Too Many Interests, Too Little Progress: Why Focus Beats Curiosity
If you've ever felt like you're constantly working on things but nothing ever really finishes, you’re not alone. For people who are naturally curious or idea-driven, having too many interests can feel like a gift—until it becomes a curse.
Think of it like this:
Having too many interests is like opening 27 tabs in your browser.
It feels like you're doing a lot, but really, you're just draining your system. Nothing gets enough attention to truly load.
Curiosity vs. Clarity
Curiosity is a powerful trait. It drives exploration, sparks innovation, and leads you to discover things others miss. But without clarity and boundaries, it quickly becomes a distraction.
Many of us fall into the trap of believing we can juggle five projects at once—launch a side business, start a podcast, learn 3 new skills, and build an app—all while holding down a full-time job.
The result?
Nothing ships. Everything lingers.
You stay "busy" but make very little actual progress.
The Real Challenge: Ruthless Prioritization
The hard part isn't starting things.
The hard part is cutting things.
It's not easy to say no to a fun idea or an exciting new skill. But long-term, real impact doesn't come from being involved in everything—it comes from going deep on a few things that truly matter.
You need to ask:
- Which interest aligns directly with your long-term goals?
- Which project, if completed, would open doors to other meaningful outcomes?
- Which effort has the potential to compound over time?
Compounding Effort: The Hidden Multiplier
In investing, compound interest makes money grow faster.
In work, compounding effort makes skill, reputation, and opportunity grow faster.
If you switch too often, you're always starting from zero. But when you stick with one lane long enough—build the same product, refine the same skill, show up in the same community—you start seeing results that multiply.
That’s the difference between activity and progress.
Done > Perfect. Finished > Started.
Half-baked ideas won’t build your career.
A portfolio full of "work in progress" won’t impress anyone.
What moves the needle is shipping.
Finishing something—even imperfectly—is always better than juggling five things that never see daylight.
How to Handle the Overflow
You don’t need to kill all your interests. Just don’t act on all of them at once. Some tips:
- Keep an "idea parking lot"—a simple doc or notes app where you store exciting thoughts without acting on them right away.
- Block focused time to go deep on your main thing. One big task a day beats ten tiny ones.
- Set completion criteria—before you start something, ask: what does “done” look like?
Finally
It’s fun to chase new ideas, but if you want real progress, you have to focus, cut, and commit. Not forever—just long enough to get something over the finish line.
Because in the end, it's not about how many things you start.
It’s about what you actually finish.
Comments ()