So you have goals. You have projects in various stages of completion. You’re trying to stay balanced and not be one-dimensional. And you’ve set aside a block of time on a given day. Your intent is to really sink your teeth into something. But which something on your list of somethings should you work on? How do you prioritize?

I was having a conversation with a friend recently and we started talking about trying to focus on more than one major thing in our lives at a time. It brought to mind for me the two major ways I make a living -- writing and life coaching -- and how sometimes it's difficult to decide which one should get most of my time in any given week. So it hits me: really everything is about the coaching.

I'm coaching clients. I'm facilitating discussion groups, which taps into my coaching skills, i.e. listening, giving feedback, clarifying. I'm teaching a writing class called "Discovering Writing" which is essentially coaching my students in their artistic expression. I'm writing a blog and its content is certainly derived from my coaching mindset and experiences. I'm writing a book which heavily draws on my coaching skill set. I'm developing a community project that is coaching-based.

The bottom line? It's really all one thing. Call it a mind game, but somehow that makes it feel more doable, less segmented. No need to pick between door #1 and door #2. Everything is in one accessible compartment. I can work on any one thing on my list and feel it’s putting me closer to the place I want to be. (Of course that assumes you’ve created a concrete goal for yourself. If not, start there.)

Now apply the principle to your life. If your goal is to make your first million, then everything you’re doing is probably pointing to that one thing. If your goal is to land juicy, challenging roles on the stage, take a look at what’s on your plate and see if it isn’t all circling around that. Even the part-time job you’re trying to find to pay the bills comes under that category, right? So give due time to each item knowing exactly what you’re working towards.

It’s all one thing can be a very liberating concept.