How many things can you work on at once?

6 months ago in my private journal I wrote…

I have come to think only 3 active projects at a time is sensible.  But how to divide them amongst so many areas of life?

My good friend Joshua Seymour quoted this passage from a book we have both read:

The "Do-Everything" Approach

A key to success is to overload oneself with work. This forces a person to become increasingly dynamic.

Most people can think of, at any one time, several important projects that should be moved on.

Traditional thinking leads individuals to think that they cannot possibly work on all of those projects at once.

Most peoples' schedules already seem stretched to their limits. Thus, a person usually chooses one or two new projects to work on and puts the rest on hold.

In reality, a person needs to do the opposite. One's attitude should be, "What the heck, I'll take them all on!" This forces a person to become dynamic.

And it is this kind of pressure that pushes a person out of stagnation.

Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, and other business giants did not say "Oh, I'm too busy to work on that area of business; I can only work on this area for now."

No, those business giants moved forward on everything that needed doing in their businesses — everything.

That's how they built empires.

You, too, can employ a "Do-Everything" approach. Anything and everything that needs to be done in your business — just do it.

Do it regardless of current schedules or responsibilities.

—

I do agree.  I also agree with Josh that he said to me 'it probably depends on context'.  A topic I will cover here on the blog over the coming weeks…

What do you do to juggle all the various possible projects you could be involved with?  How many do you work on at any one time?

Leave comments below and I'll reply.

Originally posted 2009-07-19 13:50:50.

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