It is ineffective, it wastes time, it makes your eyes bags, it makes you exhausted, only the first version of the fire-breathing dragon can really kill it. "Multitasking is not good," they said.
But what if focusing on multiple tasks is actually your job? Call me a catastrophe, but I don’t like the idea of an air traffic controller following an airplane for four hours. My hometown airport is Los Angeles International Airport; I don’t even want them to develop tunnel vision for more than four seconds. Some professions are born to handle multiple tasks at the same time, and the assertion that handling multiple tasks is a sin invalidates the entire leadership and management acumen.
I am usually a productivity fan; Newport, California is my belief, and I like the idea of a single task. But the fantasy ends here. Locking yourself in a room and eliminating my to-do list sounds very happy, but as a business owner and adult, this level of freedom is unrealistic most of the time. Work and family responsibilities can make unit tasks a challenge, so you need to stop stuffing square nails into round holes and take a different approach.
Successful professionals need to deal with many different balls at the same time, multiple tasks and demanding occupations at the same time. Rather than abandon m-word altogether, consider reviewing how multitasking actually works—and what you can start to do today to handle it better.
This is your brain that handles tasks
Before we discuss actionable strategies, let us first understand the neuroscience behind multitasking. Twenty years ago, the popular article on the execution control of cognitive processes in task switching made us realize that multitasking is bad. Your brain can only make one decision at a time; you have been very good at jumping from one project to another over the years, and it feels like you are dealing with multiple tasks at the same time.
Although your brain has limitations, it is an enabler. When facing a challenging task, your brain will collect energy from other parts of your body to maximize concentration. This is why you sometimes find yourself disconnected from nearby sights or sounds during periods of high concentration.
This is where it gets tricky: Research has found that people who most often handle multiple tasks at the same time or try to complete the most tasks at the same time tend to be the least effective. In addition, these long-term multitaskers overestimate the amount of work they can complete in a given period of time. It's almost like a specific task iteration of the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which the least skilled or knowledgeable people think they are the best. When it comes to multitasking, practice is not perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.
Redefine focus in a mixed work environment
I am here to allow you to multitask. But let us also make sure that the sickle you are using will actually cause the project to move forward. Here are some adjustments that have been tested in practice, and they may have a significant impact.
Group similar tasks together: this is... Not news. But it's best to remember that different types of tasks are processed by different parts of your brain, and it is the switching between different brains that makes you exhausted, not the task itself. Grouping tasks of similar nature reduces the number of rerouting of attention that the brain must endure on a particular day.
Set your focus: My problem with the Eisenhower matrix is that it still requires a lot of thinking. In any case, what constitutes important and unimportant? I need a more Neanderthal way to do things.
Ben Tracy’s Focal Point still has my favorite prioritization tips. It goes like this: "If an hour later, you suddenly had to leave your desk for a month... Which task would you deal with first?" This is the first task. Then magically give yourself another hour, and determine tasks two, three, and so on. Prioritization consumes calories and is not effective; set the sequence with as little willpower as possible to maintain focus.
Actually limit social media and other distractions, as you always say: real conversation-if you have a hundred tasks on the plate every day. . .Does relaxing for three hours on Twitter every night really make you decompress? It may be time to enable the screen time limit and check your sanity. (Or delete it completely...I am a writer without Twitter, in case you want to give it an axe. Come here with me to the dark side: it's quiet here, and the cocktails are great.)
A package of productivity recommendations rarely applies to everyone and any situation. But we all want to achieve our goals and make time to pursue a happy and healthy life. Find the winning rhythm that suits you best, and your unshakable routine will help you take off.
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