Multitasking ruins your productivity and induces more stress and anxiety. Here’s why you need to focus on one thing to actually get more done.

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Imagine you’re cooking on a four burner stove.

You’ve got pots or pans going on each one and your goal is to make sure they all cook properly without burning your dinner.

One pan needs to saute.

Another pot needs to boil.

Make sure the meat is cooking just right (without overcooking and drying out your dish).

Add your seasoning, without dumping too much salt into the pan.

It requires constantly checking on everything and it becomes quite the dance to try and ensure it all works out.

Dinner ends up being okay, but since you could not focus on one thing at a time, nothing ends up being great.

This is what multitasking is doing to you.

It’s exactly what happened to me when I left corporate public relations to start my own business.

I had this vision for achieving success in multiple areas.

• Get into the best shape of my life;
• Develop my talent as a voiceover artist;
• Write a memoir about my first year in fatherhood;
• Start writing to explore topics like health, fitness, self-improvement and mindfulness;
• Coach fellow busy people like me utilizing my fitness/nutrition qualifications through online coaching;
• I had so many interests and ideas that I wanted to crush in my mid-30s and I just knew it would set me up for massive success in my 40s and beyond.

Then reality set in and life happened.

I became a dad and that sucked up most of my time as I tried juggling my business and my responsibilities as a new father.

Instead of going all in on my writing and letting that simmer before starting another pot, I would instantly switch over to another project and try to let that saute before turning my attention back over to another dish to add some seasoning.

No wonder I was burned the hell out.

I was doing too much and unable to really focus on one thing.

It took me far too long to learn this valuable lesson, but as I approach my mid-40s, almost a decade after I left corporate America, I’ve finally unlocked the superpower of focus.

Today, you’re going to learn why sometimes, it’s best to stop the multitasking, massive to do list chasing and instead focus on one thing.

Let’s get into it.

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The power of committing to a single goal

In fitness, there’s a common question about burning fat and building muscle. Can you do it at the same time to reveal an amazingly shredded physique?

The answer is yes. We call this recomposition.

It’s a slow and steady process of eating closer to your maintenance level of calories while strength training and increasing your activity levels.

Over several months (perhaps years depending on your starting point), you can absolutely unlock this level of awesomeness.

But, it is not efficient.

As a coach, my approach would be to prioritize the most pressing matter first.

If you’re slightly overweight, your focus should be to go all-in on losing fat in a phase.

Once you’ve leaned down, you are primed to build more muscle. That’s when you go into a bulking phase.

After you’ve spent a few months creating muscle, you then shift again into fat loss to unveil those well-earned muscles (aka, “toning”).

In other words: Focus on one thing at a time rather than half-assing multiple things at once

Make that one thing your primary objective.

Let that be what you intentionally consume new information (books, blogs, youtube videos, etc) about to learn new methods to develop your skill set around it.

You’ll be more efficient and more likely to achieve results.

That’s exactly how you’re going to win now whether that be in the gym or even in business.

Multitasking is not a viable productivity hack. It’s quite the opposite.

In the micro, there’s growing research that shows context switching, or alternating from one task to another constantly throughout your day, leads to poor performance and eventual burnout.

The studies show that it takes up to 20 minutes to get fully plugged back in after moving between tasks.

And you lose upwards of 20-percent of your productivity by hopping around.

Instead, the solution is to focus on one task at a time.

Take that same approach in the macro.

Imagine how efficient and productive you’d be if you managed to block out one hour per day for the next 60 or 90 days on one specific goal or project.

I’m not talking about half-assed work where you’ve got your phone hanging around and you’re bopping around YouTube videos pretending to be working.

I’m talking about full-on focus for a good 60 minutes per day, as many days per week as you can fit in your schedule.

The solution: Focus on ONE thing at a time instead

Pick one thing that is important to you for the next 30, 60, or even 90 days.

Whatever makes the most sense for you and your ability to achieve that specific goal.

Generally, I’d recommend prioritizing one of the Core Skills that allow you to Level Up:

• One that challenges the body (health)
• One that challenges the mind (learning something new)
• One that enriches your relationships
• One that allows for play and exploration (doing things that you enjoy)

If you’re ready for a reinvention, you should read my guide to turning your life around.

This doesn’t mean that you pick one pillar and then ignore the others.

It simply means picking one pillar that you want to make your main focus.

For example:

My kids stayed at home with me for their summer vacation. That’s about 10 weeks with two high energy kids.

There’s simply no way that my business, my fitness and my fatherhood could all be top priorities during that time.

To make it work, I had to shift my priorities.

Rather than burn out again by taking on too much, I focused hard on my relationship with the kiddos for the summer.

To do that, I had to be okay with scaling back the output on my business. Growing my business was on the back burner, already cooked, I was just keeping it warm.

It didn’t mean I let my business collapse.

It was just more about maintaining my business rather than aggressively growing it.

I moved fitness to the back burner, too.

Obviously, my workouts were important to me.

But, I had to get creative with my training (I used micro workouts a few days per week) to open up room in the schedule to take the kids places here in the City.

I was not concerned about optimal training, growing muscle or losing fat. Instead, I wanted to mostly maintain my progress and then when the new school year started, get back into prioritizing my fitness goals again.

My summer goal was to focus on one thing and that primary focus was being present for my kids.

The way I saw it: I’d rather spend two quality hours per day on my business than eight frantic hours being half-present as a dad and half-focused in building my personal brand.

This reduced tension and anxiety across the board and allowed for more flexibility in my schedule and less burnout potential.

There are a few steps that you’ll need to take in order focus on one thing to succeed

You’ve probably been telling yourself for quite a while:

“When I finally have the time, this is that thing I want to do.”

Now is the time to strike and crush that goal.

