The Multitasking Temptation Revisited

Multiitasking has been proven to kill your productivity. Yet, for some it’s a lifestyle and others an expectation. Others see it as a strength.

People are terrible at doing more than one thing at a time, even though many of us are fooled to believe that we are actually good at it. When we multitask, two things occur:

1. We get less done.
2. The quality of what we do is lower.

There’s a recommencement cost of at least several seconds every time you get back to a task that got interrupted. Each time you switch to some other task you risk getting hit with more resumption costs. This loss time adds up and multiplies as you continue getting distracted with interruptions throughout the day.

It is almost inevitable that each individual task will be slower and of lower quality when you are using multitasking as a methodology to try to accomplish more. Likewise, it is acutally faster to do one thing at a time instead of trying to multitask.

Another problem with multitasking is that we are more inclined to make more mistakes while doing multiple tasks simultaneously, especially those that require your full attention or those that are unrelated. As a result, the quality of our work declines.

In a 2004 study at MIT, researchers found (by doing MRI scans on brains of test subjects) that it’s impossible for the brain to think about more than one thing at a time.

Multitasking is an incredible temptation. As a business owner, I struggle with it myself from time-to-time. When I am not fully engaged in what I am doing I often check email frequently and begin responding to incoming messages without completing articles I am writing or blog entries. Fortunately, when I am on the phone with a coaching client, I am not multitasking! However, often when I am participating in a teleconference call or meeting I will see (or sense) others checking their email or messages.

Get Into Focus

To help stay more focused, have clearly defined (written) goals and align your work with your goals.

• Start with a clear vision.

•  Write your goals in actionable statements.

•  Align your daily actions/behaviors specifically to your goals.

•  Execute based on your priorities.

 

 

Make Romance a Priority

Romance, in these superbusy(tm) times may need to be a planned event rather than a spontaneous happening. Either planned or spontaneous, here are some simple romantic ideas for little or no money:

1. Write a love note by email, on the mirror, on the kitchen table, etc.
2. Send a greeting card (email or regular mail).
3. Give a warm embracing hug.
4. Give a passionate affectionate kiss.
5. Meet for lunch.
6. Picnic on your living room floor.
7. Kiss hello, kiss goodbye.
8. Take a bubble bath or shower together.
9. Make focused time for each other.
10. And, talk to each other…communicate regularly!

Avoidance Tactics are Really just your own Distractions at Work

I have found that there are certain tasks I really do not enjoy doing. Most of these things are those items I am really not naturally very good at. For example, managing my bookkeeping is something I dread. I usually avoid the electronic files and just cannot seemed to get focused to do them. In my mind, I am just not good at it. So, I avoid it. I really hate doing it!

Avoidance is a distraction in itself. By avoiding doing these tasks we are actually procrastinating! In most cases, procrastination is letting the low-priority tasks get in the way of high-priority ones. For example, it is socializing with colleagues when you know that an important work project is due; watching television rather than doing your household chores; or talking about unimportant things with your partner rather than discussing your relationship concerns or other important issues. In my case, it is more simply ignoring the low priority activities with hopes that they will eventually just go away!

So, in the meantime, my standards have declined. I used to keep an absolutely clean home and well organized office. Instead, I let it slip because I was focusing on my higher level priorities. I also realized that my standards were set too high and were unrealistic. Unfortunately, though the result is that I zap a lot of my energy working in a cluttered space and being dissatisfied about how my house or office looks. One solution is to hire someone else to do it; this is called outsourcing. However, these are things I do not want to outsource because I like to handle them myself and have the family share in the responsibility.

On the other-hand, managing my books and database is something that can be outsourced. I have taken some classes, updated my programs, and had some 1-1 but still feel resistant to doing these tasks. These are the types of activities that are essential for me to do as a business owner.

Delegating and outsourcing are great solutions for those tasks you really don’t want to do! Now it is time for me to follow my own advice and hire (or barter) for these services. Anyone know a good administrative assistant?

Lazy or bored??

