You may think you can do everything right now, but you can’t – and you shouldn’t. “Multitasking is the ability to screw everything up simultaneously.”
– Jeremy Clarkson. We’re used to juggling five balls at once and repeatedly switching between tasks. This goes against what so many of us have learned and fine-tuned over decades.
Studies show that people who multitask are more easily distracted, less productive, score lower on tests for recalling information, and make more errors
When people think they’re multitasking, they’re just switching from one task to another very rapidly
- And every time they do, there’s a cognitive cost in doing so.
Don’t start your morning by looking at your phone
Checking your phone as soon as you wake up will put you into a reactive state of mind. Give yourself time to properly wake up.
Be sure to unitask during your prime time
Schedule work that is challenging and requires a lot of focus for the time of day when your attention and drive are at their best
Create a list of daily priorities
Tasks to complete
- List them in the priority that they need to be done
- This way, each task gets full focus and you’ll make sure that the most crucial ones are completed
- If you don’t get through everything on your list, move them to the next day
Be aware of your multitasking habits
If you find yourself constantly multitasking, log everything you do so that you can identify patterns that lead to your distractions and be mindful of them in the future.
Reduce or eliminate outside distractions
Turn off your email, text messages, and social media notifications while you are completing tasks.
Be prepared to say no
Be aware of how much is on your plate and how long it will take to complete tasks.
