This post is about my own personal struggle.
I gravitate towards complexity. In other words, I involuntarily spin too many plates.
It doesn’t happen on a moment’s notice; rather, over time.
I can work purposefully for long stretches of time. But eventually, projects pile up, non-essential opportunities are met with open hands, and time-wasting energies are spent to no avail.
I don’t think I’m the only one out there with this problem.
Maybe this blog post is a plate you don’t need to be spinning. Maybe all the content you consume is a plate you shouldn’t be wasting energy on. Maybe that next meeting is a plate. Maybe the extra project you took on.
We all spin plates. There’s nothing wrong with spinning plates – I just don’t you to spin too many. Because if you’re spinning too many, they’ll all eventually fall and break into pieces.
Stop.
Re-evaluate where you’re spending your energy.
Prioritize what matters most.
Kill non-essential projects.
It’s been said that one of the elements that makes a Level 5 Leader is the fact that they keep a comprehensive “Stop-Doing” List, rather than just a “To Do” List. Focus isn’t something that just happens. It is a discipline.
Fight for focus.