Thatcher Wine - The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better

I was deep into researching and writing this book in March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the United States. The world was thrown into chaos overnight and life was intense for just about every person on the planet.

Yet with all the craziness, I felt strangely calm. Its not that I wasnt scared. I was worried about my healthI had gone through cancer treatment two years earlier, which put me in a high-risk group if I were to catch the virus. I was concerned about my familys safety and well-being. I was also stressed about Juniper Books, the business I run, and our ability to survive an economic downturn.

I considered furloughing my team and putting the business into hibernation while I concentrated on keeping myself and my family safe and healthy. In recent years, I had worn myself down as I pushed through multiple health challenges, business struggles, and a divorce while keeping up a busy life as an entrepreneur and father. Maybe this crisis was differentI wondered if I should take a break and not try to do it all this time.

I also briefly considered putting this book on hold. My schedule was packedcould I really fit one more big thing on my to-do list?

I thought a lot about it, then I decided to go a different route.

Even though there were a lot of things that were out of control in the world, what I realized was that I was still in control of my attention and I could choose to apply it where I wanted. I decided to double down on my commitment to monotasking everything in my life. I would do one thing at a time, and Id do it well. In the chaotic stressful times of the pandemic, I would pressure-test the concepts covered in these pages in order to get them ready to share with the world.

Throughout the pandemic, I read printed books to build my focus. I walked three times a day to get fresh air. I worked on my listening skills with my friends and family. I wasnt sleeping well, but I committed to finding ways to get more sleep every night. I didnt have a lot of time for meals, but as I ate, I contemplated how grateful I was for essential workers on the front lines. I couldnt travel, but I paid attention to things I had never noticed on my way to work. I relearned how to play piano at home by watching YouTube videos. In our daily company calls, I taught my team how to get our work done from home. I made time to play with my kids and with my dog. I created new ideas for my business every daysome worked, some didnt. I spent a lot of time thinking about what lay ahead and how to help keep everyone in my life safe.

My efforts to monotask were successful. If I tried to do more than one thing at a time during the pandemic, my stress level increased rapidly, and I rarely got anything done. In contrast, when I held the line, stayed focused, and monotasked, I was more relaxed and much more productive. My family stayed healthy, and I was able to finish writing this book. Plus, Juniper Books thrived as people read more books and redecorated while staying at home.

Now, more than ever, I believe that the antidote to our ever-expanding to-do lists, the distractions of modern life, and the fragmentation of our attention is to do one thing at a time. Once we realize that we are the ones who control our own attention, we can choose where to apply it. Monotasking is all about reclaiming our attention so that we can better work through our to-do lists, improve our relationships, and get through some very difficult times.