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title: You can achieve anything if you focus on one thing at a time
created: 2024-11-18T09:18:12
modified: 2026-02-12T20:55:15
---

> [“The only way to gain enough efficiency to complete The Art of Computer Programming is to operate in batch mode, concentrating intensively and uninterruptedly on one subject at a time, rather than swapping a number of topics in and out of my head.” — Donald Knuth](https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/retd.html)

> “Take a simple idea, and take it seriously.” — Charlie Munger

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Do one thing and do it extremely well.

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**Multitasking (多工)** is a myth. Focus on completing one task at a time _in series/sequence_; avoid multi-task _in parallel_.[^1]

**Unitasking (單工)**: Do one thing at a time, and do it extremely well.

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Avoid “[priority ping-pong](task-switching.md)” — stay committed to one task at a time. Batch similar tasks together to minimize [context switching](task-switching.md).

* Context switching = Fragmented
* No context switching = Focused

[The Cost of Interrupted Work](the-cost-of-interrupted-work.md)

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# The Cocktail Party Effect

* refers to the ability to focus one’s attention a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli (i.e., noise)

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# Human Brain Paradox

* Your brain is a supercomputer, but it can…
	* only have one thought at a time.
	* really focus/concentrate on one thing at a time
* Humans can only direct their attention to one thing at a time.

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# Automatic System v.s Controlled System

In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel-prize-winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman details how our brains have two processing mechanisms: _an older, faster, “automatic” system and a newer, rational, “controlled” system. Kahneman refers to these as System 1 (automatic) and System 2 (controlled)_.

In The Happiness Hypothesis, New York University psychologist Jonathan Haidt describes the key distinction of “automatic processing” and “controlled processing” as it relates to multitasking:

> Controlled processing is limited — we can think consciously about one thing at a time only — but automatic processes run in parallel and can handle many tasks at once. If the mind performs hundreds of operations each second, all but one of them must be handled automatically.

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# Multi-tasking Costs

1. **Increased Errors:** Each [switch](task-switching.md) risks losing focus on important details or skipping steps, especially if the tasks are complex or require high concentration.
2. **Longer Completion Time:** The time taken to re-focus and re-establish where we left off adds up, sometimes resulting in _doubled or even tripled_ task durations.
3. **Cognitive Fatigue:** [Constantly redirecting attention can exhaust the brain](attention-residue.md), leading to hinder your [creativity](creativity-is-just-connecting-things.md) and [reduce overall decision-making quality](decision-fatigue.md).

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# 做什麼，像什麼

> “Age quod agis”
>
> Do what you are doing. = Do well whatever you do. = Concentrate on the task at hand.

* When you walk, walk. When you eat, eat.
* Use lunch time for lunch.
* [When drinking tea, just drink tea.](https://sketchplanations.com/when-drinking-tea-just-drink-tea)
* [If you want to live a quiet life, live a quiet life.](https://thequietlife.net/p/if-you-want-to-live-a-quiet-life)

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兩位禪宗學生談起各自的老師。

其中一位很驕傲地說：「我的老師超厲害，他能用三劍把樹上的蘋果削下來，還能在蘋果落地前把它切成四塊；他射箭時，先一箭射中靶心，再用第二支箭把第一支箭從中劈開。」

另一位學生聽完，點點頭說：「那真的很了不起。不過，我的老師才是真正厲害的人。」

「他有什麼特別的本事？」第一位學生問。

他說：「走路時，只是走路；坐著時，只是坐著；吃飯時，只是吃飯。」

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[Focus is about saying no](focus-is-about-saying-no.md)

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[Being indistractable is superpower](being-indistractable-is-superpower.md)

[^1]: Multitasking isn’t always bad — you just have to make sure the conditions are right.