Limit how many you run at once

Keep to a handful of Objectives so the framework concentrates effort instead of scattering it.

Why it works

Attention and effort are finite; spreading them across many Objectives reduces the chance any one reaches escape velocity. A short list forces the prioritization that makes OKRs useful — the discipline is as much in what you decline to pursue as in what you choose.

How to do it

1. Cap yourself at a few Objectives per cycle, each with a few Key Results.
2. When a new goal arrives mid-cycle, decide what it displaces.
3. Write down the goals you are deliberately not pursuing this cycle.

Evidence

The focusing benefit aligns with research on attention as a limited resource and on the costs of task-switching, but "limit your OKRs" is a practitioner discipline rather than a directly tested intervention. (mechanistic)

The right number is contextual; the principle is concentration of effort, not a magic count of Objectives.

Sources

• Cognitive research on limited attention and task-switching costs as the basis for prioritization

Common mistake

Listing everything you are already doing as an OKR, so the framework documents busyness instead of forcing a choice about priorities.