Multi-tasking
or Single-tasking?
“The
scarcity of time is the reason we have to concentrate on one thing at a time.”
~ Matt
Perman, Author
In the busy business world, it seems that everyone is
multi-tasking to get as much done in one day as possible. But, does it really
work? Over time, if you don’t give a specific task all your attention, the
outcome often suffers. Research has shown that about 40% of productivity is
reduced when we try to get multiple things done at one time. Of course,
multitasking increases the margin for error dramatically. In a world where
multitasking has become the norm, instead relearn to single-task to increase
productivity while reducing daily stress.
One
of the most important things to remember during our daily lives is to live in
the moment. Most of us spend every minute looking at the next project we need
to tackle. When we constantly look ahead and never focus on the tasks at hand
we often forget to enjoy the journey and the little things that make life worth
living.
We
all have so many thoughts whirling around in our minds each day we sometimes
overlook truly significant reflection. We often overload our senses and tend to
stress over the accumulation of smaller, less important things and forget more
important life goals. Simple changes such as practicing the old habit of
writing things down can be very helpful. This simple exercise helps to
reinforce a realistic view of your schedule and helps our memories focus on the
immediate rather than the eventual.
Once
you have written things down, schedule time for each task and work to
simply check each item off your list. Make sure you have fully completed one
task before moving on to the next. This type of progress can be very fulfilling
as opposed to having 5 tasks partially completed.
Overloading yourself is never a good idea. It can lead to
forgetting more important tasks and cause stress related problems. In your busy
life, learn to single-task to take control of your time. You will find
there is always enough time to do it right the first time.
Chairman/CEO
Vistage Florida