Yes, you have the time. Even if it is just 15 undistracted minutes.

Avoid the urge to commit to multiple things.

We are aiming for efficiency for the next 30 days or so.

Some examples to jog your creativity:

• Plan that trip
• Start writing that memoir
• Build some more muscle
• Map out that business plan
• Lose some unwanted weight
• Deepen that relationship with your partner
• Work on those finances and develop a plan
• Focus on being more present with your kids
• Commit to nurturing or even building a stronger network of friends and colleagues

In other words, avoid trying to focus on eating clean while also quitting that smoking habit at the same time.

Your lifestyle overhaul will happen by focusing on one small habit at a time.

Not 12 half-assed habits done inefficiently.

Next step: Committing to a schedule to bake in the new habit

It’s one thing to commit to making a change and going all in on that new habit, project or goal. That’s just the first step.

You must go deeper.

This is what separates the people that make a lifestyle change with their New Year Resolutions versus those who give up before Valentine’s Day.

You must schedule in your new habit. Science calls this implementation intention.

In its most simplistic application, implementation intention is a sort of mathematical equation for habit creation that breaks down to “If X, Then Y.”

In other words, “When X happens, I will do Y.”

Let’s take this example to the fitness space.

My student, Trisha, was having difficulty finding the motivation to work out. She knew she needed to do so, but couldn’t find the right system to stay consistent.

So we simplified things as much as possible.

Instead of committing to one long gym session, I had Trisha perform many little exercise snacks throughout the day.

Using our new implementation intention formula, it broke down for Trisha like this:

When I finish brushing my teeth, I will perform 5 bodyweight squats.

Once I pour my morning cup of coffee, I will perform 5 push-ups with my hands elevated on the countertop.

After I finish my lunch, I will go for a 15 minute walk in the parking lot of my office (if the weather sucks, I will instead walk up and down the stairs for 15 minutes).

Much easier to chew when you have bite-sized goals to accomplish.

Trisha finally got consistent with exercise and has since evolved into performing a more standard full-body workout routine three to four times a week.

When you apply this formula into your day, you are much more likely to stay consistent.

And consistency is the path to victory.

Next step: Stop chasing perfection, have a plan for when you fuck up

We both know that the world is far from perfect and your goal to focus on one thing will be challenged by a ton of factors outside of your control:

• Sick kids happen.
• Those sick kids get you sick.
• Work fires need to be put out.
• Social occasions throw you off.
• As a result, your well-laid plans get tossed aside.

Your job is to plan ahead for the obstacles and find a way through regardless.

But to also be aware that some challenges will hit you without warning and you won’t be able to plan for them.

What’s the plan when the shit hits the proverbial fan?

As I preach to my fitness/nutrition students, it’s all about the simple rule of Never Miss Twice.

If you plan to write 500 words every single day, but get thrown off one day because of a bout of strep throat that hits the household, your goal is to get right back on track that next day.

No exceptions.

If you can’t hit that workout or that run because work had you come in for an last-minute emergency meeting or Zoom conference call when you’d normally be training, that’s okay. But get right back at it on the very next day.

No excuses.

Applying this Never Miss Twice rule to your habits is the key to locking these things in until it is simply a lifestyle.

It becomes your identity.

Next: Shut down the distractions so you can really focus on one thing

None of this will work out well for you if you just approach this like any other task where you’re half plugged in and half distracted by the surrounding noise and notifications.

You’ll need to set aside time for this goal.

No email to pull you away.

Remove the phone.

Resist the temptation to glance at your socials.

You’ve made the commitment to scheduling this into your daily routine.

But the next step is to block out that time, treat it as an unbreakable calendar appointment, and let this 30-60 minutes be the only thing you are working on.

Eliminate the distractions as much as possible during this “meeting.”

No getting pulled away for a minute from a work email that leads to you rescheduling your commitment.

Want to write more? Stop letting the notifications on your phone interrupt your flow.

Is this your chance to build a business? Awesome. But, don’t get bogged down in some back and forth text chain with your buddies.

Go all in.

Finally: Understand that this will take time

When you set aside the time to truly focus on one thing, your creativity and productivity will enjoy a boost.

You’ll be much more efficient in finally crushing that goal.

It still doesn’t mean this will happen overnight, though.

There’s a quote from Tony Robbins:

“People overestimate what they can achieve in one year and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade.”

– Tony Robbins

This quote perfectly captures the approach of us humans.

We want everything all at once and right at this moment. And if we cannot get everything right now, it’s not worth it to even try.

I see this often with potential students in my online fitness and nutrition programs.

They come to me looking for unrealistic goals of 30 pounds lost in eight weeks and a complete lifestyle overhaul. To which I try to explain:

“Look, it took 20, 30, 40 plus years to build up the poor habits you’ve developed. It will take more than just two to three months to undo those habits and build new systems.”

In other words, flex the patience muscle.

Slow down and think about where you can be in 12 months rather than 12 weeks.

This can be said for any dream or goal that you have.

It’s time to stop trying to do 20 things all at once; none of them are done all that well.

Instead, start thinking in terms of what you can accomplish when you focus on one thing at a time this year.

Imagine if you crushed one or two of your biggest objectives over the next 365 days.

And then transitioned to the next one or two goals.

Over a decade, you’d be a completely different person who’s finally conquered your biggest obstacles and crushed your biggest goals.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

If you’re interested in working with me to get a complete body transformation program that couples minimalist training with a personalized approach to nutrition, then you should check out my Lean4Life Coaching Program.

All of my students are encouraged to keep a journal and map out their many goals, obstacles and consistency with new healthy habits.

Not ready for all that yet? No worries.

Take what you’ve learned here and slowly apply it over the next month or two and let me know how it works out for you.

I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “focus on one thing” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Until next time,
Pete