Getting more out of doing less

“You’ll probably surprise yourself with what you can accomplish—if you’re focused on one thing.

You’ll probably frustrate yourself with what you fail to accomplish—if you’re doing 5 or 7 or 10 things.

Nobody performs well when stretched in a half dozen directions.”

Deciding when and why to say yes

As you’ve heard many times, saying yes to something means you’re saying no to something else. So how do you know what to say yes to? Here’s my guide:

1. Imagine if there were no emotion involved: I ask myself, “If I didn’t care whether the other person felt disappointed or sad when I said no, what would I do?” Then I d

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The Load Theory of Attention posits that because attention is a limited resource, filling all the additional “slots” in your mind may leave no room for other distractions. This is why some people work better when having a bit of background noise or listening to music while in focused mode. Experiment with adding deliberate distractors so your curio... See more

What is 'lit' focus

I call it "lit" for two reasons. First, "lit" aptly describes how the flash of inspiration feels—as if a bright light flipped on in the dark. Or a spark has set your thinking ablaze. When you've had an epiphany, been awestruck, or simply been super excited, you've felt that spark. Second, "lit" is how these moments appear to the... See more

It’s become clear that people sometimes become busy in order to feel important, but I mostly feel busy and guilty. I’ve tried reframing that reaction, replacing abject apologies (delays, after all, happen) with gratitude ( thank you so much for your patience ).

The simplest way to clarify your thinking is to write a full page about whatever you are dealing with and then delete everything except the 1-2 sentences that explain it best.”

Embrace the joy of missing out. Your curiosity can make you more acutely aware of the potential benefits you’re foregoing by committing to one project over others. This heightened sensitivity to missed opportunities can fuel indecision and make it harder to focus on a single idea. But having many interests is a strength, not a weakness. Remind your... See more

curiosity can be a double-edged sword. With so many ideas competing for your attention, it can be hard to decide which one to pursue. You might experience choice paralysis, unable to commit to a single project because you don’t want to miss out on the others. As a result, you may find yourself starting many projects but only finishing a few.

This is... See more