It feels good to make a to-do list. There's something satisfying about crossing things off.

But research has found that when our lists get long, we rarely choose the most important thing first.

This leads to what I call the leaky bucket syndrome.

Think of a bucket with several holes in it. The lowest hole determines how much water the bucket can hold. You can keep pouring more in, but until you fix that hole, you're not making much progress.

The same thing happens in our lives and leadership. We can be working hard to get ahead while our biggest problem continues to undermine our efforts.

The result? A lot of activity, but not a lot of progress.

[[principle]]

So even if you have 99 problems, it's better just to focus on one.

That's why I ask:

What's one thing, if it got better, would make everything else better?

It's a great question to ask yourself, and it's just as helpful when you're trying to serve someone else. It helps bring the real need into focus.

Before you add another project to your week, ask yourself this question. Then ask someone you lead the same question.

Try it for yourself and let me know how it helps.

Justin