THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Spread yourself too thin
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
To take on too many tasks, reducing the quality of your work.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- She’s spreading herself too thin by joining five committees.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
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Can you recall the expression?
Which expression from this lesson matches this meaning?
To take on too many tasks, reducing the quality of your work.
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Spread yourself too thin — To take on too many tasks, reducing the quality of your work.
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Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Spread yourself too thin” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
To take on too many tasks, reducing the quality of your work.
Compare: She’s spreading herself too thin by joining five committees.
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
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More ways to understand and use it
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How to use this expression
Use a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject: I spread myself too thin; she spreads herself too thin; they spread themselves too thin. The focus is limited time or energy divided among too many commitments.
More examples
Between two clubs and three projects, I’m spreading myself too thin.
We dropped one event because we were spreading ourselves too thin.
Check your understanding
Improve the sentence: “She is spreading myself too thin.”
Answer: She is spreading herself too thin. The subject and reflexive pronoun must match.
One hard task or too many commitments?
Maya tutors three evenings a week, runs a club and has agreed to organize two events. She can no longer prepare properly for any of them.
Think it through: Would “spreading herself too thin” fit if Maya had only one difficult project?
Check the explanation
Not necessarily. This situation fits because she divides her limited time across too many commitments. One demanding project may be exhausting without involving that division. A useful response is: “I’m spreading myself too thin, so I need to hand over one event.”
Your turn: Rewrite the response for two organizers, beginning “We’re spreading…”.
Compare expressions: Work, study and your limits
Working late, taking on too much and giving up describe different stages of a difficult task. Choose the expression that explains what the person actually does.
Try the situation question and check your answer →