Need a Life Overhaul? Start Anywhere.
Do you ever feel like your entire life just needs an overhaul? Sometimes it seems like every single area of life is lacking and that you need to fix everything all at once.
But here’s the truth: how you do ONE thing is usually how you do EVERYTHING. And by progressing in one area of life, you’ll progress in others simultaneously.
I used to feel like my entire life needed to be overhauled. Setting goals felt like I had to work on everything at one time.
But when I look back at what has actually WORKED and the changes I’ve made that have lasted, I find that it’s when I focused on ONE thing instead of EVERYTHING.
Sounds obvious… but we don’t always take advantage of this knowledge.
Keep reading to learn more about how this works, plus:
Why focusing on just one area doesn’t negatively impact the rest of your life
What’s possible when you constrain your goal setting
How to pick the one area to focus on
How Kristin “overhauled” her life… in just eight years ;)
Why progressing in one area doesn’t negatively affect the rest of your life
Making progress in one area doesn’t have a negative effect on other areas of your life because how you do ONE thing is how you do EVERYthing!
There’s actually a ripple effect of progress. One virtuous action leads to more.
Think of it this way: when you start the day with an ordered house (let’s say bed is made, dishes washed, clutter put away), it has a ripple effect on the rest of your day.
When you start your day with an ordered house it can also help you:
Be on time to things
Not feel so frazzled and rushed
Focus your mental energy on other things that matter more
Focusing on one area can have a positive ripple effect in other areas of your life as well, so don’t be afraid to make a lot of progress on just one area… that progress will start to seep into everything else you do as well.
Kristin’s example: This is how it’s worked in my life (I didn’t purposely do this but looking back I can see what worked).
Started with minimalism and decluttering my life; finding contentment
This took a year or two for all the changes to stick but I’d done it! I’ve stuck with it and still do!
Photography business
Fertility treatments & motherhood
Work life, podcast
Marriage
Health, eating habits
Finances
Spirituality
*The areas where I made the most progress and where the change has stuck most has been when I’ve focused on ONE area at a time.
What’s possible when you constrain your goal setting
When you focus your creative energy or problem-solving energy into just one area:
You get faster, more efficient growth
You’re less overwhelmed
You fail in fewer areas (and get frustrated less) which means you’re less likely to give up
You reach your goal faster (and can move onto the next one)
How to pick one area to focus on
There are two ways that help us know what area to focus on. You can either choose that area that’s causing you the most negative feelings or the area that you’re most excited by.
Choose the area causing you the most negative feelings.
Frustrated with your spouse a lot? Focus on your marriage.
Feeling frazzled and not getting things done? Focus on your time management.
Feeling unfulfilled? Focus on a creative project.
Choose an area you’re most excited by. What gives you a buzz of energy?
Something to learn
Something to make
A project to start
A relationship to dive deeper with
A list of different areas you could focus on
*Remember to just pick ONE!
Eating habits
Fitness and exercise
Creativity
Marriage
Parenting
Adventures
Finances
Time management
Starting a business
Growing career
A friendship
A hobby
A skill
Your home
Decluttering, minimalism
We hope this helps you narrow your focus so you can feel less overwhelmed, grow more, and reach your goal faster. If you’re feeling like you need to overhaul your life, just remember to start with ONE area and go from there. You got this!
-Kristin + Laura
Listen to our conversation!
Click below or on apple podcasts & choose episode 151 to listen to the full podcast episode.
You can also search The Progress Project on any podcast app including Spotify!
Podcast Ep. 151
Do you ever feel like your entire life just needs an overhaul? Sometimes it seems like every single area of life is lacking and that you need to fix everything all at once.
But here’s the truth: how you do ONE thing is usually how you do EVERYTHING. And by progressing in one area of life, you’ll progress in others simultaneously.
Listen in to learn more about how this works, plus:
Why focusing on just one area doesn’t negatively impact the rest of your life
What’s possible when you constrain your goal setting
How to pick the one area to focus on
How Kristin “overhauled” her life… in just eight years ;)
Links Mentioned
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Ep. 144 Make Progress On The Work You Feel Called To Do
