Growth is hard. It often times can be overwhelming. There are so many things that we want to improve about ourselves, and we want to improve them all at once. We want to be more productive, more organized, more fit, more wealthy, more knowledgeable, more skilled, more social, more, more, more. We want to be better, we want to be better now, and we want to be better at everything.
So what do we do? We try to do it all at once. Sure, we can keep it together for a few days, maybe even a few weeks, but eventually we will burn out or lose interest in most of the things we are trying to improve. And that is natural! Humans suck at multitasking. Of course we will see minimal results in everything when we are trying to do everything.
So what should we do instead? We do one thing. We pick one thing that we want to improve, and we focus on that one thing. We do that one thing until it becomes a habit and happens naturally. Then, and only then, do we move on to the next thing.
Examples
I have observed this rule of life in many different areas.
I think one underappreciated aspect of Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps is that you only have one financial focus at a time during the first three steps. Baby steps 4-7 are treated differently as they eliminate future facing risks as opposed to the first three which are all about eliminating immediate risks. When starting the plan, one's first and only goal is to save $1,000. Once that has been achieved, all debt other than the house must be paid off. Third, you save 3-6 months of expenses. When you have such hyper focused goals, everyday decisions will be immensely easier to decide as the only question that must be asked is "does this help me achieve my current goal?" If the answer is no, then you don't do it. It is that simple.
I have also been able to apply this rule to my professional growth. At work, software engineers are evaluated in several different areas (over 50 if I remember correctly). These areas span hard and soft skills. Frankly, it is overwhelming when starting from the bottom. There is so much to learn, and it is easy to get lost in the weeds. So, under the guidance of my leader, I pick three areas to focus on and work to improve those one at a time. When my leader and I feel like I have made significant progress in one area we move onto the next. This has allowed me to make better career progress with much less stress over doing everything at once.
It is applicable in business as well, but the cool part is that you can break big, broad singular focuses into smaller, more specific focuses that individual teams can work on. If you are a solopreneur or have a small team, you can break your big focus into smaller focuses that you can work on one at a time.
Momentum Theorem
One of the core values at Ramsey Solutions is "Momentum Theorem." It states that "Focused intensity over time multiplied by God equals unstoppable momentum." Up until this point, I have only talked about the "focused intensity over time" part of the equation. But, as any mathmetician worth his salt will tell you, if you multiply by zero, you get zero. So, what is the point of all this focus if we are not multiplying it by God? God is the one who gives the gain and the one who sustains us. We must rely on Him to give us the capacity to focus on the one thing and to sustain us as we do it. We then must trust Him to multiply our efforts and give us the momentum we need to accomplish our goals.
Conclusion
When you are trying to improve yourself, your team, or your business, do one thing. Pick one thing that you want to improve, and focus on that one thing. Do that one thing until it is reolved and is easily repeatable. Then, and only then, do you move on to the next thing. When you do these things and trust God to multiply your efforts, you will see the momentum you need to accomplish your goals and will be amazed at how much more you can accomplish by doing less.
P.S. Check out The Momentum Theorem Quick Read! It is a great read that goes into more detail about the Momentum Theorem and how to apply it to your life and business.