Another Phrase to Save You from Overwhelm

When I was a sophomore in college, my spring semester finals week was absolute hell.

Buried under papers, exams, and rehearsal schedules (I was a drama major), I remember predicting that it would take about 80 hours of work to complete everything. I did a time-and-motion study and, lo and behold, I was correct (I know, I know, I should've been an econ major). On one of those caffeinated nights, something hit me. I scrawled "one thing at a time is just fine" on a piece of paper and pasted it to the wall. It became my credo - and lifesaver - for the rest of that grueling time. Now I've totally forgotten what those Seriously Important Exams, Papers, and Plays were about, but I never forgotten that phrase. It's come back to me time and again, especially on particularly stressful days. I share this with you because, as this culture seemingly hurls itself forward and demands more from all of us, doing something once and correct the first time is so much faster than untangling the detritus of multi-tasking.

(Less exhausting too).