Pick One Thing

In this blog post and podcast episode, I’m sharing about the power of having a single focus. I don’t do well with one thing at a time, but I’m telling you to pick one thing and sharing what happened when *I* did!

I am a serial starter. I am reading probably eight books right now. I have no less than four half-finished paintings in my house. I am currently working on three books.

I DO NOT LIKE TO NARROW DOWN.

But I learned something this summer. Even though I don’t like doing one thing at a time, there is incredible power when you pick one thing and have a singular focus. Listen or read to learn the whys and hows of narrowing your focus for powerful results.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 135 – THE POWER OF A SINGLE FOCUS

 

 

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WHY HAVING A SINGLE FOCUS IS POWERFUL

Everyone works differently, so please take what I say here with that in mind. I am NOT advocating for all people at all times to do just one thing. I’d like to just start with that. Always: do what works for YOU and YOUR goals. 

Having a single focus serves two big purposes:

1. It helps you actually attain your goal
2. It helps you learn to do that task more efficiently and automatically

Research shows that you’re 2-3x more likely to accomplish something when you’re specific about how you plan to implement. Creating a goal isn’t enough. You need to have a  BUT that only works if you have a single focus. (Read more about that in this blog post from James Clear on mastering one thing.)

A habit becomes more automatic if you continue to do just that one thing over time. It becomes habit forming. The more reps, the more second nature it becomes.

When I played roller derby, one of the big things you learn FIRST is falling. You learn to fall well and practice falling well until your body naturally falls well every time. When you focus on one thing over time, it’s like muscle memory. You’re teaching your body how to do that task correctly and with ease. 

My Results of a Single-Focus Summer

This past summer I stopped almost everything. I closed my Facebook group to new members. I stopped blogging and creating new podcast episodes. 

And I wrote four books and had a $3500 month on pure book sales. (SQUEEEE!) I learned that I can write a book in two weeks, but generally can write a novel now in a month. I had NO idea until I shifted my focus to this one thing. It’s been amazing and now I’m slowly adding things back in.

You can find Emma’s books HERE if you’re interested.

HOW YOU CAN SUCCESSFULLY FOCUS ON ONE THING

If you want to have a single (or even mostly single) focus, you need to plan. It’s rough.

1. Set your mindset – no guilt! Do what you need to do!
2. Make a list of all the things you’re doing.
3. Figure out what HAS to stay on your to-do list.
4. Figure out what CAN go.
5. Make the final decision based on the ROI- what is actually performing? 
6. Make a plan. This may mean planning your daily time and over months.
7. Consider retreats. I did 2-3 this summer to finish edits.
8. Hire out what you can.

It’s hard to let go of things. But you might be surprised how letting things go doesn’t matter. Not blogging for three months? Had ZERO negative impact on my financials. (Or my traffic, which stayed about the same. Thanks, Pinterest!) Not podcasting? Same. I kept up with my email (because PIVOTAL) and with my Facebook group, which is the heart of my community.

When you focus, you can really accomplish something. If you’re pivoting like I have been, you may need to do this and have a seriously focused time. 

CALL TO ACTION

Consider whether you need to have a focus. If so, then go through the things you’re doing and what you can get rid of. Make a list of all the things that go along with the new single focus and then do those things.