It’s an old saying but it’s a truism especially for businesses who are overwhelmed with the myriad items that need attention during tough economic times. While multi-tasking is all the rage currently, it’s true that no task is performed well when one’s attention is divided among a myriad of tasks.
I’m writing this post after reading a NY Times magazine article on President Obama’s ambitious agenda. The author contends that there’s a real danger for the young president in tackling too many projects at once. The same holds true for businesses. While it may be tempting given the current state of business to try to tackle multiple problems at once, the chance at success when dividing your attention between numerous tasks is not very good. Make a list and prioritize it. What is the most urgent need facing your company? What are the issues? What are the possible solutions. Once you’ve figured this out, execute a plan and don’t move to the next action item until you’ve accomplished the first.
This will take discipline and you’ll feel tempted to veer off this plan. When tempted remember that perhaps it was just such a lack of discipline that got us into this economic mess in the first place.
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