Stop Multi-Tasking If You Want to Be #ProductiveAF

Today I want to set the record straight on an often controversial and misunderstood aspect of productivity; multi-tasking!

As a society, we get a lot of mixed messages on multi-tasking. The American #hustle culture projects a narrative that your productivity is measured by the number of tasks you can check off your to do list in a day, and that busy is the ultimate sign of success. 

Everyday I see images on television and social media that glorify doing multiple tasks at one time, apparently a sign that you are using your time efficiently? 

I see posts on Instagram about how you can sleep when you’re dead and how humorous it is that career professionals in their 20s and 30s have no time for their social lives.

Blowing off your friends and family to sleep because you’re burnt out from work is a right of passage.

Having to drink a bottle of wine or take prescription sleep aids in order to get rest at night is the accepted norm.

But despite all the social signals that working non stop and doubling or tripling up on tasks is the way to go if you want to look like a successful human, productivity research is very clear that when you try to do more than one thing at a time, you are going to do both of those things poorly. In fact, studies show multi-tasking decreases productivity up to 40%. 

Now, if the tasks you are working on are not very important and don’t require any skill or level of precision, then by all means, multi-task away.

I’m all for listening to your favorite podcast episodes while you fold the laundry or do the dishes. 

I very often listen to a book on tape or catch up on YouTube videos when I’m in the bath.

There are some things you can do adequately at the same time.

For instance, I use essential oils and listen to a guided meditation when I’m trying to fall asleep at night. It’s a wonderful way to stack healthy sleep habits to ensure a restful night’s slumber.

But when it comes to tasks that do matter. Tasks for work or business, attending meetings or calls, and even relaxing or spending time with loved ones, you really should focus on the task at hand if you want to see and feel results.

I’ve learned from much trial and error that I can’t listen to a non-fiction book while I’m working or else I won’t do much work or I won’t remember what I’ve learned from the book. I can’t have it both ways, I can only focus on one important thing at a time if I want to do it right.

I can’t attend a Zoom meeting and try to do anything more than take notes if I actually want to absorb the information from the call. And even in this case, while I’m taking notes I often miss new information that is being mentioned.

Multi-tasking just doesn’t work on the important things because humans need to focus in order to learn or create. 

Sure, you can work on multiple tasks a day, but you can’t work on multiple tasks at one time.

So, I advocate for focus. For doing one thing at a time, giving it your full attention, and doing the thing very well.

When you do this, focus on one thing at a time, at first you might experience a bit of fear because all your attention and pressure are on one task. 

Some of you I’d bet have been multi-tasking not simply to get more done in a day, but to actually keep you from going all in on certain work. 

Multi-tasking relieves the pressure of perfectionism for some people because you know deep down inside that you just want to rush through certain tasks and get them over with. Multi-tasking can be a type of distraction for us, and a boundary that keeps us from doing our best work at the same time.

Done is better than perfect, right?

Well, it depends on the context.

You can do two things at once, check the box on them and move on to the next thing without even stopping to evaluate if the work was necessary or impactful.

So many of us check the box on tasks with the expectation that it is going to move the needle on an objective or goal, but we give up because we don’t see the fruits of our labor. Perhaps, if we had focused on one thing at a time and did our best with each, we would have seen the impact we were expecting.

This brings to mind the example of working out alone versus working out with a trainer. Working out alone of course benefits our health, but it’s been shown that working out with a trainer gives greater results because the trainer is there to ensure you are holding proper form and putting in a full effort for your time. When we work out alone, sure, some of us may be disciplined enough to remain in proper form or push ourselves to the limit each workout, but truthfully, most of us are just trying to get thru the experience rather than doing it right. We have a belief that just finishing is enough, and when we don’t see the results we expected after weeks of effort, we give up. 

What if we just put in the full effort and gave the task our full focus to begin with? 

Well, then we would start seeing results that would likely blow us away.

Wouldn’t that be a nice feeling for once?

So, from now on, let’s hold ourselves accountable for doing one thing at a time when it comes to tasks that are important or are tied to our goals and objectives. 

It’s fine to multi-task in small ways on mindless tasks that don’t have a significant effect on our lives, but when you do, take note of whether you got all you expected from your experience, and if you feel unfulfilled you know not to multi-task on that item again in the future. 

If you enjoyed this post and are looking for your own productivity personal trainer of sorts to ensure you are remaining accountable to your tasks and goals, I invite you to join me in the Productivity and Planning Mastermind Membership Group. Consider it your on demand productivity and planning Netflix subscription! As a member of the mastermind, you’ll get access to live monthly master classes and Q+A calls, weekly accountability check-ins, extra daily content from me on a variety of personal development topics and some great digital tools intended to help you learn to live your best life. Click here to learn more about the membership and enroll today for instant access to thousands of dollars in productivity tools and resources!

xoxo,