The continuously falling rains. The water clogged roads. The held-up traffic and the long lines of honking vehicles.

I reach home and sit in the bedroom. I have a splitting headache. My eyes are burning. I have been sneezing violently. Looks like all my internal organs plan to come out through my nose, today itself.

An itching sensation on my legs – mosquitoes attack me as if I am the last human left on earth.

The beeping cellphone. Someone trying to sell me either a housing loan or land near Hyderabad airport, I have no idea why.

My thoughts turn inward. A long list of pending tasks. Many unachieved dreams. Societal responsibilities. Expectations of people from me. My expectations from them.

I sigh.

They are right. I just can’t do it all. I have lost. I am no Superman or Shaktimaan.

At that instant, there is a power failure.

I am wrapped in complete darkness. It seems to me as if time has come to a standstill. The fast-moving crowded train has dropped me on an empty platform and disappeared. I sit slightly dazed. I look around. Even the mosquitoes appear dazed. I hear the rain falling outside.

The sudden interruption creates a gap in my non-stop thoughts. And I remember my peahen friend from 1,200 kms away. How is it that I never apply a lesson I learn, until I am in the thick of a problem?

I can’t do it all. True. But at this moment, I can do 1 thing. After that, I can pick up the next.

1 thing at a time.

The power suddenly comes back. Life back to normal.

And in between a few sneezes, I mentally put the OFF switch on all distractions and begin my first task with a smile.

NOTE: This post is semi-fictional. And I have never imagined myself to be Shaktimaan. 🙂

FURTHER READING

• The magic of doing one thing at a time on HBR
• One thing at a time on Huffington Post