I wonder how many lazy people are in fact bored and might benefit from more work rather than less?

Too often, people are labeled as lazy when they’re caught searching the Internet or gazing out the window. Problem is that without being mentally challenged, they are distracted and bored. This leads to lower productivity and decreased job satisfaction.

There may be extensive consequences to your behavior and it may easily be misconstrued. Many of the reasons people get fired are related to the perception that they are lazy. If you can’t stay motivated about your job and focused on your work, you’re in trouble! Being passionate about your work will bring the greatest levels of success.

Be a big picture thinker and connect the work you are doing to the bottom-line. Rather than getting bogged down in the details of a boring task that feels meaningless connect it to the bigger picture. Keep abreast of your overall goals and realize that your current task is just a small step along the way to accomplishing your bigger goals, whatever they may be. If you’re not busy enough, or the majority of your work feels meaningless, volunteer for other projects and opportunities. Align with the company’s goals and get noticed for doing quality work rather than goofing off.

Limit your time on social networking sites, surfing the Internet, socializing, visiting message boards, and personal phone calls. When you’re bored (or possibly avoiding work you don’t want to do—we’ll talk about this in another BLOG post soon!), you are much more likely to peruse these sites and get absorbed into their content.

Lastly, if you’re still feeling a little bored or even lazy either take a walk to help you re-focus or do a quick breathing exercise. A breathing exercise I use and teach during some of my seminars is to:

1. Close your eyes if you can.
2. Take a slow deep breath in (at least 5-count) and let if fill your abdomen as much as you can. (You’ll know you’re doing it right when you see your belly rise; your chest should not inflate.)
3. Hold for a count of 3-5.
4. Exhale to a 5-count through your mouth. (You should feel the breathe blowing out of your mouth)

Be aware of how you spend your time throughout the day. Be careful of the perception you might be giving out to others. Is this what you really want to be communicating?

Fighting the Impulse of Distractions

While researching about the impact of distractions on the younger generation, I also found this interesting thought….

You need to be able to control your impulses in order to stay better focused at work. Saying no to distractions depends, in part, on being able to control your impulses — something that’s not fully developed in a teenager’s brain, but is more developed as you mature.

Teens Multitasking

For years, scientists have said that multitasking is ineffective yet many in today’s workforce continue to use it as a technique for managing their burgeoning workloads. In the latest reports, the effects on teens are noted. Although their propensity for doing multiple tasks at any one time drives most parents and adults crazy, for them, this is a way of life!

I remember a friend of mine boasting to me how his daughter can sit at the computer researching for a paper or doing her homework while at the same time having multiple windows open, the music on, and talking on the phone. She would be doing her Calculus homework, texting about German, and making plans to hang out, while searching the Internet for her latest research project. She was carrying a full load of Advanced Placement classes, participating in girls basketball and active in her church youth group. If she wasn’t maintaining high honors, I would definitely question the effectiveness of her approach. A daughter of a scientist and an engineer either her intelligence was found in her genes or perhaps her unique approach to getting it all done and keeping it all together.

Personally, as a baby boomer, I shudder at the speed that teens are able to tackle tasks and also worried about the possible long-term side effects that have not yet been addressed in scientific or behavioral research.

According to the latest research, although doing several things simultaneously may feel productive, rapidly switching between tasks may actually slow you down as your brain loses connection to important information and significant time is lost re-focusing and getting back on-task. With multitasking it is almost impossible to gain a depth of knowledge of any of the simultaneous tasks. Yet today’s teens have tremendous skills to be able to be doing multiple things at the same time!

An ever-increasing number of teens are finding it difficult to concentrate and focus on just one task at a time. Although there’s not much data yet on teens, David Meyer at the University of Michigan has spent the past few decades studying multitasking — mostly in adults. He says,
“For tasks that are at all complicated, no matter how good you have become at multitasking, you’re still going to suffer hits against your performance. You will be worse compared to if you were actually concentrating from start to finish on the task,”. When you are interrupted, re-establishing focus may take seconds, minutes or even hours.

