Think of all the things you have to do today. For some of you, that list probably fills an entire page. Greatness is what you strive for, and nothing can stop you. Until now.

Congratulations! Your productivity levels for the day have been officially ruined by (The Great) Hunter Schoonover. At the end of your day, that precious list of yours will still fill an entire page.

Why?

Because your subconscious mind is the one in control, that is why. When he decides you are not doing something, well, you better have a paddle ready to beat him into submission. Creating this massive list opens up a direct line to the subconscious. It lasts long enough for him to see this collection of boring things you have planned for him, but not long enough to reveal the reasons behind them.

Co-founder of North Technologies and founder of Digg, Kevin Rose notes that amassing a snowball of responsibilities is one of the most common mistakes an entrepreneur can make. Whilst brainstorming, the blink of an eye can turn your next product can turn into this massive thing, amounting to hundreds of hours of work. It becomes overwhelming and a near impossibility. Rose suggests narrowing your focus to one to three tasks.

Narrowing your focus is the key to greatness. It tricks the subconscious by saying, “We’ll just do this one thing.” Say you will only go to the gym for a quick thirty minute workout. Say you will only write one blog post. Say you will only shoot a quick five-minute YouTube video. By the time you finish, you will be the one behind the wheel, pushing to get more done. It turns that workout into an hour, that one blog post into three, that five-minute video into a good ten minutes.

The less you have to do, the more you will do.