According to research, Multi-tasking can make us LESS productive. The better thing to do is "monotasking," which is better for our health and productivity.
Monotasking is doing one task at a time.
The trouble with multitasking, is out brains aren't wired to tackle more than one task at a time. Thatcher Wine, author of "The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better", says quote, “What we’re actually doing when we try to multitask is ‘task switching. All that task switching comes at a cost. It overloads our brains and causes a significant amount of stress. [Additionally], studies have shown that tasks take longer and we make more mistakes than if we had done one thing at a time.”
Today put together this list of signs that multitasking is working against you:
- You struggle to pay attention to the task at hand.
- You’re susceptible to distractions.
- You frequently make mistakes or misunderstand an assignment.
- You feel burnt out, especially as the day goes on.
- You often forget details from interactions.
- Your interactions with others don’t feel as meaningful.
- Others sometimes ask for your attention.
Today also put together this list of ways to improve your focus
- Turn phone notifications off or put your plane in airplane mode.
- Keep your phone in another room or in your bag when spending time with others.
- Close your email window.
- Change your Slack status to “focusing” and pause notifications.
- Schedule time for deep focus (put it on your calendar, if necessary).
- Set a time limit for how long you want to focus on a task and work through the set period of time.
- Identify other common distractions and remove/mitigate them as best as you can.