The life-changing magic of working on multiple projects at the same time
When your work on Project A creates progress on Projects B and C, you gain a competitive advantage.
I have found so much value working on multiple projects at the same time.
Juggling forces you to focus and execute. Momentum in one is momentum for all.
My time is not divided evenly between these and this list is not exhaustive, but I’m currently working on:
• Opening Bell Daily (my business and journalism)
• Journalists Club (events and community building)
• The Blog of Phil Rosen (daily writing and honing my craft)
Meanwhile, I put together roughly 7 to 10 mini blogs on LinkedIn every week, and about 25 posts on X (Twitter).
For me, the outcomes have always been better when I’m stretched compared to when I focus on a single thing. Even in college, my GPA always ended up higher during semesters I enrolled in the most classes.
It sounds counterintuitive, but I do think the more that you work on at the same time, the odds of crushing it for each project actually go up.
Part of it is the serendipity that comes from showing up in multiple ways to the world.
For example, since launching Opening Bell Daily this month, a sizable number of subscribers have come from audiences of both my events and my blog.
Just the same, writing daily across multiple social sites is how people find out about my events. And after events, often these same individuals begin keeping up with my blog or reporting.
Between my work, events, and blog, too, I've received countless invitations for speaking opportunities — one more project I pursue, though at more random intervals.
Everything is connected. Everything compounds.
The gap between each of my current pursuits is very narrow, and I see that as a competitive advantage.
The person who can work on project A and then see results on projects B and C has an edge. I have learned this first-hand.
It's worth noting that few people choose to take on multiple large projects at once, which suggests those who do are already giving themselves the advantage of attempting a greater volume of work in less time.
Sure, maybe there are some work-life balance benefits for having everything separated into buckets that never mix. But that's neither my taste nor what I’m aiming for.
Momentum in one is momentum for all.
