Focus on One Big Goal
Happy New Year! Chances are you’ve spent some time over the last few days contemplating ways you’ll improve your career, your health, your finances or your overall life in the next year. If you’ve got multiple great ideas swimming around in your head it’s time for me to burst your bubble. You can’t do it all.
Correction, you can’t do it all at once. When you’re pursuing multiple goals simultaneously you’re splitting your focus, time and energy in a variety of directions that may or may not relate to each other. Instead of making 2015 another year where you have the best of intentions but don’t follow through and finish your goals, try focusing your attention.
Human nature prevents us from wanting to do just one thing at a time. We want to learn JavaScript and finally watch The Wire and lose 20 pounds and get a raise at work. According to Oliver Emberton “It’s not enough to have great ideas. Lots of people have great ideas. The problem is that too many great ideas cancel each other out. This is why a committee of smart people is called an ‘idiot’. Leadership doesn’t work in volume. The more directions you’re being pulled in, the less distance you’ll travel.”
So how do you make sure your New Year’s resolutions aren’t for naught? Focus on one big goal or one big goal in each area of your life (work, side project, family, health, etc.). Then, drop everything else. You can pick up these other things when your main goals are done but don’t try to divide your time between 10 New Years Resolutions. Focus your energy on one large task to get it done and get it done quickly.