The persistent search of greater productivity and efficiency has become something of a slogan in today’s fast-paced digital era. In our relentless quest to accomplish more, we frequently and unintentionally entangle ourselves in a web of initiatives, projects, and to-do lists that may not necessarily be of great importance in the overall scheme of things – but they are there. I know I do.

The past year has seen a careful trimming of projects that no longer connect with me or have failed, despite my conscious effort to streamline and optimize my commitments. You’d assume that by concentrating my efforts on a small number of tasks, I would eventually reach the sought-after condition of equilibrium and tranquillity. However, life frequently has different plans. Even after methodically determining my top objectives over the past year, I still find myself bogged down in a variety of tasks that are all (seemingly) fighting for my attention. It almost seems as though I have a complete cornucopia of obligations on my plate, some of which I can barely keep track of with one hand. Puh.

But then again – I am not one to complain. Life is beautiful and when it’s like this you take it by the horns and you shift it the way you want it to go. It is sufficient to say that the quest for the elusive balance between work and personal fulfillment is still underway – and best I can guess (knowing me) will always be so. But it’s a journey worth pursuing because it offers the possibility of development, the thrill of success, and the never-ending search for that elusive balance. Make sense? You need to want it.

So that poses the question for you –  what’s your side project? (I mean everyone has something going on these days, no?)

We often find ourselves embracing diversification, a concept that’s frequently championed by financial experts like the ones we see on the news, urging us not to “put all our eggs in one basket.” It seems as if we take this advice and translate it into our professional lives. This recommendation urges us to spread our resources across a number of possibilities rather than focusing them in one. So, rather than pouring all your money into one stock you begin to look for lesser stocks simply for the sake of diversification – in investment terms.

Diversification is wise advice for our financial portfolios, but it doesn’t always translate well to investments of a different kind, like investments of our most precious asset – time. I can vouch for this because I’ve had to learn it the hard way over the years. One of my very first online properties was a interactive forum for the gaming community that sprouted as a side project while my brother and I were building our media company. The side project became to much because it took off faster than expected. In the end we sold it. That’s something positive. I know. However, take this past years. One of my side projects (now R.I.P.), took a lot of time and investments and did not go as planned. The time and resources it demanded far exceeded what I had initially anticipated, consuming both in vast quantities, so I just killed it. And I’ve done that throughout the years for a variety of projects. But sometimes, that’s just how it is. What’s important is to realize that and shift your attention to focus on the things that really do matter.

I had developed the ability to joyfully accept new ideas and efficiently meet feature requests as part of my pursuit of excellence. The outcome? A never-ending list of things to accomplish that threatened to overwhelm me with work. My reasoning appeared reasonable at the time. I convinced myself that I could carry the load without a hitch since I felt that the consumers desired these extra features. I had no idea that this strategy would turn into a significant financial burden that would take months to untangle and free me from the baggage and bad habits it had instilled.

Looking back at these situations, I discovered that I was caught in a web of activities that, in an effort to diversify, had unintentionally grown cumbersome. It serves as a sobering reminder that not all diversity is created equal; while it may make sense for your financial interests, using the same strategy with regard to your time might result in fragmentation and a loss of concentration. In essence, the search for variety in our lives necessitates a critical eye and a prudent strategy. Always. While distributing our resources may make sense in some situations, like I just mentioned, it’s critical to know when it’s time to focus our energy and increase our focus on what matters most. After all, the one thing we can never get back is time. I know I repeated that twice, but just to hit it home here.

But I’ve come to understand that focus is an essential ally in the midst of this frantic quest to accomplish more. It’s a fundamental truth that we frequently overlook in the hectic multitasking environment. Even though we may take pride in managing multiple activities at once, the effectiveness, productivity, and overall success we achieve pale in comparison to the advantages that might result from committing to doing one thing very well. The implementation of our vision and plans is made easier when we are clear about our goals and direction, which makes the way forward considerably simpler.

This mindset extends seamlessly into my business philosophy at KLG. Due to the nature of our business, which requires managing a variety of products, we are aware that a single-product strategy is not feasible for us. We’ve changed our strategy, however, we’ve evolved our approach by placing a premium on focus. We have decided to focus more on the products that are showing the most potential traction and growth rather than constantly developing new ones. It represents a transition from quantity to quality, from spreading ourselves too thin to making the most of what we already have.

In essence, we’ve discovered that, on occasion, focusing on what really matters rather than continually adding to the list is the key to accomplishing more. Realizing that focus is the compass that leads us through the maze of options and guarantees that we arrive at our destination with accuracy and purpose is key.

I mean I love being a Jack-of-all-trades. It’s the curiosity that keeps me going. However the mantra – “Jack of all trades, Master of none.” holds true for various parts of life. As always, its a fine balance, like with all things to not decrease the quality of your work (or products/services) and complicate things unnecessarily. That being said, focus today and do one thing with precision and excellence.

Make it happen.