What am I trying to hold all at once?

Sunday, July 12th, 2026

In a small village, there was a carpenter named James. One day, the village chief approached him with a challenge to create three special items for a major festival: an elaborately crafted chair, an ornate table, and a rugged chest.

James ambitiously decided to work on all three projects at once. He believed this would demonstrate his efficiency and skill. So, he set up three different workstations and began to juggle the tasks, moving from the chair to the table to the chest and back again.

While carving the chair, James would be distracted, thinking about the designs for the table. When working on the table, his mind wandered to the details of the chest. This constant switching made it hard for him to focus. 

One evening, an elderly wise woman from the village noticed his stress and offered him some wisdom: “Consider how a juggler keeps their flow. They don’t focus on everything at the same time. The juggler focuses on one object at a time, while maintaining a peripheral awareness of the other objects. Juggling relies heavily on rhythm and established patterns. Concentrate on one project, complete it, and then move to the next.”

James took her advice and decided to fully focus on the grand chair first, channeling all his energy and creativity into it. To his surprise, he completed it faster and with a higher level of craftsmanship. Motivated by this success, he applied the same single-tasking approach to the table and the chest.

On the festival day, the village chief praised James for his exceptional craftsmanship and timely completion of the projects.

Single-tasking, dedicating our full attention to one task at a time, can lead to greater success than tackling everything at the same time.