The myth of multi-tasking
If you want to save your sanity, focus on one thing at a time…
…she says, whilst breastfeeding and typing. But who said I was sane?
Multi-tasking used to be considered as something everyone aspired to. Especially me.
I used to think that I could multi-task. I was wrong.
I would start one piece of work, do a bit, then switch over to another. I’d keep doing this in the hope that at the end of the day, I’d be able to say that I’d worked on everything.
Yes, I had worked on everything, but when I looked at what I’d achieved, it was very little in the grand scheme of things.
What I hadn’t considered was the mental waste that was created by all the switching. It takes time for your brain to get back into the flow of an activity, and if you’re constantly switching from one task to another or getting interrupted, you don’t give the brain enough of a chance to make the necessary neural connections.
Author David Rock, in Your Brain at Work, cites that it takes on average 25 minutes to return to what you were doing before you were distracted by someone or something. That’s a whole lotta time that I don’t have.
I’m an avid golfer, and although I haven’t had much opportunity to play over the last 6 years or so, what with carrying small children from soft play to soft play, I did manage to visit the driving range recently and noticed that multi-tasking even applies when you’re swinging a golf club!
If you’re practicing using your driver for a while, then switch it up to practice with an iron, the dynamics of your swing need to change, and well it just feels different. If we apply the same thinking to practicing golf, then technically, for the brains’ benefit, it would be better to practice with only one club at each visit.
My tactic for avoiding mental waste during the work day is to split the day into 3 chunks – Before lunch, after lunch, and late afternoon. I then dedicate one chunk in its entirety to one activity.
Task A before lunch,
Task B after lunch, and
Task C in the late afternoon before picking the children up.
These 3 time blocks are perfect for work that requires a lot of thought, rather than smaller administrative type tasks. Of course, we all work better at different times of day – my husband prefers to get his deep work done once everyone else is in bed.
But what about the smaller tasks? Those emails need to get read at some point, I hear you say.
Every few days, I dedicate one time block just for the smaller admin type tasks. It keeps most of my days clear enough for deeper work, and the emails still get read.
You can reap a host of benefits from working on a single task at a time:
Increased productivity and efficiency: You reduce the time and mental waste in transitions, ultimately completing tasks more quickly and effectively.
Higher quality work: Giving your full attention to a task can lead to higher quality results. There is less risk of missing important details or making errors.
Reduced stress and increased satisfaction: You can reduce stress and feel more in control of your workload. This approach often leads to a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with your work.
Better estimation of time: This one is one of my favourites as it’s often forgotten. Breaking down tasks into manageable chunks and focusing on them one at a time can help in better planning and time management. This method makes it easier to estimate how long tasks will take and provides a clearer path to completing them.
Easier to get into a state of ‘flow’: This heightened focus and enjoyment in the task, can lead to potentially greater creativity and productivity.
Greater cognitive function: By reducing cognitive load and distractions, your brain can process information more effectively, which is beneficial for focus, learning and memory retention.
As a full time mum it’s hard to find the time to focus on anything, let alone one thing at a time. Heck if you’re anything like me you start putting toys away, and then notice the kitchen dishes need doing, before you can make everyone lunch, and then you realise the bibs need washing before feeding happens. Basically it’s a never ending cycle of rushing from one thing to another. Or it’s nap time, and you’re not sure how much time you have, but you have to fit everything that you need to do into it and you’re running around like a headless chicken. No? Just me?
If you’re in the parenting hamster wheel, know that it will get easier as the children get older and try not to be too hard on yourself. You’re doing great!
If you’re not in the parenting hamster wheel, give your brain a nice rest and focus on one thing at a time. You’ll feel whole again and ready to tackle those tasks with more vitality.
I’d love to hear about your experiences, what works for you?
-Selda
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how to build a life you love, here are a few ways I can help you:
Personal guidance and coaching to find more hours each day:
Double your productivity and do more of what matters to you:
🚀Supercharge Your Productivity: Take the stress out of your week and juggle all of your jobs without working yourself to death
⚖️7 Proven Strategies to a Better Work Life Balance: Spend less time at work and more time on the things you really want to do
Today’s image by DALL-E: Prompt: create an image that showcases the importance of focusing on one task rather than several at the same time. Be creative and use colourful imagery
[AI side note - I’ve found that DALL-E creates better images when you give clearer instructions about exactly what you’re looking for in terms of style. If you give it too much leeway, the results can be a bit all over the place]
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I tend to work in Pomodoro type blocks of 30 odd minutes with 5 minutes off then repeat. Plus I listen to lo-fi music. THis helps me get in the zone for work. Interesting topic and I just subscribed for more. Thanks for writing.