Pick Three—Adam Grant put it simply: life has roughly eight pockets. Work, health, family, relationships, learning, play, finances, and the rest. You don’t optimize all of them. You pick three to focus on with real intention. The others you maintain at a minimum.
Why three? Time and attention are finite. After sleep, commute, and basics, you have limited focused hours. Spreading them across eight areas means mediocre progress everywhere. Choosing three lets you actually get somewhere in what matters most.
You’re not failing the other five. You’re designing—consciously deciding which pockets get the wheel this season. When the road changes, you can repick. That’s the point: it’s a choice, not a guilt trip.
Pick three. Drive those. Maintain the rest. Repeat when life shifts.