Gratitude Focus: I’m Grateful For The Ability To Chew Gum And Walk At The Same Time

Reflection/Why I’m Grateful:

That phrase has become my analogy for leading and advancing multiple initiatives at once. In leadership, especially in a role like mine, it’s not enough to execute one thing well—you have to keep several things moving down the court at the same time. The key is knowing where to put your deepest focus in any given moment.

Over the years, I’ve learned that success isn’t about trying to focus on everything every day—it’s about focusing on the right one thing each day. I keep a rolling list of key initiatives, activities, and follow-ups, but I also carve out “deep think days,” where I spend a few hours going deep on one specific initiative. That structure keeps me moving forward with clarity and momentum.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that pivoting quickly between topics takes more intention. So I build rhythm into my schedule. Like Jeff Bezos once said, his best thinking happens between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. I’ve found the same to be true for me in the early morning hours. My best thinking happens between 3:30 or 4 a.m. and noon, which is why my heaviest lifts happen early in the day. Mondays are a perfect example—I might have seven or eight meetings before lunch, each focused on a completely different area of the business.

The ability to “chew gum and walk” isn’t just about multitasking. It’s about creating order and discipline—knowing when to go wide and when to go deep, when to manage and when to think. It’s what keeps momentum alive when the pace is high and the stakes are higher.

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:40

How do you structure your days to balance depth and breadth—making real progress while keeping multiple priorities in motion?

Question for Reflection

 

Hi, I’m Orvin Kimbrough, volunteer, board director, chairman, and CEO. I help professionals move from feeling stuck to being strengthened by reshaping how they think, lead, and live. My work focuses on confidence, leadership, and influence through mindset shifts, expanded networks, and bold, values-aligned action. My perspective is rooted in lived experience, from growing up in foster care to leading complex institutions as a CEO and shaped by faith, resilience, and a deep belief in human potential.

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Tags: Gratitude