One thing at a time - the boredom of impermanent action that leads to progress
[People are] like donkeys running after carrots that are hanging in front of their faces from sticks attached to their own collars. They are never here. They never get there. They are never alive
— Alan Watts
The reality of the present and the future is more boring, mundane, and imperfect than the infinite amount of possibilities of the future in imagination. The way the future unfolds is a by-product of the multiple small actions you carry out diligently every day. The potential for the actions you can carry out daily is vast and possibly limiting, because the more choices you feel like there are, the more difficult it is for you to make a decision. That is the paradox of choice, and it is a useful mental model to consider in every domain of life. In your business, for example, you may carefully limit the number of services you offer, because the broader the options you provide to potential clients, the more confusing it is for them to understand what you excel at and choose.
Yet, you have some degree of choice over how the future unfolds for you through committed decisions in the present. Committing to a few tasks every single day, in the vastness of all the possible tasks you may pick. Committing to a few well-cultivated relationships in the seemingly infinite sea of potential people you can get to know. These concepts have been especially highlighted in the book “Four Thousand Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman, where the author emphasizes the finitude of our life and how to think about it constructively without enhancing anxiety or nihilism.
In the sphere of work, every day you are faced with the choice of what to focus on. Depending on your situation, you may feel overwhelmed with the options on your “plate”, or overwhelmed by the potential options you may pursue, influenced by mimetic desires fostered by the people physically and virtually (e.g., social media) around you. Yet, you can only control what you choose to commit to. Everything else is a kind of distraction from your path, your choice, and your agency over everyday life. Committing feels momentarily more uncomfortable than leaving the doors open to the seemingly fresh air of infinite options. It will also likely feel much less uncomfortable in a few weeks, months, and years — when you will feel grounded in your life instead of swaying all over the place due to the insecurity stemming from a lack of choices.
Practically speaking, you may select 5-10 tasks to focus on every morning, before starting the activities of the day. This may take the form of a digital or analog to-do system. Always write down any task you may be pursuing in a list. Then select a few tasks from that list every day, and fully let go of the possible pursuit of all the other tasks—you will get to those another day when you will decide to commit to them fully. Then take uncompromising action and accept the boredom of slow, unitary focused progress that compounds over time.