Yet, with teens who have pretty much grown up on technology and multitasking, Meyer and others believe that these youngsters are developing coping skills unlike what older generations have developed and may therefore be more equipped to perform better in future work environments where they are required to accomplish a lot. They have grown up always doing multiple things, so they are naturally more skilled at it than previous generations.

While multitasking gives a sense of doing more and being more efficient, research suggests that the performance results are higher when fully focusing on just one activity. There’s not much research on the addictive nature of multitasking yet or the possible long-term negative effects on the developing brain. Researchers are not sure what the long-term impact might be because studies have not yet probed this area. While some fear that the penchant for flitting from task-to-task could have serious consequences on young people’s ability to focus and develop analytical skills, others are more optimistic.

For teens, multitasking is really all they know; they are conditioned to do it based on the availability of technology tools, gadgets, and the ease of their use. Who knows, maybe this generation will be able to teach us a thing or two about more effectively multitasking while being productive??

An Article about a Natural Approach to Gaining Better Focus

This article was forwarded to me from a friend. It is written by Dr. Rob for MSN Health & Fitness. This advice offers a method for improving your concentration that’s not far different than what I’ve been sharing as an expert in helping people increase performance, productivity and satisfaction by decreasing distractions. To view the original article, links and find out more about the author, please follow this link.

Q: I am having difficulty staying focused on my job. I work at a high school and my environment is not library quiet and is often either too hot or too cold. I have many interruptions and can’t seem to complete a task. Is there something natural to take that helps to stay focused?

A: Sounds like you are working in a very open, spontaneous and interactive environment. Needless to say, it would be hard for anybody to focus on a specific task while dealing with frequent interruptions.

That said, the most natural solution would be to enlist your administrator’s help in relocating to a more worker-friendly area of the office. Or you might rearrange your workday in a manner that schedules in specific times for student visits and phone conversations, plus do-not-disturb times dedicated to completing assigned tasks. Taking a pill, natural or otherwise, would not protect you from a highly distracting workplace environment.

When referring to a person’s ability to focus or concentrate, we imply that their thoughts are narrowly channeled toward what they are:

• Currently doing (playing, watching a movie, working on a job assignment).
• Intending to do (gathering information needed for a presentation).
• Wanting to complete (homework, project, others).

If thoughts, feelings or one’s environment disrupt the ability to complete tasks in a timely or mistake-free manner, there may be a problem with focus or concentration. More often than not, distractions are the main reasons for this concern. These can be grouped into two categories: Internal and External.

Internal distractions are driven by your own thoughts, emotions and physical well-being. For instance, have you ever tried to do homework on an empty stomach or when you were very tired? If so, you know it can be hard to concentrate. Other internal distractions include but aren’t limited to:

• Poor organizational ability.
• Impaired ability to read or understand (eye or hearing problem, dyslexia).
• Worry, anxiety or depression.
• Job dissatisfaction.
• Time of day (too early or too late).
• Medications or supplements (stimulants, fatigue-causing drugs, others).
• And lack of exercise.

Even though attention deficit disorder (with or without hyperactivity) can be a significant cause of internal distraction, I do not think that is contributing to your lack of focus. I say this because you did not mention having ADD/ADHD as a child, nor did you express problems with impulsivity (speaking before thinking, gambling problem, others), distractibility (cannot follow conversations, easily bored, others), or hyperactivity (constant talking, trouble sitting still, others).

External distractions are related to the environment. In regard to your workplace, there are lots of reasons for your inability to fully concentrate. These include:

• Noise.
• Constant interruption (telephone, student needs, co-workers).
• E-mail, inter-office mail, public address system announcements.
• Uncomfortable office air temperatures.

