Simplicity

Keep it simple.

Most people are exceptionally good at something. Most people also have a number of other things that they can do fairly well. Usually, there are a few other things they can do adequately, and there are a few that they really have very little skill whatsoever.

The trick is to pick what you really do well and do that. If that is going well, add a few of the other things that you can do fairly well. Then stop.

When you add too many things, it doesn’t matter how good you are at any of them, you’re going to be doing all of them poorly, even the one that you’re really good at. When everything you’re doing is going poorly, you feel lousy and your motivation suffers and then you start to do things even more poorly and before long, everything is a mess.

At Down To Earth, we meet many parents who would be fantastic accountants, prize fishermen, nominated for parent-of-the-year, immaculate housekeepers, beloved hospital volunteers, and outstanding basketball players, if only they weren’t trying to do all of them at once. Instead they end up letting the house cleaning go so that they can go fishing, but they can’t fish very long because they have to get over to the hospital which upsets the children who weren’t having much fun anyhow because the parent was so preoccupied with getting to the hospital on time. These parents go out to play basketball with their buddies, but are too tired the next day to do a very good job at work and come home so tired that they can’t spend any time with the kids who are still angry that they couldn’t fish all day.

Pick what is most important to you and give it your full attention as often as you can.

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