Focus On the NEXT Thing

The key to high performance is not multitasking.

“Find the lead domino, and whack away at it until it falls.” — Gary Keller

So much to do. So little time!

We all have the same 24 hours, but some people seem to warp space and time with their prolific output. How do they do it? What is the secret?

They key lies in avoiding any attempts at multitasking.

Channeling my inner Gary Keller and his book The ONE Thing, focus on the one thing that gets you closest to what is most meaningful. I prefer to think in terms of what is next:

• What is your NEXT aspiration?

• What is your NEXT action toward it?

• What is the NEXT skill you need for it?

• Who is the NEXT person to coach you toward it?

• Who is the NEXT person to hold you accountable?

The most prolific creators on the planet avoid juggling multiple things at once. They know instinctively that dividing one’s attention is suboptimal, so they keep asking some form of the NEXT question:

What NEXT thing gets me closest to my aspiration?

And then they get after it like a force of nature. Nothing stands in their way. Everything they have is brought to bear against this single thing.

• Stop saying yes to everything.

• Stop juggling hundreds of spinning plates.

• Stop thinking you can multitask like the latest computer.

Your operating system works best with one thing front and center at any given moment. Don’t fight it. Don’t view it as a weakness. Leverage it the way all prolific creators do.

Focus all of your attention on the NEXT thing.

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🤔 Food for Thought:

Are you spreading yourself to thin?

Has multitasking ever worked for you?

Have you tried focusing on ONE thing at a time?

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⚙️ One Small Step:

Outside of common needs and family obligations, what NEXT thing gets you closest to who you aspire to be or what you aspire to do? Don’t strive for the perfect answer. Pick one thing of impact and run with it. When completed, repeat.