It is important to know that each and every one of us has a different temperament, coping mechanism for working in a busy environment and the ability to maintain focus amid a storm of chaos. We can only do our best while adapting to the situation at hand.
Robert Danoff’s Top 10 strategies for helping you stay focused at work include:

• Prioritize tasks into what is important and urgent. Accomplish these first, then complete others in a timely manner.
• Ask for help. If you are constantly interrupted by phone calls or impromptu student visits, meet with your supervisor in order to provide a more organized structure.
• De-clutter your workspace, leaving only one project to be completed at a time.
• Noise cancellation devices, such as earplugs, may help improve your focus on the task at hand.
• Privacy. See if you can relocate to another area when your assignment requires attention without interruption.
• Temperature control. Ask the maintenance department to provide better regulation of the heating and cooling system in your office.
• Create solutions that will provide for a better work environment.
• Nurture yourself, and provide positive feedback with your accomplishments.
• Stop fighting the tide. Learn to accept and expect interruptions. Instead of getting frustrated, just go with the flow.
• Don’t look too far ahead. Step back, take a deep breath, smile and exhale. Now you’re ready for the task at hand!

Robert Danoff, D.O., M.S., is a family physician and program director of The Family Practice Residency, as well as the combined Family Practice/Emergency Medicine Residency programs at Frankford Hospitals, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, Pa. He is the medical correspondent for CN8, The Comcast Network, a regular contributor to Discovery Health Online and a contributing writer to The New York Times Special Features. (Read his full bio.)

© 2008 Microsoft

Meals in Minutes

In my latest e-newsletter, I shared a tip this week about planning quick and healthy meals. One of my readers who is a former client, shared anothe great idea with me.

“Last year, I was part of a moms group that prepared a frozen meal for each person in the group. It was good to get with them. Many of them had special needs kids. SO cooking is something they enjoyed. Plus they want health meals. I really miss the group. It was nice to have the meals already planned for the month. It was a really time saver too. There were 8 in the group . SO we met and decided what we were each will to cook. This took a whole day to prepare with shopping for the food. You need freeze. But you ended up with 8 meals for a serving of 8. I had them split my meals. So I ended up with 16 meals. Hope you understand this. But it was good for the season. Plus my cooking skills improved. Steve really enjoyed the variety. One lady loved to cook soups. Not something I did. Steve loved them. I have now learned how to cook a good soup.”

You can subscribe to my bi-monthly e-newsletter FREE!! Simply send a blank email to superbusyparent-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit my website and click the link there.

Have an idea to share, please add your comments or send your idea directly to me.

Overscheduled Kids leads to Over-Stressed Families

Teachers handed out an article last week at back-to-school night without identifying where the story came from. However, the article, “Kids call for a Time Out” stated the problems over scheduled families face and gave a tried and true solution…”Just say no”.

My children are involved in activities. Early on, my husband and I set limits on how many and how much they can be involved with at any one time with the caveat the school always comes first and any drop in grades will result in changes in their extra-curricular schedule. Admittedly, there have been times along the years that we had the same conflicts in scheduling, transportation and other conflicts that other families also face. However, my children have learned to make choices!

My 11 year old daughter was a competitive gymnast up until last year. She took up dancing to help enhance her gymnastics presentation and skills. Ultimately, she liked dancing so much that she’s elected to drop from the gymnastics team and devote more time to dancing. She originally wanted to take 5 nights of classes but in re-thinking opted for 4 nights, with usually just 1 class a night. We are involved in carpools and the dance school is conveniently located about a mile from our home. Next year, she’d like to try out for cheerleading. She wanted to try out last year but due to an already pressed schedule, chose not to.

My son is also involved in extra-curricular. During the spring he participates in a non-travel baseball team and in the fall/winter he is in a youth basketball league. We chose these because his main interest is motocross, which is usually a weekend activity. He, too, has learned to make choices based on his primary interests. The basic rule of thumb is up to 2 activities at any one time if they don’t conflict. Prior to registering, we ask allot of questions about the schedule and commitment.

A growing number of parents are avoiding over-scheduling their kids because they think the hyper-scheduling has gone too far. Now a Minnesota group has set up a website www.FamilyLife1st.org to help parents curb their children’s‘ crazy schedules. This group receives new inquiries daily as an increasing number of parents are ready to refocus their lives and the lives of their children.

How about your children…are they over-scheduled?

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