spreading myself too thin

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   Trying to do too many things at once, so you cannot give enough time or energy to any of them.

   Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the reflexive pronoun changes with the subject: I am spreading myself too thin, she is spreading herself too thin.

   Patterns

   • be spreading myself too thin
   • spread yourself too thin

   I've taken on three volunteer projects this month, and I'm spreading myself too thin.

   She realized she was spreading herself too thin between work and night classes.

   If you keep spreading yourself too thin, you'll burn out before the end of the semester.

Common combinations

spread yourself too thin

Don't spread yourself too thin during your first year at university.

be spreading myself too thin

I'm spreading myself too thin with two jobs and a full course load.

afraid of spreading yourself too thin

She said no to the extra project because she was afraid of spreading herself too thin.

Synonyms and how they differ

overcommit

Overcommit is more formal and focuses on promising too much; spreading yourself too thin emphasizes the resulting lack of energy or focus.

stretch yourself too far

This is similar but often suggests going beyond your abilities, while spreading yourself too thin is about dividing your time among too many things.

Opposites

Word family

spread verb

To open something out or distribute it over an area or among people.

thin adjective

Having little thickness or density; here it means not enough to cover everything.

Commonly confused: spreading myself too thin or spreading thin?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “spreading myself too thin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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