Why You Should Focus On One Thing
Focusing on several things will spread yourself thin.
The more things you work on, the thinner you’ll be spread. The more things you have, the less you value them. More doesn’t equal better and in fact, less is more.
Focusing on one thing maximises your strengths. Simply, you’ll be good at what you do.
Like in my previous post, trying to build several skills and several businesses is the less-efficient route to achieve your goals. And you don’t’ want to be working on things half the time, half-finished, half-assed.
You also don’t want to approach your 30s (like I am) and make a little progress on developing your skills or have a list of incomplete projects.
So why should you focus on one thing? Here’s five reasons why…
Being Focused On One Thing Allows You To Specialise
Specialisation is not saying you are good at graphic design, motion design, UX design, painting and ballet. People who focus on one thing at a time are successful. They’re also mindful and avoid switching from one task to another.
I do not believe focus on one thing is limiting your potential like I’ve heard some people say. It’s the complete opposite.
You know what’s great about specialising?
Being Focused On One Thing Allows You To Charge More For Your Services
Imagine clients coming to you because no one else is able to output the kind of work you produce.
The work you create is unique, memorable and special. You’re now seen as an asset rather than a commodity, which means you can and should charge more.
On that note…
Being Focused On One Thing Makes You Memorable
We don’t have to mental capacity to remember the graphic designer-motion-user-experience-painting-ballet creative.
We remember the person who is amazing at the one thing they do better than everyone else.
Sean McCabe of seanwes says people are going to put you in the box and there’s nothing you can do about it. What we can do is define the box people put us in. This starts by choosing one thing, getting your head down and focus.
When people start noticing the one thing you do well…
Being Focused On That One Thing Will Attract A Large Following
It can only be a good thing when there’s more eyes on your work, right? Whatever your motive is for generating a following, having a large audience will lead to a plethora of opportunity, if and that’s a big “if”, you are providing value every time.
People will come to expect the same quality of work because it’s super clear what you’re working on.
I’m assuming you’ve seen those Instagram accounts and their gallery is drooling with beautiful, curated content. Here’s some examples that have been killing the consistency game this year.
Nathaniel Ong
Chalkboard Lettering Artist
Benjamin Paras
Creative Sneaker Collector and Editor
Anthony Lee
Menswear Photographer and Stylist
See the pattern? I’m able to put these creatives into a box because they’re highly curated, consistent and focus on the one thing they do best.
Lastly…
Being Focused Separates Yourself From The Generalists
The last point summarises it all. I do want to preface this by saying there’s nothing wrong with being a generalist. In some cases, having someone who can wear multiple hats is a benefit for some studios or agencies where versatility is required.
The specialists thrive because they become known for their skills and become the go-to-guy. But in a competitive industry like ours, we must become more narrow in our approach so we can provide a higher quality of service to the people we serve.
Remember there’s plenty of time to hone your skills.
But I do get it, we’re in an age where pretty much everything is available within a few clicks and we want to become great the moment we put pencil to paper.
I usually give three actions to take away, but if there’s one action you should take from this week’s article it’s this…
Simplify your goals so you can achieve one huge goal a year rather than trying to complete several goals at once and finish nothing.
If you want to make massive moves towards hitting your goals, take smaller steps to get there. Focus on one thing at a time, reduce the number of projects you take on and really dive deep into your chosen area of expertise.
And there we go! I really enjoyed writing this one and I fired myself up to start honing my lettering illustrations even further.
On a less exciting note, this will be the last the article for 2017. I’m taking my own advice and aiming to finish the incomplete projects, goals and tasks I’ve left hanging and finally get these out of the way before the year ends.
Here’s a really big thank you for reading my articles on my tiny part of the internet. I really do appreciate all the feedback I receive.
I’ll be back with more blog posts in 2018, until then follow me on Instagram to see my latest work and tweet me. I’m always down to hear what you’re working on.
Take care!