It is better to focus on one thing and make it great, than a few and them be mediocre.
Sometimes I really struggle with this. I am on Tamoxifen, which is classified as a chemo drug. I am blessed in that I don’t have any major side effects from it like many others do, but every once and awhile I have a period of time where I really have trouble focusing on one thing at a time. I literally have to catch myself and slow things down, otherwise I will work on everything in front of me and get absolutely nothing done. The good news is, since I have been dealing with this side effect now for 3.5 years already, I have gotten really good at noticing when my brain wants to focus on everything at once. I am able to slow myself down pretty quickly and refocus, but it took me awhile to figure out how to do it.
One of the things that helped me early on was breaking my tasks down into small manageable chunks. Then I would use the Pomodoro Technique and focus on one small chunk at a time. I would set my timer for 25 minutes. For that entire time, I only allow myself to focus on that one small task – and I block everything else out for that period of time. When the 25 minutes are up, I take a break, walk around a bit, check email, etc. Then I come back and get to the next thing on my list and set the time for another 25 minutes and repeat.
Do you struggle with focusing on one thing at a time? What steps can you take to channel your energy towards one thing at a time?
