I was following rules that weren't actually there.

Reader,

The other day, I noticed a sudden urgency to get more done faster. Nothing had changed. There was no looming deadline.

Yet with important priorities weighing on me, it felt like doing more would produce more.

So, I made a massive list of everything on my plate, and planned to complete it all in one week. It didn't work.

Why? Because more is often less.

When more is less.

Have you ever:

Tried to change every habit you dislike about yourself—simultaneously?
Given a child a long list of chores all at once?
Told a partner all the things they need to stop doing—in one conversation?

In these situations, more usually leads to forgetting, losing focus, frustration—and worst of all, no real impact.

When my kids were little, I used to remind myself, "You can only die on one hill at a time. Make sure it's worth it."

Though the metaphor is a bit dramatic, it helped me pause, count the cost, and decide:

Where do I really want to make progress right now?

Lazy thinking or wise choices?

Trying to focus on everything at once can feel noble—but it’s often lazy thinking in disguise.

"It's all important, so I'll do my best to move it all forward."

But is it really all important?

Is it really all important now?

When you force yourself to scrutinize, prioritize, and choose, you activate a superpower: concentrated effort.

Ready, set, go!

When my son was young, he challenged me to a contest.

“Let’s see who can knock over a row of rocks with water the fastest. Go!”

In front of me were 6 small rocks lined up on the deck railing, a bowl of water, and a squirt gun.

I filled the squirt gun, rapidly shooting the rocks, barely budging them. Then, I grabbed the bowl and hurled water towards the rocks dumping it over them all. A few toppled. Most didn't.

Finding another way.

Then, it was his turn—"Go!"

He disappeared around the corner, came back with the hose, and bulldozed the row of rocks in half a second. "I win!"

Turns out, using the squirt gun and bowl of water wasn't a rule, after all. I just thought it was.

One thing I love about my son is, he always pursues the other way.

The danger of immediately, now, and at the same time.

Are you following rules that aren't really there?

This is a problem, so it must be resolved immediately.
We agreed this is a priority, so I have to focus on it now.
All this work is important, so it needs to be done at the same time.
I can't focus on the important part, until I have finished the steps before it.

I thought this way for a long time. I gave each task a little bit of focus. So, I made a little bit of progress, and it took a long time to see results.

I imposed a certain order to my work (1, 2, 3), without considering which step is the most important or whether step two is even worth doing.

Why? Because I didn't decide what mattered most. I diluted my impact by trying to do it all.

More leadership and responsibility only added to the number of things I tried to focus on at once.

Sound famliar?

Following rules that aren't there.

That sense of urgency? The pressure to do it all? It's like a rule that isn't real—it slows, limits, and inhibits impact.

Ask yourself:

What feels necessary and urgent in your work?
What are you afraid will happen if you don't do it all at once?
What assumptions are you making about when your work needs to happen?

And the most important question: What if these are just feelings and assumptions—not rules you have to follow?

Quick, get the hose!

What is the impact you really want to make right now? What's the best way to make that impact?

In other words...what's the equivalent of running around the corner, grabbing the hose, and concentrating all your energy on the one most important thing?

Those questions—and your honest answers—can transform scattered effort into concentrated focus and powerful impact.

Lead with focus.

As a leader, if you're scattering your energy across anything and everything, your team will too. Lazy thinking has a way of permeating teams.

To free yourself up for impact:

Discipline your thinking. Choose what matters most.
Concentrate your effort. Focus your energy.
Let go of self-imposed rules and assumptions.
Don't be swayed by pressure to do it all at once.

And then, with creativity, excitement, and momentum...

Find the most effect way to knock your rocks over. One at a time.

It may feel like doing less, but you'll accomplish far more.

Enjoy!

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Share it with a Millennial or Gen Z leader you know, and give them the gift of perspective.

Sara

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