Minute With Mallon: The Single-Tasking Secret!
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
Multitasking Doesn't Work!
Sure, you can walk down the sidewalk and chew gum at the same time, but that's not multitasking.
Multitasking is the simultaneous execution of multiple tasks. This includes being able to do both tasks well, without shortchanging one or the other.
A couple of Mondays ago, I had a Really Bad Day! My mind felt like it was stuck in glue and I just couldn’t get anything done. I was frustrated with myself and had a pounding headache by the end of the afternoon.
In short, the day was a bust, I was frustrated, and I’d had a lot to get done. It didn’t happen.
So the next morning, I got up and decided to give myself a little grace. I told myself that everyone has a bad day occasionally, and I was no different.
Then I had this thought:
“Today I’m going to take it easy and just focus on one single thing at a time. I’m going to ‘Live in Task-Tight Compartments’ today.”
So I did. I wouldn’t even think about the next thing until I completed what I was presently focused on. And what happened?
I had the Most Productive Day I’d had in months! 👍🏻
I truly couldn’t believe how much I’d gotten done that day – and it felt effortless!
A couple days later I was working with a leader who was telling me how he was always getting sidetracked by emails, constantly stopping what he was focused on whenever one landed in his inbox. He was letting the email notifications interrupt his flow and distract him.
It's like when you open your smartphone to check the weather and 15 minutes later you’re still on it – and you never checked the weather! 😜 You know what I'm talking about!
And I remembered back to another client who set this goal about a year ago:
This quarter I am adding and practicing single-tasking in all areas of my life so that my awareness of being drawn into multitasking is more acute, I'm more productive, and I will have more calmness and clarity of mind.
He focused on developing this habit by completing it daily for the next 90 days. And it truly changed his work life!
Are you ready to transform your workday? What's the one task you'll commit to single-tasking tomorrow for unparalleled productivity? Write it down and make it happen!
Something I Learned:
While researching multitasking, I came upon a recent survey called "Supertaskers: Profiles in Extraordinary Multitasking Ability" by David Strayer and Jason Watson. They were trying to identify individuals who could effectively multitask. However, among the participants, only 2.5% could actually demonstrate proficiently in multitasking without any notable decline in performance.
2.5%!
Odds are good that you and I aren't in the 2 out of 100 who can do this. So take the advice above, and begin the habit of Single-Tasking!
Something to Ponder:
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”
Steve Jobs
