In the figure below are two checkerboards. Let’s say you may advance seven squares only. You could move seven counters forward a single square (right), move one counter seven squares (left), or anywhere in between. The fewer counters you advance, the more progress those counters make.
The same is true for our goals. If we spend our time working towards fewer goals, each will progress more quickly than if we spent time on many.
Setting one goal likely won’t suffice as we each have more than one area of our life in which to progress, and each area may have more than one sphere of responsibility. However, the key takeaway is, the fewer goals you set, the faster you will progress towards their completion, and with higher quality.
“LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner sees ‘fewer things done better’ as the most powerful mechanism for leadership.”
Greg McKeown
If you find yourself paralyzed choosing between your goals, wanting to do them all while recognizing fewer might be better, google the term “Buridan’s Ass,” and remember you can do anything, but not everything you want to do.
