Want to Get More Done? Try This Crazy Approach: Single Tasking
Doing a single thing at a time—is that even possible anymore? It feels as if multitasking is a built in response now. Our attention isn’t satisfied by doing a single thing. Or is that what the multitasking monster wants you to believe? There is a lot of data that shows that multitasking is not really possible. It is a mind trick that actually works against us and has consequences beyond just being fooled. In fact, in one Harvard study, they found that people spend up to 47% of their time thinking about something that they are not working on at the moment.
The ironic thing is, even as I write this article, I find myself doing some level of multitasking. I am bouncing back and forth between notes, other articles, and maintain a knowledge of the other applications I have available to me. Even with a ‘focus mode’ on to prevent distractions, there are other pressures to pull my attention away from the act of writing. And I can feel the difference. When I am fully concentrated only on getting the words on the page, it is flowing much easier. Once I pause to look something else up, or grab a link to another article, I lose momentum and have to ramp up again.
Reeling in the multitasking monster can bring several benefits beyond, just being a more productive way to work. There is a mental release when you begin to give your full attention to the task at hand. You can feel it building inside you. It is like a welling strength to tackle this one item. And then something tries to come and knock you off that game. It's the multitasking monster biting at your ankles.
Single Tasking = Less Stress
If we were somehow able to watch our brain shift frantically back and forth from thing to thing as it tries to multitask, we would likely be concerned by all the energy going into the constant back and forth effort being made. Watching it would become exhausting, let alone living with it happening. Studies show that there is up to a 20% loss in productivity when attempting to do multiple things at once. Yet we continue to try.
“There’s not a single published paper that shows a significant positive relationship between working memory capacity and multitasking.” Anthony Wagner 1
In a study conducted by RescueTime, they found that only 5% of workers felt as though they finished their work each day. That pressure only increases the allure of multitasking. By the way, count me into that 5%. It is rare that I find myself at the end of the day ‘done’. I am learning, though, that for many things, it is meant to be a continuum. When we think about our work as retail leaders, the business itself is always happening. That almost necessitates that our work will also be continual. We should stop trying to fool ourselves into the idea of there being a finish line for many of the things we are tasked with. There will always be another email. Questions from customers will continue to flow. New product arrives that must be dealt with. It is always going to be additive and iterative. Trying to do more at once simply will not help.
What are we to do?
It may seem hopeless to try to escape the multitasking monster. There are things we can do to tame it, and find more productive ways to attack our tasks. In a previous article, 5 Ways to be Productive and Stop Trying to Multitask, I share some ideas on how to narrow your focus to working on a single activity at a time. These can assist in releasing you from the grips of multitasking and feeling flow in your work.
Single-tasking makes you focus on what you “should” do (not what you “could” do)
Using many of those tips will steer you towards the work that needs to get done and away from other ‘nice to do’ items. That becomes the key to working forward. We all have examples of things we do when we know we have something that must get done, but allow ourselves to choose a different task to distract us from that work. In some cases, we ‘think’ we can do them both. “I’ll start working on this project, but I’ll just check the scores every once in a while.” Or, “I monitor email while I am working on this, so I don’t fall behind on any important messages that come in during this time.” Those are basic considerations, I am sure you have many more occasions you could substitute into this scenario.
Doing one thing at a time can make you more creative
We forget what it feels like when we really can concentrate our attention on that one thing. Our creative juices flow, the ideas just seem to come from nowhere, and it feels good. We wonder afterwards where did that burst of creativity come from, yet never realize that it was because the task at hand had our full undivided attention. Dang, that pesky multitasking monster also has mind control abilities.
If only we could be in multiple places at once… How many times have we said that? The same notion applies to our attention. It cannot effectively be in two places at the same time, either. And while I joke about fighting off the multitasking monster, there is truth behind the concept. We all need to practice more single tasking to help solve the problems we really face. If we move away from something we know will not work and spend more time improving at something that will, we will see the improvements in productivity we seek. There is plenty of good information available to help on your single-tasking journey. Here is another good article that help get you started in the right direction as well. When we all begin to corral our attention, concentrate on the single task at hand, we can slay monsters.
How will you begin to tame your multitasking monster?
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