From chaos to clarity — the power of doing one thing
There’s a point in life where you start to feel like a professional juggler, except instead of juggling balls, you’re juggling everything.
For a while, I convinced myself that more was better — more projects, more side gigs, more hustles. It seemed like the fast track to success. But what I didn’t realize was that I was slowly driving myself into the ground. And trust me, that road is not paved with gold.
The many things
At one point, my life looked like this: I was freelancing as a designer, launching an online store, starting a clothing brand, doing marketing gigs, barely squeezing in time for content creation, building websites from scratch, mentoring fellow designers, and — oh, don’t forget — trying to launch a course. That wasn’t all. I wanted to be a present husband and father, spend time with friends, and somehow carve out weekends to relax. Ambitious, right?
Each new endeavor felt exciting at first, like unlocking a new level in a video game. More money! More opportunities! It was limitless. But after the initial thrill wore off, I found myself drowning in the sheer volume of work. There was just no room to breathe. I was constantly on the go, hopping from one task to the next. I thought that juggling everything would diversify my income and, eventually, lead me to the promised land of "success."
I quickly realized that while I was doing everything, I was doing none of it particularly well. Worse, I felt tired all the time — unmotivated, even. My projects stalled, and my self-esteem sank lower than the floor. I had spread myself so thin that I wasn’t giving anything the attention it needed. It was a wake-up call, but I didn’t have a clue what to do next.
The breaking point
It was around this time that I hit my breaking point. I felt completely burnt out, and every task felt heavier than it should. I was doing too much, and none of it was bringing me joy anymore. I kept telling myself that I could push through it — that if I just worked harder or stayed up later, everything would fall into place.
Eventually, I had to face a harsh reality. I couldn’t keep going without something falling apart. Worse, everything was falling apart, including my health and my relationships. So, I made a decision that felt almost radical: I shut down everything except for the one thing that brought me the most value, joy, and stability — design work.
The funny thing is, at first, I felt like I was missing out by focusing on just one thing. I’d become so used to juggling a million projects that doing only one thing seemed almost lazy.
But then, something amazing happened. I started to notice the benefits almost immediately. Without the distractions of my other ventures, I was able to finish all work by noon. My afternoons were mine again. I could spend time with my kids, my wife, and my friends, and I actually had weekends again. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been missing until I got it back.
The shift to design
Choosing to focus on design wasn’t a difficult decision when I really thought about it. Design was something I’d always loved doing — it was something I was good at, and it brought in the most income.
What was stopping me from going all in? Fear, mostly. Fear that if I only did one thing, I’d somehow be less. Less competitive. Less successful. Less... everything.
But that fear melted away as soon as I committed. Once I focused on just offering design services, something clicked. I wasn’t just doing the work anymore; I was thriving in it.
I had more time to pour into each project, and because of that, the quality of my work skyrocketed. I was proactive, flexible, and genuinely excited about every project I took on. And clients noticed.
I raised my rates, picked up larger projects, and developed deeper relationships with the companies I worked with. The difference was night and day.
Clarity after chaos
The most surprising part of focusing on one thing was how much calmer I became. It was like I’d been living in a constant state of low-level panic before, and I hadn’t even realized it.
But once I cut away the excess and focused on design, I felt in control again. I knew what I had to do, and I did it well. There were no more late-night panics about uncompleted tasks or unfinished projects, just a sense of satisfaction from doing one thing, and doing it right.
This shift helped rebuild my confidence. When you stop scattering your energy in ten different directions, you get really, really good at the one thing you focus on. And that’s empowering. Instead of feeling like I was spinning my wheels, I started seeing real, measurable progress in my work. I wasn’t just "staying afloat" anymore — I was thriving.
The magic of doing only one thing
What I’ve learned from this journey is that you don’t have to do everything to succeed. In fact, doing everything is often the quickest way to fail. The real magic happens when you focus on one thing and find a way to make it better than anyone else.
For me, that was design. For you, it might be something different. But whatever it is, give it your full attention. Cut out the distractions, the extra projects, and the noise.
Trust me, your future self will thank you.