Multitasking – How good are you?

Here are a couple of questions to get us started today.

How many of you multitask?

How many of you think you do a pretty good job at multitasking?

How many of you think it’s a success to walk down the street without tripping?  (This is the point where I raise my hand.) 

The truth of it is most of us believe that multitasking is the only way to get through life these days, both our professional and personal life.  Information, data, and communication is coming at us faster and faster and we desperately look for ways to manage the load.  So multitasking, (the ability to do two or more things at once), becomes the norm rather than the occasional act of getting our lives back in order.

How’s that working for you?

I was thinking about it the other day and decided that I was not very good at multitasking.  Then, upon further review, I decided that, in truth, multitasking is a myth. (See I’m also pretty good at rationalization).  Can you really do more than one thing at a time?  Nope, you can’t.  What you can do is switch tasks and make it look like you’re doing more than one thing at a time.  So at best, you’re a great switchtasker.  And the younger generations, (I’m really beginning to dislike you), have taught themselves to switchtask faster and more smoothly than older generations.  They aren’t multitasking any better than us older folks, it just looks like they do. 

Ha, smoke and mirrors, I tell you.

But, But, But,

But there is a bigger problem to consider.  Us switchtaskers, are we any more productive than if we were just tackling and completing tasks one at time?  Well, the evidence is starting to mount that we are actually less productive multitasking.  (Would you believe almost 50% less productive?  Finding Real Balance )  Yep, we’re really less productive and less efficient than if we just finished the initial task we started on.  (On the other hand, I wouldn’t look as cool, and my kids would laugh at me).
And there is another but to consider, one that is at the heart of my desire to switchtask.  If I don’t, then I feel out of control, out of contact and generally more anxious. 

But think back to those days that you were really, really busy, really juggling all the balls in the air, if you were really honest with yourself, how productive were you? 

Did you really get any meaningful things done?

Here are some thoughts that might help you balance the anxiety of “being out of touch” and being effective.
* Schedule when you look at email.  Force yourself to keep your email closed and look at it only at a specified time, (or times), during the day.  (You may be surprised to learn that people can get along without hearing from you immediately).
* Schedule some uninterrupted time during the day, (preferably in the morning when you’re the most fresh), to tackle one important task, and finish it.
* Force yourself to take a couple of short breaks, (10 minutes), during the day.  Walk around, clear your head, and think about something else.
* After you leave the office, make sure you dump your devices that attach themselves to you like those little fish that attach themselves to bigger fish, and end up sucking the life out of the bigger fish,  (Okay, that came out a little more dramatic than I was intending, but you get the point).

Try these things or develop some others that might work specifically for you.  At the very least, give it some thought. 
You might be surprised.  And a little less anxious.