18 Aug 2009
Have trouble getting things done? Are you overwhelmed by what you have to do? You might be tempted to think that you have more to do than anyone else. While that’s possible, it is unlikely. Probably, the real problem is your approach to getting projects or tasks started and completed. If you want to get more done, divide and conquer. Why?
We focus better on one thing at a time. I don’t care what you say, I believe that the human mind cannot deal successfully with more than one thing at a time. I know that there are people who “multi-task”, but are they really doing more than one thing at a time or are they just doing one thing at a time in short, sharp bursts? And when all these things are going at once, are they doing any one of these things efficiently? I think not.
A small task means less stress. Under which circumstances do you feel more peaceful? When you have 15 things to do or when you have 2 things to do? We all know the answer. I think that much of the stress that is experienced in the modern world is due to people being overwhelmed with too many things to do. Often this “busy-ness” is of our own making.
Just about everything can be broken into a series of smaller tasks. Having trouble getting started? Get a piece of paper and a pencil and start writing down the sub-tasks of what you have to do. Don’t worry about the order for the moment. Just get your mind working on dividing and conquering. Soon you will be able to see a way through.
The secret to getting lots done is knowing what the next step is. This is the fundamental rule of all achievement. You might have 100 tasks lined up. But you cannot do 100 things. All you can do is one thing. And that one thing is the next step. For example, say that you have to mow the lawn but you know that you cannot get started until you get some petrol or gas for the mower. What is the next step? Go to the garage and get into your car? No. It is; find your car keys so that you can drive to the petrol or filling station. The trick is to understand what the next step really is. If you know this, then you can take action. If you don’t fully realise what the next step is, you will not make progress until you work this out.
Conclusion
An elephant is eaten one bite at a time. The walk of thousand miles starts with the first step. The only way that you can deal with the complexities of life is the same method that has been used for the last 5,000 years – divide and conquer.
Wishing you easier business.
John Jeffreys