Is it wise to focus on multiple projects at once when developing your career?
For all recent grads, students, or even established workers: is it worth to give into the temptation on working on multiple projects?
Is it better to work on multiple projects for the sake of breadth and variety, or focus on one project deeply at a time?
When I say projects, it can mean anything: work-related initiatives, coding projects, college work, side hustles, physical crafts, and everything in-between. Think: a gardening initiative, new roof for a house, painting, web application for a side hustle, work project, or a coding problem for school.
The argument for multiple projects
Look, I know what the argument against working on several things at once will be: a lack of focus and timeliness.
This is fundamentally true. If you’re working on multiple projects at once, you’re most likely spreading your energy and time across multiple areas. It hinders anyone from being able to concentrate deeply on a certain topic, and it prevents you from completing a project faster. Ultimately, you become knowledgeable in many areas but a master of none. How can that make you more wanted in any job market?
Well, spreading one’s energy and time across multiple schemes could actually be the solution to productivity and boredom — let me explain.
For example, take Lily, a 27-year-old software engineer who works on two development projects at work and a side coding project at home. She also leads a volunteering program on the weekends and is renovating her front yard outside of work. That’s FIVE different projects in-progress at once.
Because of this, Lily delegates her focus sparingly but deliberately; it allows her to upkeep productivity and enthusiasm. There’s an old saying by Arnold Bennett in his self-help guide How to Live on 24 Hours a Day:
“What? You say that full energy given to those sixteen hours will lessen the value of the business eight? Not so. On the contrary, it will assuredly increase the value of the business eight. One of the chief things which my typical man has to learn is that the mental faculties are capable of a continuous hard activity; they do not tire like an armor a leg. All they want is change — not rest, except in sleep.”
While the book itself is outdated, the key from this quote is that while multiple projects may limit the focus and timeliness of delivery, it helps free anyone of boredom from focusing only on one “productive” activity. In this argument, focusing small slices of one’s energy into different tasks or activities can actually improve overall productivity. It rejects the thinking that those who focus deeply on a single project or area for a long period of time should not put energy into anything else outside of it. Instead, change things up so your mental ability never dwindles on one thing. You’ll never get bored since you’ll always be switching between tasks. Every productive “switch” will feel like a break from the last thing you worked on.
The argument for one project only
Now, the need for singular focus is obvious: you get greater focus, there is a higher chance of digging deeper into the technicalities, and you’ll get the project done faster.
You become a master of something.
I wholeheartedly believe this is still the most important outcome. When one becomes a master in their trade, it not only helps with increasing their value in the job market, but it creates a system of autonomy. If you’re deeply knowledgeable in a certain field, people will listen and ask you for advice; you’ll have more opportunity for success. Finally, you get to determine how your work is executed. You’re the expert, after all.
Now, the worry comes when there are multiple things you need to get done, or multiple subjects to learn. People will constantly mutter “I’m bad at multi-tasking, and I can only focus on one thing at a time.” This isn’t the weakness they make it out to be.
Many employers would take someone who can only focus on one project but can get it done well and on-time. Let’s take our example: Adam, who’s an artist. Adam specializes in oil-painting only; he’s tried other art forms and techniques, but his output can’t compare quality-wise. There’s a higher likelihood that there would be a demand for his oil-painting rather than his other art pieces. Of course, the downside is that you don’t become a “jack of all trades” or a “well-rounded” professional in the art industry. But in a market which values the skills of a particular craft the most, we know who wins. As someone who is more of a “jack of all trades,” I too desire to concentrate my energy into a narrower area for sake of savvy-ness.
What approach should you choose?
While this is obviously dependent on numerous circumstances and factors, we can simplify our takeaways.
Evaluate where your career-related skill sits in the industry. Do employers care more about a specific skill, or a more broadened breadth of work?
In GENERAL, take the time to explore your options in your twenties to understand what you want to commit to, and try hammering in on that commitment once you’re around your thirties. Becoming the subject matter expert in your later career could be critical.
If you’re in tech or a related area, think about focusing on a specific field. The tech industry is continuously becoming more sophisticated in general; deepening your knowledge within a specific field in tech is becoming increasingly important. AI/ML, internet of things (IoT), voice recognition, VR/AR (virtual reality/augmented reality), cloud computing, big databases, and other fields are growing deeper every single day.
About Me
My name is Kasey, AKA J.X. Fu (pen name). I’m passionate about writing, and thus I’ve found myself deep in the abyss on weeknights creating novels. I do this while working a full-time tech PM job during the day.
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