I have a long history of feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

Whenever I have a daunting task ahead or a big goal I need to start working on, my mind goes "Nope".

That thought of "everything's important" made me waste 2 years of my life. I did everything everywhere all at once.

Making no progress pushed me into a tutorial hell loop. Giving me cheap dopamine with no action.

Sick and tired of no progress, I finally found the antidote to feeling overwhelmed:

Focus.

The one thing that defines how much progress you make is how focused you are. Once you eliminate feeling overwhelmed you'll have:

• Mental clarity over your ideas

• Improved focus on your tasks

• Decreased total time taken for your tasks

But there is this thing that's the root cause of overwhelm. The action that's killing your focus and efficiency.

The Curse of Productivity - Multitasking

Yes, you read it right.

I was a chronic multitasker. I'll be doing 2-3 things at once so that I can be more "productive" or "get more things done".

With multitasking, I've achieved:

• No progress for 2 years

• Increased anxiety and stress

• No mental clarity over my tasks

You're a multitasker too and I don't blame you for that. We, humans, are wired to do 2 things at once. Back in the Stone Age, hunters needed to gather food while looking out for predators. Multitasking was crucial for our survival.

In this modern age, society incentivizes you to get more things done. Schools and colleges promote multitasking. There are entire forums based on how to multitask efficiently. 9-5 jobs are the epitome place for multitasking.

But here's the catch:

You can do two things at once, but you can't focus on two things at once

• When was the last time when you concentrated on your phone and the television at the same time?

• When was the last time when you were listening to two people talk at the same time?

 You can have anything you want, but not everything - Derek Silvers

Dan Koe came up with this:

Think of your mind like a computer RAM.

The more processes you run, the slower the computer becomes. Similarly, you have a limited brain capability.

The more you divide your focus, the less progress you make on your tasks. You pay the price of less focus with more time and less effectiveness.

So, the more tasks you do at a time:

1. You don't know what to focus on and thereby focus on everything.

2. You feel overwhelmed due to doing several tasks at once.

3. You lose focus, make zero progress, and repeat the same loop again.

The Cure For Overwhelm - The Decree Of One

The plural form of the word "priority" does not exist. There can only be ONE priority.

It is not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it is that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have. - Gary Keller

Now, I know what you might be thinking: "But Nithish, how do I choose just one priority? I have so many important things to do!"

Well, my friend, that's where things get tricky. Choosing one priority needs self-awareness and discipline that many people don't have. It means taking a hard look at your goals and values and being willing to say "no" to everything else.

And let me tell you, saying "no" is hard. It requires a level of courage and conviction that most people don't have.

But here's the thing:

If you're not willing to focus on one thing, you'll never achieve anything meaningful. You'll be like a hamster on a wheel, running faster and faster but never actually getting anywhere. And that is a recipe for frustration, burnout, and a whole lot of wasted potential.

I always prefer actionable advice over theory ones. So here's a framework that you can put in place today and increase your focus and productivity.

FPFA Framework - Focal Point Focused Action

1. Choose one goal that you want to achieve by the end of this year. Write the goal down.

2. List out all sub-goals that you need to complete to achieve the primary goal.

3. List out all the tasks that you need to do to achieve the sub-goals ( Write them down )

4. Now, set a goal for the week. This is your focal point. Associate your focal point with your primary goal. NOTE: There can be only 1 focal point for a week.

5. Cut down every action that does not serve your focal point and double down on what does.

6. Make your environment conducive to your focal point. Remove all distractions.

7. Schedule deep work time blocks throughout the day. (2 hours - 3 times)

Start working and then self-educate. Don't waste your time in the tutorial hell loop.

With this framework, you can get more done in 1 week than most do in 1 year by just focusing on 1 goal.

Your focus is increased and now, you have a clear-cut plan on what task to do and to what tasks you should say "no".

I have been following this for at least 4 months now and it has worked wonders for me. My feeling of overwhelm has been completely removed and I know exactly what to work on every day.

That’s it from me today.

Enjoy your week.

- Nithish

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