ON DOING ONE THING AT A TIME.
What is worth doing at all, is worth the undivided attention; but John
can never be satisfied to do but one thing at a time. By attempting
to read or play while dressing, he consumes double the time that is
necessary. He reads at the table, and, in consequence, keeps the table
waiting for him to finish his meal. He turns his work into play, and
thus his work is slighted, and frequently left half done. When he goes
to his lesson, his attention is arrested by something else before he
has fairly commenced, and he stops to look or listen. Or perhaps he
insensibly falls into a reverie, and is engaged in building “castles
in the air,” till something happens to call back his spirit from the
fairy land. The consequence is, the lesson is acquired but imperfectly,
while twice the needful time has been spent upon it. At the same time,
nothing else is accomplished. This is what I call _busy idleness_.
The true way to accomplish the most, and to do it in the best manner,
is to confine the attention strictly to the thing in hand, and to
bend all the energies of the mind to that one object, aiming to do it
in the best possible manner, in the least possible time. By adopting
this principle, and acting upon it, you will be surprised to find how
much more expeditiously you will accomplish what you undertake, and
how much better it will be done. It is indispensable to success in any
undertaking.
Closely connected with this subject, is the _systematic division of
time_. Where there is no system, one duty will jostle another, and much
time will be wasted in considering what to do next; all of which would
be avoided, by having a regular routine of duties, one coming after the
other in regular order, and so having a set time for each. This cannot
be carried out perfectly, because there will every day be something to
do that was not anticipated. But it may be so far pursued as to avoid
confusion and waste of time.