much, and if I do all three at once it just won't/wouldn't work.

[B45]

I've come to the conclusion to focus on one thing at a time, because running a business, going to adult school, and taking care of the kids is just too much, and if I do all three at once it just won't/wouldn't work.


Are both okay here?

 

[MikeNewYork]

I would change the beginning to "I have made a decision to". I would change the ending to "if I try to do all three at once it just won't work."

 

[B45]

I would change the beginning to "I have made a decision to". I would change the ending to "if I try to do all three at once it just won't work."

I've made a decision to focus on one thing at a time, because running a business, going to adult school, and taking care of the kids is just too much, and if I try to do three at once it just won't work.

Better?

 

[B45]

I've made a decision to focus on one thing at a time, because running a business, going to adult school, and taking care of the kids is just too much, and if I try to do three at once it just won't work.

Better?

Do the corrections make it a natural sentence?

 

[MikeNewYork]

It is better but you dropped "all" from "all three". I would also consider breaking the sentence into two. Try a period after "much" and then start the next sentence with "If I...".

 

[B45]

It is better but you dropped "all" from "all three". I would also consider breaking the sentence into two. Try a period after "much" and then start the next sentence with "If I...".

I've made a decision to focus on one thing at a time, because running a business, going to adult school, and taking care of the kids is just too much. If I try to do all three at once it just won't work.

Why is it won't and not wouldn't? Maybe some people can handle all three tasks at once, so wouldn't that make it a possibility?

 

[MikeNewYork]

I chose those tenses, because the writer has already concluded that the current situation is "too much". If you want to use "wouldn't" you should change "try" to "tried".

 

[B45]

I chose those tenses, because the writer has already concluded that the current situation is "too much". If you want to use "wouldn't" you should change "try" to "tried".

What you mean is that, the writer has already tried to do all three and knows that it's too much to handle.

Whereas if he had wrote:

If I tried to do all three at once it just wouldn't work.

He hasn't tried it yet, and isn't even thinking about trying because he thinks that he won't be able to handle it.

Is this so?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes. The second version makes it hypothetical, but the writer has already been there.