Focus
Some will tell you that you must be singularly focused on one thing.
I disagree.
Kind of.
Focus is awesome, and when you get really deep in a project it’s hard to imagine working on anything else.
You’re in a state of flow.
But (There’s always a but)
Why Not One?
When you’re not in flow, having a second project to work on is a lifeline.
My two projects right now are Cue and Navarre. Cue, well, you know about Cue.
Navarre is a city I’m building in Minecraft. The details aren’t important, except to say that it’s something I enjoy, can dive into, at a moment’s notice, and it provides a nice counterpoint to Cue.
So, when I’m stuck on one project, the other one can keep me going.
And it’s happened both ways. As the summer started, my work in Navarre slowed down quite a bit. I was playing with different designs for a university district and nothing was coming together in a way that I liked. I was also slowing working on my market district, but it was slower going than I liked.
And it was all completely fine, because I was deep into some interesting Cue work. My passion for that was carrying me forward.
My discipline kept me working on Navarre, at least for a few minutes each day. But not my passion.
Now, at least for the last couple days, the tables have turned. Work on Cue is slow going (I’m working to replace the backend with Firebase, and that involves a lot of learning). But I’ve got unstuck on the university district work in Navarre, and it’s easy to give it my time.
My one principle, when it comes to having two projects going, is to work on both of them each day. Sure, one will be slower, less passion-inducing. But I still work on it.
If I didn’t, before I knew it, months would pass and just getting back into the project would feel like a huge hurdle.
So the momentum has to stay in place, even if it slows down a bit.
Why Not Three?
After reading that, some are tempted to ask, why not have three projects? That way, I’m even less likely to have downtimes where I’m uninterested in all of my projects.
True, but diminishing returns kicks in really quickly when it comes to projects.
Also, it’s worth noting that this principles can apply across different areas of life.
At work, have two projects.
At home, have two projects.
In your church or community service, have two projects.
In each area where you want to make serious progress daily, have two projects.
They’ll help you balance motivation with discipline, and keep you moving forward.