How to change if you do too much at once
Less fluff, more focus.
Last week I was washing dishes. And pots. And pans.
And cutlery. Knives, forks, spoons.
I left the cutlery until last. I picked up every knife, fork and spoon I could see and dropped that collection in to the soapy water.
Then, one by one I wiped each utensil clean before placing it in the drying rack.
Then I left the kitchen. I walked to my room. I opened my Mac.
And I looked at my 18 tabs in Safari.
Medium wasn’t there; open new tab.
19 open tabs.
I scrolled down my Medium feed.
How to find suc- bookmark
The answer is- bookmark
A 2-step proc- bookmark
I tell myself I’ll read those later.
(I read two today, over a week later)
Medium gets closed. I switch to YouTube.
Eight suggested videos. They all look interesting.
Watch later. Watch later. Watch later. Watch later. Watch later. Watch later. Wa- Wait a second.
19 open tabs. Eight videos to watch. Three stories to read. Why am I trying to do so much at once? I need less fluff and more focus.
But it’s who I am. It’s what I do. Lots of content. Lots on my plate.
Less fluff, more focus.
I do too much at once. So let’s fix that. Let’s take it back.
I can’t change who I am in one brief and sweeping motion. If I want less fluff and more focus, the change needs to be gradual.
Start small. Work slowly. Be patient.
Small — so, about that cutlery.
Slowly — wash one utensil at a time. A knife, then a spoon, then a knife, then a fork, then a spoon.
Patient — resist the urge to put everything in the water at once.
In the grand scheme of life, it’s a tiny change. It’s absolutely miniscule. To most people, washing cutlery is an auto-run action. It’s a boring, characterless task.
To me, it’s the catalyst for a change in habit.
Start small. Work slowly. Be patient.
Less fluff, more focus.
Hey, look at that, I’m down to 14 tabs already.
