One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

“If you chase two rabbits… you will catch neither one.”
- Russian Proverb

As we finish 2014, there is so much to do.  Wrapping up what needs to be done before year-end, while also keeping an eye on what is around the corner for 2015.  We are thankful for multi-tasking, the ability to perform several tasks at the same time, as we try to keep our heads above water.  But is multi-tasking really advancing our cause or are we being lulled into a false sense of achievement?
 
Let me make it real for you.  Try reading this newsletter without interruption for the next three or four minutes.  No doubt your smart phone will ping, somebody may walk by your desk, or you will remember a forgotten item on the grocery list.  Can you feel the pain of doing one thing at a time?  It feels so unproductive, yet the evidence clearly tells us by focusing on one thing we can be so much more productive.
 
Multi-tasking first entered our vocabulary back in the 1960s when computers entered the mainstream.  Computers were designed to perform multiple tasks simultaneously and this worked very well.  People are different than computers - our brains are engineered to focus on one thing at a time.  We can certainly do two routine things at once (walk & talk) but the challenge is to focus on two more complicated tasks at once (email & conversation).  The price of mistakes caused by multi-tasking can be costly (mistakes prescribing medications or inattentive parenting) and include derailing your career.
 
Research at Stanford University confirms that multi-tasking is less productive than doing one thing at a time.  This much we know - workers are interrupted on average every 11 minutes, process over 4,000 thoughts a day, and ultimately waste one-third of each day being distracted.  It is not that we have too little time – we have too many things in the time we have.
 
So why is multi-tasking not effective?  With all our interruptions and distractions we switch from one task to another, over and over.  This process involves two steps: switch and reorient.  For example, we switch from reading our email to visiting with a co-worker.  This is not a seamless transition – it takes mental resources to reorient to the new situation (co-worker, task, environment, sense of urgency).  Constantly shifting our focus wastes of approximately one-third of a workday, even while feeling productive.
 
Three keys to increase your effectiveness by minimizing your multi-tasking:

Focus on #1
Prioritize your work and put your best effort toward what matters most.  Too often we are seduced into spending our day multi-tasking  “C” priorities, leaving work feeling good even though we are stepping backwards in our overall productivity.  Stop and ask yourself – what is the best use of my time right now?

Segment your Day
Productivity experts encourage us to partition our day into several periods.  For example, work your social media during a set time period versus constantly interrupting your day.  Turn off all your reminder pings, check email a set number of times a day, and refocus on the human side of the workplace.  There is no “I” in team, text, laptop or smart phone – but there is in relationship.

Be in the Moment
Relationships need to be fed and multi-tasking can starve these precious resources.  Make your smart phone a second priority and connect with the person striving for your attention.  We have all seen the couple at a restaurant where one partner hangs their head waiting for the other to finish working email or sending texts.  You are either in the moment with someone or you are not – there is no middle ground.
 
Increase your productivity and satisfaction by focusing on the things you need to do in the time you have.  Pay attention to what is #1, manage your time, and most importantly be in the moment.  Focus your way to a better life – less is more.