them later in the day or possibly even the next day.
Personally I think what was behind my original issue was an inability to accept the fact that one of those important tasks just might not get done that day, and that I might miss the deadline.
And logically I know this to be true as I have missed many deadlines in my life. Sometimes you run out of time and simply cannot get it done. So whether this is the case or not may or may not be something that is in my control. If the amount of work to be completed is more than the amount of time I have, then I have to accept it will not happen.
Worrying about it is not going to change anything.
I feel like I have more time
But what I find quite interesting is that relaxing in this way, and just putting my attention on one thing at a time has made me feel like the days are so much longer. Because I'm not constantly watching the clock, constantly worrying about how long something is taking, I'm able just to relax into the task while I do it. My stress levels are lower.
So when I complete something, I don't feel as tired. I'm not stressed about the fact that I've only got X hours left in the day, and all I've done is Y. I feel happy that I got something done, and look I still have X hours left in the day to do something else!
I actually get more done
I find that basically, my performance has improved. I don't make as many avoidable mistakes, I make better decisions, I think more about the long-term. I'm happy to take side-quests if I think it's necessary.
So when I get something done, it's a more complete piece of work. I took the time to do it more thoroughly, I handled any adjacent issues that came up as I did it, and I spent time on things that could have caused future issues. So there is less chance of me having to come back and do re-work later on.
As I put issues to bed more thoroughly, I don't feel like I'm fighting fires, I feel like I'm progressing. I'm putting in better processes, more automations, fixing things to the point where I don't have to worry about them any more.
Also I'm spending a lot less time thinking about time and more attention just put on the thing that needs to be done.
I enjoy work more
Work has become more of a creative pursuit, and less like working a shift down the mines.
Rather than the pressure of getting this thing out of the way because I've got 6 other things to get done, I am getting creative about the task I'm doing. It's more like I'm crafting or sculpting a solution to a problem, and that I can create something elegant and aesthetic, rather than just trying to get it out of my way so I can do something else.
How to actually do this
If you made it this far in the article, I hope I can be of some encouragement for you to try the same.
It's one of these things that sounds stupidly simple. And I know some people reading this will just think "duh", and maybe that's because they already do this and it's always been obvious to them.
Or maybe they don't realise they even have this problem and so it sounds pointless, or like the ramblings of a mad-man.
Maybe you are ready for this wisdom (yes I did just subtly imply that I'm wise by saying that), but you struggle to apply it. Maybe, like me, you saw the logic of this idea but simply failed to actually implement it.
If you're in this situation, I would suggest it has something to do with confronting your own mortality. Ultimately, when you boil it down, who cares if you miss a deadline or a thing gets done.
Well, there is probably your reputation at stake. Everything you do has to ultimately be delivered to someone else, either someone you know now or someone you hope to produce for in the future. So if you want the respect of your peers, or you want good referrals from your clients, or if you want someone to admire you or just general admiration from society at large, then the difference between you achieving this thing or not really amounts to how you imagine you will be received by others.
And so it's my belief that whenever it comes to issues of time, the reason this matters is because you only have a finite amount of it in this body. The body you are in will eventually die, and then you will not be able to accomplish anything.
If you lived forever, then it doesn't matter how long it takes, how many mistakes you make, because you've got infinite time to recover from that.
But since you don't, you have to get it done. You have to hit targets. You are in a race against the ultimate clock - your natural life span.
And so a big part of this for me, was also coming to terms with the fact that my dreams may not get fulfilled. I might not achieve the goals I set out for myself this lifetime. And believe me, that was not a pleasant thought!
But once I accepted that, once I came to terms with the fact that things might not go my way, I found myself more able to relax about my current situation and just deal with things as they come up.
And the funny part of it is, I feel more capable now and that I'm progressing towards my goals quicker anyway.
And as I've probably said before and I'll say it again, my dad always used to say - take your work seriously, but don't be serious about your work.
Don't be an irresponsible, apathetic waste of space (i.e. take your work seriously), but at the same time don't be a sore loser. You are allowed to try and win, but you're allowed to lose as well.