When You Split Your Attention, You Can’t Expect Exponential Results

I guess we’ve all heard it before: if you split your attention, your results split too.

But what you might not expect is just how much. There are multiple layers to this, and it’s often the main reason you’re not making progress… let me show you

It’s all about expectations.

My days probably looked like yours—most of the time, just waking up, do some work, go to school, then back to work at my desk until I crashed into bed. That was my daily routine. (It’s not much different now),

but I have these big goals—get 1,000 followers on X, finish schoolwork, and work on a few other projects. I thought if I just work my ass off, everything would go as planned. Makes sense, right? (Yeah, I was in that David Goggins  mentality “do more and work harder”.)

So I did exactly that. The results were showing, but nothing too exciting. Of course, I was grateful for everything… but we all know that feeling—why isn’t this working the way I want? I was constantly grinding—school, work, school—yet something was off.

Then I took a step back and reset my goals. That’s when the productivity gurus in my head hit me: I wasn’t focusing on just one thing.

It was almost embarrassing because I had fallen into this trap of chasing too many goals at once. At least this time, I was making progress. But I still hadn’t figured out why I kept making the same mistake over and over.

So I sat down, worked it out, and—most importantly—changed my mindset. Because at the end of the day, everything starts internally. When you’re running, nobody hands you dopamine pills—you generate it yourself.

That night, I saw a clip from Andrew Huberman’s podcast, and it clicked. I needed to change my expectations. First, I had to prioritize school—then I could focus on growing my X page. Maybe the growth would be slower, but instead of turning it off completely, I’d treat it like a dimmer switch—just lower the intensity for now.

Here’s how I did it:

Strategy 1: Prioritize & Visualize Your Goals

 • Write down your goals and the time you want to achieve them—on paper.

 • Pick your top priorities.

 • Keep them somewhere visible—a sticky note on your mirror, for example, so you see them every day.

This works because when you see your goals daily, you naturally focus on them.

Bonus Tip: Don’t write down more goals than you can easily remember—two or three at most. This helps you stay focused, and if someone asks about your goals, you’ll be able to answer instantly.

(I read about the mirror trick in a book, but I can’t use it because I live with my family, and they don’t even know I have an X page—probably for the best.)

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Strategy 2: Lower Your Expectations & Extend Your Timeline

If you have multiple goals, expect them to take longer than you initially planned.

I personally set a goal with a deadline, then mentally add 50% more time to that estimate.

It’s a simple strategy, but it really works.

First, don’t expect exponential progress in every goal right away. Start with small wins and measure your progress.

Most importantly—don’t give up. Keep going.

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Having Multiple Goals Isn’t Bad

It’s not a bad thing to have big goals or even two or three goals at once.

You just need to make sure you’re:

Focusing on the right things

Making steady progress

Aware that splitting your focus will slow down results compared to focusing on one goal at a time

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue multiple goals. Some things are important, even if they take longer. And that’s okay.

Just don’t be dumb about it.

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