Saying “YES” brings opportunities. Doors open and we fly through them ready to take on the world. YES makes things happen, but if we say yes too much, we get spread too thin.
Many of us suffer from opportunity ADD. We see opportunities all around us. We have great ideas and we want to do all of them. We are creative and we love creating new things.
We focus on one project, hear about what someone else is doing and then change ours before it ever gains traction. Or worse yet, we quit and go in a different direction before we give it a chance to work.
When we chase 2 rabbits, we catch none. Splitting our attention means that we are partially engaged in multiple activities but not fully engaged in any one.
I’m not talking about those who have large teams of people in place. Building a strong team is definitely the key to managing multiple projects. I’m talking about those of us that are in the trenches, managing everything and making it happen every day.
Many times we will start a new project so we will have something to fall back on if the first one doesn’t work out. The problem is, if you are that worried about your project failing, it probably will… especially if you are splitting your focus, time and energy.
The fact is that successful people usually work on one big project at a time.
Jeff Bezos didn’t build Amazon and another company at the same time. Richard Branson didn’t launch Virgin Airlines or Virgin Mobile concurrently with Virgin Records. Mark Zuckerberg didn’t work on Facebook and another social media platform too.
We get overwhelmed by too many projects going at once. When too much is on our plate, things start falling through the cracks.
If you want something to be wildly successful, focus on that one thing.
When a new idea comes your way, ask yourself, “Is this in line with the mission of my current project? Will it be a distraction or add value?”
Take inventory of your current projects. What should you take off your plate? What should you spend your time on? What is aligned with your purpose? What makes you happy and what causes you stress?
Just say no and F.O.C.U.S….. Follow one course until successful!
